Fatal Convictions

34

Shannon and Alex agreed to meet at a restaurant on Thursday night so they could avoid the reporters staking out their office. They chose a place called Chick’s, an oyster bar and seafood restaurant on the north side of Virginia Beach along the Lynnhaven River. It was a favorite watering hole for the locals. Many would arrive by boat, tying up at the pier along the backside of the restaurant for hours while they hung out at the bar.

The night was hot and muggy, so Alex and Shannon asked to be seated inside the air-conditioned plastic canopy. They waited about fifteen minutes until a picnic table cleared. Even in the air-conditioning, it must have been at least eighty degrees, and Alex was sticky with sweat.

As soon as they were seated and had ordered something cold to drink, Shannon launched into an update. The Mobassars’ home was nearly back to normal, thanks to help from several of Ghaniyah’s friends. Nara Mobassar, Khalid’s thirty-year-old daughter, had obtained a visa and would be in town by Saturday. And even though Shannon had passed along Alex’s concerns to Khalid about posting a large bond, the imam was determined to get out of jail. Shannon expected his bond would be posted on Friday or Saturday at the latest.

In contrast to Shannon’s rather upbeat report, Alex was all gloom and doom. He told Shannon about the visit from Bill Fitzsimmons and Harry Dent. He had also responded to several e-mails from personal-injury clients who were nervous about the firm’s continuing to handle their cases. “They think a jury might take it out on them if we’re their lawyers,” Alex explained.

“I can’t believe the entire world has tried and convicted Khalid Mobassar before the first witness has even taken the stand,” Shannon said. “How can we get an unbiased jury after this?”

We? Alex thought. He had intended to wait until after they had ordered their food, but he couldn’t let that pass. “Look, Shannon, I know you like this family, but I think we need to withdraw from this case.” He hesitated while she absorbed the statement. “I mean, we should stay on Ghaniyah’s case and help her. But we’re in over our heads on this criminal stuff.”

After an uncomfortable silence, Shannon’s voice was measured and calm. “I like this guy, Alex. I can’t imagine cutting and running on him. You know as well as I do that they’ll end up with some criminal lawyer who is just in it for the publicity. And besides, I really believe he’s innocent.”

Alex stared at Shannon in disbelief. There were powerboats motoring by on the Lynnhaven, young singles on the prowl lining the bar, ESPN blaring away on the television-but Alex ignored it all. “They’ve got text messages from his phone, Shannon. Somebody in the mosque was siphoning the offerings and wired $20,000 to a Lebanese bank account using Khalid’s password. The cell phone that received the text messages was at the parking lot where Ja’dah Mahdi was abducted and then was traced to Sandbridge that night. How do you explain all that?”

“Maybe Khalid’s phone was stolen,” Shannon countered. “Maybe somebody’s trying to set him up.”

“You don’t think Taj Deegan has thought about that? You don’t think they’ve got pictures of Khalid with his cell phone in the days following the text messages? You don’t think they can reconstruct the movement of his cell phone using GPS coordinates and show how his cell phone happened to be in precisely the same places that Khalid was in the days after he sent the text messages? Deegan’s no amateur. She doesn’t file a case like this until she’s covered every angle.”

“You might be right. But I’m just saying that it’s too early to tell. And it’s not our job to assume scenarios that would convict our client.”

When the waitress came to take their order, Alex asked if she could give them a few more minutes.

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Shannon, you did an awesome job this morning for Khalid. I want to believe in his innocence as much as you do. But at the end of the day, we’ve got a responsibility to our firm, and I’ve got a responsibility to the people in my church.”

Alex decided not to finish the thought. He could tell by the look on Shannon’s face that she knew his position was nonnegotiable. But what worried him was that look of flint in her eyes-a look that said she was digging in too.

“I know we both wish that your grandfather was here right now to help us through this,” Shannon said softly. “But he’s not. And I know that, as much as I loved and admired him, you were a lot closer to him than I was. So I’m not going to sit here and tell you that he would have taken this case.” She hesitated and took a sip of iced tea, though Alex could tell she wasn’t finished. “But I can tell you what seems right to me. And I can’t walk away from this man, Alex.”

Alex started to respond, but Shannon put a hand on his forearm. “Please let me finish.”

Alex nodded. He hated being at odds with Shannon like this.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” she continued. “On the way over here, I decided that the best way to resolve this matter is for me to leave the firm and take Khalid with me. You can continue to represent Ghaniyah and the personal-injury clients who are getting nervous. Your deacons will get off your back, and we won’t be abandoning Khalid. And I’m not suggesting this out of frustration or because I’m angry or anything like that. You and I just have different ideas about what it means to be a lawyer. We’ll still be friends,” Shannon promised. “But maybe it’s best if I strike out and start handling criminal cases, and you can focus on personal-injury clients.”

The whole thing caught Alex so off guard that he didn’t know how to respond. He wrinkled his brow and frowned at the idea. “I… I don’t know… Shannon, I definitely don’t want this case to split our firm.”

“It’s too late, Alex. It already has.”