Fatal Convictions

43

By Monday afternoon, news of the honor killing at Grace Coastal Church had exploded across national television. There was no hard evidence linking Khalid to the murders, but that didn’t stop commentators from noting the similarities in the methods used by the executioner and the fact that Khalid Mobassar was out on bond. Before long, legal “experts” began a renewed assault on the decision by Judge McElroy to free Khalid. “This might never have happened if Judge McElroy had one ounce of common sense,” one of them suggested.

Alex resorted to the hunker-down strategy, retreated to his office, and gave Sylvia strict instructions that he was not to be disturbed. He knew he needed to get ready for the preliminary hearing on Friday. Instead, he spent his time second-guessing whether he should even stay on the case. Nara Mobassar was right. At this rate, her father would be convicted before the opening statements began.

It didn’t help that Shannon had filed Ghaniyah’s personal-injury case earlier that same morning. Legally, they could have waited. But the firm desperately needed the cash flow, and both Alex and Shannon thought it might help in the sympathy department for the Mobassars. That was before the California honor killing. Now, Alex and Shannon were being portrayed as greedy ambulance chasers who took Khalid’s criminal case only because they didn’t want to lose Ghaniyah’s civil case.

Alex knew things were bad when his grandmother called to second-guess his strategy. “Whose idea was it to file that personal-injury case today?”

“Shannon’s,” Alex said. “And mine,” he added.

There was silence. “Well, if Shannon is on board, then I guess I can’t be too critical.”

Alex looked up and noticed a reporter and a cameraperson standing at his office door. How did they get past Sylvia?

“I’ve got to go, Grandma,” Alex said. “It looks like I’ve got company.”

Alex spent the next several minutes escorting the news team out of his office suite. Because he refused to grant them an interview, that night’s telecast would run clips of Alex prodding them into the hallway and closing the door behind them. What they didn’t record was the young lawyer’s exchange with his receptionist afterward.

“Why’d you let them back to my office?” Alex asked, his voice sharp and accusatory.

“I tried to tell them,” Sylvia protested, “but they kept insisting. I figured a few questions wouldn’t hurt.”

“‘A few questions wouldn’t hurt’?” Alex repeated. He couldn’t believe anyone could be so incompetent. But before he could launch into a serious lecture, Sylvia started to cry.

“Look, why don’t you just take the rest of the day off?” Alex said.

After she left, Alex locked the outside doors and retreated to his office again.

Shannon had been the smart one. After filing the personal-injury lawsuit, she had spent the rest of the day working from home.