Fatal Convictions

79

Nara was waiting in the hallway when court recessed for lunch. She fell in stride with Alex and Shannon as they made their way down the escalators and out of the building. As they were heading toward the cars, Nara asked how things went that morning.

“I’m going to peel off,” Shannon said, heading toward her car. “I’ll just grab a quick salad and meet you back in the courtroom.”

“Do you really think it’s a good idea for Nara and me to do lunch together?” Alex asked. “We might get the tabloids talking.”

“If you avoid body contact, you should be okay,” Shannon said over her shoulder.

Alex drove down Princess Anne Road until he found a Subway. He needed something quick so he could get back to court and prepare for the afternoon witnesses. Alex looked around to make sure no reporters had the same idea. He and Nara each ordered a sub and found a booth toward the back.

Nara took a few bites and leaned forward. She took a sip of her drink and kept her voice low. “How did it go this morning?”

“I’m really not supposed to say,” Alex said.

“The judge said you couldn’t talk to me about the witnesses. How did your opening statement go?”

Sometimes the woman was too smart for her own good.

Alex chewed a bite of sub and eventually swallowed. He looked at Nara and decided that he couldn’t lie. She trusted him. If they were ever going to have any kind of relationship, he needed to be straight with her.

“I didn’t give it.”

Nara froze mid-bite and stared at him. “What?”

“I didn’t give it. Taj Deegan took the case 180 degrees from where I expected she would go with her opening. I decided it would be best if I waited until we begin our case to give mine.”

Nara looked at him as if he had sprouted a third eye. “Are you serious? You didn’t say anything?”

Alex shrugged. “It’s not like I won’t be able to give an opening. I just delayed it for strategic reasons until the commonwealth’s case is over.”

Nara’s face grew stormy. “Why do you keep holding back on us? What could Taj Deegan possibly have said to make you throw away your entire opening?”

“Shh,” Alex said. People were starting to look at them.

“I’m tired of sneaking around and being quiet, as if we’re ashamed of our case. The least you could have done was to deliver the opening statement that we all worked so hard on last night.”

Alex felt like he was in the middle of an E. F. Hutton commercial as the other conversations in the sub shop suddenly receded. He kept his own voice low, hoping that Nara would catch the hint. “I can’t tell you everything that Taj Deegan said. But, Nara, I’m not holding back… and I think by now you should cut me a little slack.”

Alex turned and glared at some of the people who were staring at him and Nara. The onlookers quickly looked away. He returned his attention to Nara and leaned forward. “Frankly, after putting my life on the line, I hoped I might get a little more trust. Why isn’t anything ever good enough for you?”

Nara snorted. “Don’t turn this on me. Every time we disagree on something, you go into your ‘trust me’ routine.” She wrapped her half-eaten sandwich and crinkled up the bag of chips as she talked. “‘I’m the lawyer, Nara. I know what’s best.’ Do you know how condescending that sounds?” She gave him no chance to answer. “I think I’ll just wait outside.”

Alex tried to dissuade her, but Nara threw her trash away and walked out the door. She stood in front of the Subway looking out at the parking lot with her arms crossed. It was early December and probably forty degrees, but Alex no longer cared. He took his time and ate the rest of his sub. Then he stood in line to get a cookie for dessert.

It was a long, silent ride back to the courthouse.