The Justice Game

67

Jason Noble leaned back in his chair, frowned a little, shook his head occasionally, and jotted a note or two. He stifled a yawn for the jury. On the outside, the epitome of boredom. On the inside, butterflies in full riot mode, heart pumping, perspiration factory working overtime.

He noticed that Kelly Starling had no trouble keeping the rapt attention of the men on the jury. She had recently cut her short blonde hair, making her appear even more businesslike. She wore a white blouse, gray suit, heels, understated earrings, a silver necklace, and a touch of lipstick-very classy, but nothing to purposely draw attention to herself.

She didn’t have to. She walked around the courtroom with elegant grace, her eyes blazing with intensity, yet still she managed a beguiling smile here and there. The four men on the jury followed her every move. The three women kept glancing over at her client. She was, thought Jason, a formidable opponent.

She stood now at the edge of the jury box, out of the way, and for the first time nobody paid any attention to her. She played the video of the shooting. It started with Rachel live on the air, and then somebody yelled something about a gun. The screen went dark for what seemed like an eternity.

When it came back on, Jamison was on camera along with Lisa Roberts, the news anchor, and Rachel. Jamison forced the women to introduce themselves and told the television audience they had just heard a bunch of lies. He paced behind Lisa and Rachel, then pointed the gun at Rachel’s face.

While Jamison ranted about the investigative report, Jason watched the looks on the faces of the jurors. Most of them grimaced, bracing themselves for what they knew was coming. They seemed to be holding their collective breath.

Jamison questioned Rachel about her sources, threatening her as he did so. He forced Rachel to apologize and beg for mercy. He questioned Lisa: “Do you agree that it’s her fault?” Lisa shuddered and sobbed, “She made a mistake.”

Though the jury knew it was coming, the gunshots still managed to startle them. Some jolted back as they watched Rachel dive for the floor, Jamison pumping bullets into his victim even as his own body was torn apart by the SWAT team bullets. There was shouting and chaos. Both Rachel and Jamison lay dead on the set, blood splattering their bodies.

The screen went blank.

Kelly moved to the front of the jury box and stood there. She didn’t say a word. Her back was to Jason, so he couldn’t tell if she was crying or just trying to hold it together. The tension in the courtroom was off the charts.

“Ms. Starling,” Judge Garrison finally prompted. He said it softly, as if trying to nudge her from a trance.

“Silence,” Kelly said. “Since the time those gunshots were fired, for my client… there’s been nothing but silence. Where once there was the laughter of a spouse, a greeting when he came home from work, soft breathing on the pillow next to him at night, all those sounds that brought joy and contentment in life… now, there’s just silence.”

Kelly hit the remote again, and the screen displayed the ultrasound images. “Where once there was a heartbeat, there is silence.

“What would my client give to spend one more day with his wife? I’ll tell you what he’d give-anything in the world. You can’t put a price on a soul mate.”

Kelly stopped and turned toward Jason’s counsel table, her eyes locking on Case McAllister.

She turned back to the jury and lowered her voice. “Not even Mr. McAllister could do a cost-benefit analysis on that.”

Watching on the large flat-screen television in his office, Robert Sherwood gave Kelly’s opening an approving grunt. He took a long pull on his cigar and wafted the smoke toward the ceiling. Kelly Starling had risen to the occasion.

At Justice Inc. she had been a good lawyer-a pleasant face, an ultracompetitive personality, and a hard worker. But she had never shown the flashes of brilliance that Sherwood had seen from Jason Noble. Five years of trial experience had changed her. Sherwood had expected a solid opening. But this one bordered on greatness.

At heart, Robert Sherwood was still a trial lawyer. He loved watching the cases unfold. He had spent the months since Andrew Lassiter’s departure rebuilding trust with investors. For once, the stars were truly aligning on a case. If things stayed on course, it could be Justice Inc.’s biggest payoff yet. There were dozens of publicly traded gun companies that would be affected by this trial’s outcome.

He took another puff on the cigar and watched Jason Noble rise to face the jury. This would be good. Kelly Starling had thrown down the gauntlet. Let’s see how the whiz kid responds.