James Grippando - Leapholes

Ryan looked straight at the jurors and spoke from the heart.

"The prosecutor is right," said Ryan. "We did cast lots. And I refused to go along with it. But why did I do that? The reason is simple. We all know right from wrong. This felt wrong. I know what the judge in that old case of the William Brown said. But was that old judge sitting in that lifeboat with those passengers? Did he look into the eyes of the people who were thrown overboard? Was he there in that disease control center with me? Did he look into the eyes of a teenaged-girl who had lost the game we were playing-a game of life and death?

"No," said Ryan. "That judge was not there. The prosecutor wasn't there either. That's why they are able to think the way they do. But there's another way. We all agree that saving ourselves is only natural. But sometimes the bravest thing we can possibly do is to save others. Even at the risk of sacrificing ourselves."

The courtroom was stone silent. Slowly, right before his eyes, the strangest thing started to happen. Ryan blinked once, and again, not quite believing his eyes. He noticed a change among the jurors. At first it was subtle, a mere adjustment in their facial expressions. But then he realized that the change was more profound. The appearance of each juror was actually changing. They weren't simply looking at him differently. They literally looked different. Their faces changed. Their hair changed. Even their clothing changed. It wasn't just one or two of them. It was all of them. Right before Ryan's eyes, all twelve members of the jury had physically transformed into passengers from the William Brown-twelve of the fourteen "losers" on the lifeboat who were thrown overboard to their deaths.

Ryan turned and looked at Hezekiah. "How did that happen?"

Hezekiah smiled proudly. "You did it, Ryan."

"What did I do?"

The judge interrupted, but he too, was smiling. "Very powerful argument, young man. And a very important lesson for all of us. Just because a case is old does not mean it's right. Sometimes, legal precedent is wrong. Casting lots to save lives is a horrible thing. It appears to me that you have persuaded this jury on that point. You have made this jury stand in the shoes of the victims of the William Brown. There is no better way to rip a wrongly decided case from the law books than to see the world from a victim's point of view. The eyes of the victim are the law's immortal soul. This case is dismissed."

The prosecutor jumped to her feet. "But Your Honor, I haven't even presented any evidence yet."

The judge shook his head, then gestured toward the new jury-twelve people whom Ryan had completely transformed. They were still wearing the immigrant clothing of the victims of the William Brown. They still bore the pitiful faces of twelve innocent victims. "You've lost the case before it has even begun," the judge told the prosecutor. "This boy is a true Legal Eagle."

With a bang of the gavel, the case was over. Ryan was acquitted.

"Yes!" shouted Hezekiah, his voice filling the courtroom like a pipe organ.

"I won?" said Ryan.

"Justice prevailed," said Hezekiah.

"You're such a nerd."

"I can't help it. I'm a Legal Eagle." He put his arm around Ryan's shoulder. "Come on. Let's you and I go celebrate."

Ryan and Hezekiah left the courtroom together. On the first floor of the courthouse was a noisy cafeteria with booths and counter space. They found a booth in the back where they could talk privately over french fries and chocolate milkshakes.

"You were fantastic, Ryan. Even the judge thought so."

Ryan chuckled. "Yeah, what did he call me? A real Legal Eagle."

"That was quite a compliment," Hezekiah said in a serious tone. "What he was really saying is that you are definitely a potential candidate for the Society."

"The Society?"

"The Society of Legal Eagles, of course. I'm a member. That old judge is a member. You have to be a member in order to earn leapholes."

Ryan plunged an extra straw into his thick milkshake and took a double-barreled mouthful. "Society of Legal Eagles, huh? Sounds kind of goofy to me."

"Sure it's goofy. On the laugh-out-loud meter, it's right up there with the Mouseketeers. But it shows we have a sense of humor. Believe me, Ryan: You don't ever want to meet a lawyer who takes himself or herself too seriously."

"Like the prosecutor in my dad's case. Boy, was that guy ever full of-"

"Watch your language, young man."

"HimselfI was going to say he was full of himself."

"Oh, of course. A lawyer like him would never be invited into the Society."

"He still won the case. He got my father to confess. Dad's in jail now."

"I'm sorry about that."

Ryan waited for him to say more, hoping that perhaps Hezekiah would continue the discussion they'd started in the hallway before trial. But the old lawyer was stone silent. Ryan said, "Why would my father have confessed if he wasn't guilty?"

Hezekiah selected a french fry from the plate, but he didn't eat it. He just wagged it like an extra finger as he spoke. "My guess is that this is something very hard for him to explain."

"I'd love to hear him try."

"Have you told him that?"

Ryan shrugged. "Yeah, sort of."

"I'm serious, Ryan. Have you sat down with your father and told him you want to understand what he did? Have you given him that chance?"

Ryan was silent, staring down into his milkshake.

Hezekiah said, "Or have you been too angry to even listen?"

"I just can't understand why he would have done that. People don't confess to things they didn't do."

"It's not unheard of, Ryan."

"It just doesn't make sense."

"The system isn't perfect. You proved that today. You showed the judge that the William Brown was a bad decision. Just because a case went one way or the other doesn't always mean it went the right way. There are bad decisions handed down every day."

"How does that happen?"

"Sometimes mistakes are made. Those are bad, but those aren't the ones that worry me the most."

"What do you worry about?" asked Ryan.

The old man's eyes seemed to glisten like two burning embers. "What I'm about to tell you is very important. It's something you must never forget. My friends and I may kid around a little, give ourselves a corny name like the Society of Legal Eagles. But the other side is no laughing matter."

"What other side?"

"Just as sure as there are Legal Eagles in the world, there is also Legal Evil. That's where the worst decisions come from."

"Are there worse decisions than the William Brown?

"Oh, yes," said Hezekiah. "Much, much worse."

"Like what?" asked Ryan.

Hezekiah said, "Perhaps your father's case. If he's telling you the truth, perhaps his case was worse."

"Do you think he was innocent?"

"I have no way of knowing for certain. I wasn't there when the crime was committed."

"But he must have said something to you."

"Like I told you before, I couldn't share that with you even if I did know. The point is, your father wants to talk to you, not to me. Only you can find out the truth."

"I want to know more about this Legal Evil."

"Oh, this is far too happy an occasion to dwell on Legal Evil. We should be celebrating your victory."

"I want to know," said Ryan. "What's the worst, most awful decision out there?"

Hezekiah's face turned very serious. "The worst decision ever.. . this is just my opinion. The worst decision ever is where Legal Evil lives."

"Where is that?"

Hezekiah was clearly reluctant to say more. Finally, he seemed to conjure up a satisfactory answer. "Legal Evil lives where the brood follows the dam."

"Huh?" said Ryan. "Sounds like some kind of riddle. Where is that?"