Kate Donovan - Spin Control

“I’ve already chosen another lawyer, sir,” Justin told him. “And she’s sitting right here, so we won’t lose any time at all.”

Oh, God…

Suzannah tried to believe that he couldn’t possibly be talking about her, but just to be safe she began calculating how quickly she could run for her life. The door to the hall was just a few yards from her seat. If only she could count on her legs not to buckle….

“Her name is Suzannah Ryder, Your Honor.”

She heard herself whisper, “No,” like a child pleading with a nightmare in the dark. Then she shook herself, determined to keep some semblance of poise.

Judge Taylor stared at Justin in disbelief. Then he slowly turned his gaze toward the audience. “Are you saying the infamous Suzannah Ryder is here with us today? Excellent. Join us, won’t you, Ms. Ryder?”

A dozen or so people turned to stare at her, and she realized they recognized her from the unfortunate interview she’d given after news of her successful appeal had hit the airwaves. She hadn’t said more than a few words—mostly No comment and Judge Taylor is one of our finest judges—but she imagined it had been memorable, if only because of her futile attempts to duck the cameras.

She knew she had to do something fast to salvage this situation, so she took a deep breath, pasted a confident, slightly bemused smile on her face and stood up. Thankfully her legs held her weight, so she walked slowly toward the bench, ignoring the piteous stares of the attorneys she passed, including Tony, who winced expressively.

Justin Russo, on the other hand, was ready with an encouraging smile, which actually helped Suzannah a little because it allowed anger to surpass embarrassment as her dominant emotion. This was all his fault. And she was going to find a way to pay him back just as soon as she got beyond the contempt zone.

“So,” Judge Taylor said with a drawl. “The victorious appellate warrior in person. What an honor. I didn’t think you’d be here today. Did you change your mind about handling Mr. Driscoll’s resentencing?”

“No, Your Honor,” she assured him, her voice hoarse but steady. “Tony Moreno is taking over. I’m just here as a spectator.”

“According to Agent Russo, you’re his new attorney.”

She grimaced. “I assure you, Your Honor, that’s a misunderstanding on Defendant Russo’s part. I barely know him and I certainly never agreed to represent him. It would be malpractice for me to even try. I just don’t have the experience.”

“You had enough experience to get me reversed on appeal. Are you saying my ruling was so wrong any attorney could have gotten it reversed? Even an incompetent one?”

“No, Your Honor.” She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “What I meant was, I don’t have much trial experience and absolutely no criminal trial experience. I have a corporate practice. Contracts, mostly. E-contracts, actually. It’s all transactional, except for the occasional hearing, and even those are few and far between—”

“Fascinating,” Judge Taylor interrupted with a growl, “but would you mind if I talked for just a moment?”

“Sorry, Your Honor.” She forced herself to maintain eye contact with him despite the smoke visibly pouring out of his ears. “I’m just pointing out that I’m not a trial attorney. This situation with Agent Russo is all a big mistake.”

“That is abundantly clear,” the judge agreed. “Agent Russo? Could you enlighten the court on this bizarre motion of yours?”

Justin nodded. “I trust her, Your Honor. She’s smart, she’s got class and she’s got guts. And quite frankly I don’t trust the lawyers the Bureau supplied for me. They’re nice guys, but I’m concerned they’ll put the government’s reputation and interests ahead of mine. I’m hoping Ms. Ryder can devote herself to my case without dividing her loyalties. Especially because she’s on vacation this week—”

“Wait!” Suzannah sent him a death glare, then told the judge, “It’s a working vacation. I’ve got a very important presentation to prepare for. On electronic signatures and Internet contracting. I’m attending a conference in Hawaii next week and I have to be fully prepared. I don’t have time to do anything else. And I don’t have the skills either! I’ve never handled a jury trial—”

“Counselor?”

“Yes, Your Honor?”

“Are you familiar with the concept of a gag order?”

The audience laughed at the play on words, knowing that a gag order involved statements about the case made outside the courtroom, not in it. Still, there was no misunderstanding Taylor’s meaning.

He was saying that Suzannah was babbling. And it was true, but she couldn’t seem to make it stop.

“That’s pretty funny, Your Honor,” she admitted. “I’ll be quiet now. I promise.”

“Thank you.” He arched a stern eyebrow. “The last thing I want to do is interfere with your little junket to Hawaii, but some of us have real work to do. Did you happen to take a criminal-law course when you were in school?”

“Of course, Your Honor. But—”

He held up his hand to silence her, then continued. “Did you take criminal procedure?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Evidence?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“And last but not least, did they teach you anything about your ethical obligations? To this court, for example? Are you aware that I have the power to appoint you to represent Agent Russo?”

She nodded, too miserable to argue. “May I ask what he’s charged with, Your Honor?”

A hint of a twinkle invaded Taylor’s green eyes. “That would be murder.”

“Oh, God…”

“I didn’t do it, Suzy,” Justin assured her. “I swear I didn’t.”

“Suzy?” The judge’s scowl had returned. “Just what is your relationship with the defendant, Ms. Ryder?”

“I don’t have a relationship with him, Your Honor.”

“Well, you do now.” Taylor turned his attention to the two defense attorneys who had been hovering nearby, clearly too intimidated to speak. “I want you gentlemen to assist Ms. Ryder, since by her own admission she’s borderline incompetent. But she’s Russo’s choice, and I’m going to respect that. At least for the moment. Agent Russo? Are you comfortable allowing these men to remain involved?”

Justin pursed his lips, then nodded. “As technical advisors, sure. But I want to be able to talk to Ms. Ryder in complete confidence. And I want her to make all the decisions about my representation.”

“Agreed.” Judge Taylor squared his shoulders. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have other cases on my docket. Unless Ms. Ryder wants to regale us with more irrelevant tidbits about her vacation plans, I suggest we move on to the issue of bail.”

“Your Honor?” The assistant district attorney, a petite brunette in a severe black suit, spoke for the first time, her tone guarded. “The People strongly feel that Agent Russo represents a flight risk.”

“A flight risk?” Suzannah rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding? Look at him. He’s too cocky to run.”

“That’s a novel defense,” Taylor muttered. “Care to throw in any traditional arguments, just for fun?”

Suzannah shrugged. “Obviously, Your Honor, the fact that he’s standing here right now shows that he intends to cooperate fully. I mean, he could have gotten away from these two clowns any time he wanted.” She grimaced in quick apology toward the defense attorneys, then continued. “It’s not like my client could get out of the country even if he wanted to. As an FBI agent, there has to be a file on him a mile thick. Prints, DNA, photos, and a list of all his relatives, friends—assuming he has any—and travel patterns.”