Page 2 of The Fall Affair

The crease between his brows deepened. He pointed in the opposite direction. “The ladies’ room is that way.”

Crap.

I closed my eyes briefly. “Right…right. Sorry. I’m still half asleep. I should’ve picked up coffee before coming in.”

Will’s eyes pointed down to the cup in my hand. He smirked. “You really are sleepy this morning.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, yeah. I just need a minute.”

He held up a hand. “Take your time. I’m sure you’re overprepared and don’t even really need to do a run-through.”

“Thanks. I’ll, uh, be back in a few minutes.”

I started to walk again and realized I was still going the wrong direction, which Will had just reminded me. When I turned around, he looked amused, but said nothing else as I made my way to the other end of the hall.

I couldn’t bear to look toward the door as I passed Harry Kasoff’s office. The vision of his wrinkly face in ecstasy was already going to haunt my dreams. I spent a full ten minutes in the ladies’ room, attempting to get my head back in the game. But it wasn’t easy. Those were not shoes Harry’s wife would wear, even if she hadn’t had back surgery only two weeks ago. And I didn’t think the sixty-five-year-old appellate court judge frequented the office at dawn to give her husband of thirty-odd years a blow job at his desk. No… Harry Kasoff, the founding partner of Kasoff, Faust & Moore, was definitely having an affair.

***

Being in court did something to me. It sharpened my focus, making everything else fade into the background. Even the horror show I’d unwillingly been subjected to this morning slipped out of reach. And for that, I was hella grateful.

I spread my index cards on the counsel’s table, though I probably wouldn’t need them. I hadn’t looked at them during my run-through with Will this morning, but I liked to be overprepared in case something caused me to go offtrack. Parker Whittaker, my client’s soon-to-be ex-husband, sneered in my direction as he passed through the swinging wooden half door that separated the spectators from the players. Normally I would’ve growled right back at him, but today I offered an over-the-top smile in return. It wasn’t difficult to conjure up. I just had to think about what his expression was going to look like when I pulled out the photos of him and his best friend’s wife sucking face. Not only would that cause a large penalty from his prenuptial agreement to kick in, but it should help with my cross-examination of the character witness he’d presented—his best friend.

Nolan Pierce, Mr. Whittaker’s attorney, was someone I’d been up against before. He only represented men, and it was pretty clear why based on the way he treated the female population in general. He spoke to my chest and underestimated me every single time, even though I’d kicked his ass on all but one of our cases together. Considering he himself had been divorced four times and was only in his forties, I’m sure he didn’t have to dig too deep to locate the bitterness and contempt he always showed for the opposition.

Yes, today is going to be a very fun day after all.

Judge Harrison came out from his chambers, and the court officer instructed everyone to rise. His Honor took his seat on the bench, motioned for everyone to sit, and fitted his reading glasses on the tip of his nose.

“Ms. Bianchi, are you ready to begin your cross?”

I nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”

Opposing counsel raised a hand. “Judge, we actually have one more witness we’d like to take the stand.”

My eyes narrowed. “There aren’t any more witnesses on their list.”

Nolan held up a manila folder—the exact type I had sitting on the table in front of me that contained the compromising photos of Mr. Whittaker. “I apologize for the late add,” he said. “My team was only able to identify the witness yesterday. We’d also like to enter some new photos into evidence. The additional witness will testify as to their authenticity.”

My stomach dropped. What did this little shit have up his sleeve? I looked over at my client for help, but Mrs. Whittaker merely shrugged. Yet for some reason, my gut told me to fight tooth and nail to not let this witness in.

I stood. “We adamantly object, Your Honor. Counsel had his chance to put on his case. The petition for divorce was filed fourteen months ago, and Mr. Pierce has spent the last two weeks putting on an elaborate dog-and-pony show, dragging my client’s name through the mud. If whatever this is was relevant, it should’ve been disclosed during discovery. We’ve had no opportunity to see this surprise evidence, nor prepare for whatever new tactic he’s trying to spring on us.”

I glanced over at Mr. Whittaker. His smile was so wide, it looked like his face might crack. What the hell is going on?

Judge Harrison extended his hand, palm up. “Let me see what kind of evidence we’re talking about here.”

Opposing counsel handed the envelope to the court officer, who brought it to the bench. I watched as the judge bent the prongs holding the envelope closed and slipped out an eight-by-ten photo. I couldn’t see the picture from here, but watching his brows jump to nearly his hairline was definitely not a good sign. He tucked the photo back into the envelope.

“I take it you haven’t shown these to Ms. Bianchi or her client yet?”

“No, Your Honor.”

He nodded and held the envelope out to the court officer. “Frank, give these to Ms. Bianchi, please. I’m going to allow the witness and the new evidence, but I want a full explanation as to why this person couldn’t be found sooner. If I’m not satisfied that you aren’t playing games, I’ll throw out the testimony and pretend this mess never happened. Do you understand, Mr. Pierce?”

“Yes, Judge. Thank you.”

I took the envelope from the court officer and spoke up. “Your Honor, I’d like to request—”