Page 47 of The Fire We Make

“Hear me out,” she said. “Y’all trying to plead guilty and find the best set of excuses and precedents that will make the judge lower the sentence ain’t gon’ work. From what I see, the evidence against him is circumstantial. Or at least it can be framed that way. Instead of using your time to get him a lower sentence, you can get him off by discrediting these witnesses and poking holes in the evidence. All you need is reasonable doubt and I see enough to get that.”

“How are we supposed to discredit the witness?” Shawn asked. “He’s a local business owner with a squeaky clean record.”

Joy grinned. “A little good old fashioned gaslighting. If you make the witness start to second guess what they saw, the judge and jury will too. Rattle them in cross to get them to doubt themself. Get signed affidavits and bring in witnesses who can testify to the opposite. Now it turns into he said she said and once you sow that seed of doubt, you’re golden.”

“Are you suggesting perjury?” Stephanie, another junior associate asked. Joy turned to the woman, finding a look of disgust on her face.

On another day, Joy might have been deterred by her expression but she was drunk on the power she felt. The entire room was eating out of her hand, hanging onto her every word. She wouldn’t let Stephanie ruin this moment for her. “I like to call it perspective. Everyone sees things differently.”

That earned a chuckle around the room.

“I don’t know. That sounds risky. If we don’t play it right, he could go to prison for the rest of his life. I don’t wanna gamble,” Tonya said, uneasiness on her face.

“I think he would prefer that we at least try to get him off. I like Thibodeaux’s idea,” Shawn said.

“I agree.” The room quieted as Ace spoke up for the first time since the debate ensued.

Joy reluctantly turned her attention to him, his thick arms crossed over his chest as he tugged at the luscious looking hair on his chin as he regarded her.

“People don’t come to King, Kincaid and Associates because we can get them lesser sentences. They come to us because we can send them home to their families with a not guilty verdict. If you see the opportunity to make that happen, then you go for it. Even if you have to offer a little… perspective.”

Joy grinned at his endorsement and though she could feel them boring into her, she didn’t meet his eyes. As it tended to do, her body responded to his proximity despite herself. She’d avoided him as much as she could since that moment in the kitchen. It was clear she didn’t have control around him so she preferred distance.

With Ace’s blessing, the argument was over and the strategy was set. With nothing more to discuss on the matter, they moved on to the next case.

“Aight, that’s it for now. Good work everybody,” Ace started, fingers on his binder, ready to close it.

“What about the Franklin Hill case, Mr. King?” Stephanie asked.

“I’m taking that one. We’re gonna work out a plea deal to get him out of there quickly and quietly,” Ace answered.

Joy’s brow quirked, her mind already deciphering several reasons why that would be a bad idea.

“That’s not gonna work,” she blurted.

The room stilled.

The atmosphere grew thick with anxiety and shock.

The air conditioner stopped blowing, bathing the room in silence like even it was holding its breath.

Ace’s gaze slowly dragged to her, his head following. “Excuse me?”

He tilted his head like the thought of being opposed was puzzling to him. His eyes glittered but his jaw tightened like he wasn’t sure if he was amused or pissed.

The coldness in his eyes told Joy he didn’t appreciate the challenge but she didn’t back track, instead, she doubled down.

“Taking a plea isn’t a good idea,” she said.

She expected him to shut her down or dismiss her but instead, interest lit his eyes. He leaned back in his seat. “Explain,” he demanded, studying her.

So she did.

“All of these cases are connected, yes? And Mr. Hill is, allegedly, the leader of all of these other clients. Pleading out for him puts not only the rest of these cases in jeopardy but gives the DA more ammo to go after the rest of his organization who, I’m assuming, are also our clients.

“This won’t be quick or quiet. It’s a trap.”

The room remained silent as Ace silently regarded her. For a moment, she wondered if she overstepped. Finally after a few moments of deliberating with himself he nodded slowly.