Broken (Endurance) (18 page)

Justice

Jason Reyes stood across from Cressida, admiring her convincingly stoic demeanor. She stood alert and focused on the judge as he glanced over the court papers pertaining to Blake Carter's case.

Judge Austin Allaway shook his head repeatedly with displeasure.  He looked up at Jason then over at Cressida. "I need both of you to approach the bench."  The frustration in his voice could be heard throughout the room.

Ronald Morgan, a handsome man in his late forties, sat at the back of the room, inconspicuous.

Ryan Harris sat in the bench behind the prosecuting attorney, Jason Reyes. Maxwell secretly slid into the last bench.  He wanted to be close to the door just in case he needed to leave early. He’d also not told Cressida he’d be at the courthouse and didn’t want to distract her.

She focused her energy on portraying an attorney who was convinced of her client’s innocence.

Cressida and Jason looked at each other when the judge called them forward. She took a deep breath and walked towards the judge's bench alongside Jason. The judge leaned over and looked down at both of them. She could tell he was disgusted by what he’d read in the court documents.

"What in the hell am I reading? I feel like I’m in some kind of jacked up movie where the villain gets away with murder." Judge Allaway spoke with annoyance.

"Your honor...," Jason began.

"Do you think I eat cow-pies for lunch?” Judge Allaway snapped.  “This case doesn't make any sense. Damn, I wish we were in Texas right now. I would be frying his ass." The judge was furious when he spoke. His heavy country accent intensified with each new vein that protruded his forehead.

"Your honor, these cases are not easy to deal with. What we have found won't hold up in a case.   We need more time and more evidence," Jason pleaded.

"Ms. Dash, you have the right to ask for the charges against your client to be dropped, but from what I see here, I just don't know if that is wise."

"Your honor, I request permission for us to meet with you in your chambers." Cressida feared Blake would overhear their conversation or doubt her recent apology.

"Granted," Judge Allaway agreed. "Court will be adjourned for five minutes." He slammed the gavel on his desk and stepped down from the bench.

Cressida glanced back at Blake and smiled as she followed Jason to the judge's chambers.

"What in heifer's creek is happening?" the judge shouted as he stood behind his desk.

"Your honor, we need to catch Blake off guard," Jason answered.

"I'm in the process of convincing Blake Carter that I am one hundred percent on his side,”  Cressida added.  “If I can get him to open up to me then...  well, we believe he will lead us to the real killer."

"So you think this sick bastard is innocent?" the judge asked.

"That's just it.  We really don't have enough evidence to think one way or the other," Jason stated.

"Your honor, sometimes you have to loosen the rope so that they can hang themselves."

Cressida looked into the judge’s eyes.

"All right.  Just don't get tangled," the judge said before walking out.

Jason turned to Cressida. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We really don't have a choice." She left the room.

Jason and Cressida had met earlier that morning to discuss the case. Ryan Harris had joined them, suggesting a radical idea that had made Jason nervous. Ryan had assured everyone that Cressida would be safe. His plan was to have his undercover agent, Ronald Morgan, stay with Cressida, posing as her live-in boyfriend while they worked together on trapping Blake. Ryan wanted the judge to release Blake into Cressida's custody as insurance that he would not skip town.

The day following the court hearing, Ryan Harris worked quickly to rent a fully furnished home in Kissimmee. He had the house fully secured with hidden video cameras, hidden guns and emergency alert buttons secretly placed throughout every room of the house.

Cressida was hesitant, but she agreed to the wild plan. Jason didn't agree to the whole plan, but went along with it.

Court was back in session. Cressida and Jason performed their well-rehearsed

performances. Cressida requesting the case against her client be dropped and he be released.

Jason expressed his concern over Blake leaving town while he was still a suspect. The judge requested they approach the bench again.

"Ms. Dash, are you sure about this?" Judge Allaway asked.

"It's okay, your honor." She was touched by the concern in his eyes.

"Mr. Reyes, I hope you know what you are doing," the judge stated before dismissing them.

Cressida returned to her spot next to Blake. She nodded at him, letting him know that everything was working in his favor.

Jason stood and cleared his throat before he addressed the judge.  "Your honor, it is requested that Blake Carter be released to his attorney, Cressida Dash." Jason paused as gasps then a hush went through the courtroom. "He is a flight risk and, although he is no longer the main suspect, he is still a suspect in this case and numerous others," he explained, as he swallowed a lump in his throat. He could feel the intense stare of people instantly opposing his request.

What Jason didn't know was that Maxwell was the cause of his discomfort. Cressida had not told Maxwell everything, especially this newly hatched plan by Ryan Harris.

Cressida had planned to call him after the case to let him know what was going on. She wasn't looking forward to the conversation at all.

"Ms. Dash, the ball is in your court. Are you willing to take your client into your custody?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honor. It won't be a problem."

Maxwell was furious as he stared at Cressida. He’d not been prepared for her response. He sat straight up in his chair, holding himself back from bolting out of the courtroom.

The judge sighed as he leaned back in his chair, silently arguing with himself. He then leaned forward and looked at Cressida and Jason, shaking his head again. "Mr. Reyes, your request is granted. Blake Carter will be released into the custody of his attorney,

Ms. Cressida Dash, until further notice. Court is adjourned." He slammed his gavel onto his desk with a deafening thud before leaving the room.

Blake was elated as he turned to Cressida giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "So you don't mind me staying with you?" he asked.

"Of course not. I told you, I know you’re innocent, but we need to find the real killer so that we can clear your name." Cressida hoped her performance convinced Blake she was on his side.

"Time to go," a police officer said, placing handcuffs on Blake.

"But, I just got released," Blake protested.

"No, you get released from the jail, not the courtroom. This ain't television," the police officer snapped with exasperation.

"I will be by to pick you up soon," Cressida informed her client.

Maxwell couldn't take it any more. He stood and left the room, stopping to wait for Cressida outside the court room. 

She was talking to Ryan and Jason outside of the courtroom when she turned and noticed Maxwell leaning against the wall staring at her. By the look on his face she could tell he was upset with her. As Cressida began to excuse herself, she was stopped by, detective Harris.

"Ms. Dash, I would like you to meet Ronald Morgan."

Ronald was a well-mannered, handsome man with light blue eyes and dark hair. He smiled at Cressida as he shook her hand. "It will be great working with you. Ms. Dash."

"Thank you," Cressida replied. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he found her attractive.  Unfortunately for him, he had two things against him; his height and Maxwell.

"When do you plan to pick up Blake?" Ronald asked.

"Well, in a few hours. I'm in no rush," Cressida replied.

"Well, we should have lunch to work on our story," Ronald suggested.

"I think we all should go. I am famished," Jason added.

"I was meeting someone for lunch...I'm sure he won't mind. Let me just speak with him quickly," Cressida said, nervously walking away.

The three men watched as she approached Maxwell, now sitting on a bench. He didn't look very happy. "Hey, isn't that Maxwell Martinez from Martinez Innovations?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, his brother is Tamarius. He was featured in a science magazine a few years ago. Something about new advances in computer technology or something," Ryan replied.

Ronald felt intimidated as he watched Maxwell and Cressida's body language. Clearly he was upset and concerned about Cressida. I guess she is spoken for, he thought.

Cressida looked into Maxwell's grey eyes and felt terrible knowing that he’d been in the courtroom watching the whole performance. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," Cressida said.

"Cressida, did you ever consider my feelings?"

"I have, but this was sprung on me this morning before the case."

"I'm not letting you sleep under the same roof with that guy."

"I won't be alone."

"How?"

"They set up an undercover agent to come in and pose as my live-in boyfriend."

"Oh, well that doesn't bother me at all.  I feel so much better now," Maxwell replied with heavy sarcasm.

"Don't be like that. You can trust me," Cressida said, placing her hand on his arm.

"Don't do this? I have a very bad feeling about this."

"Come to lunch with us. I want you to hear everything for yourself."

Maxwell took a deep breath as he nodded.  He looked at Cressida as she called the three men over. He knew this was a bad idea and wanted to strangle the genius who had come up with it.

"Maxwell, this is Jason Reyes, Ryan Harris and Ronald…." Cressida paused, forgetting Ronald's last name.

"Ronald Morgan." He stepped forward to shake Maxwell's hand.

Normally Maxwell would not have shaken anyone's hand, but felt obligated to act cordial in this situation for Cressida’s sake. He reluctantly shook each of the men's hand.

"Where should we go to eat?" Jason asked.

"If you are going to discuss this case together, I suggest my place. It's safe and secure, and we will be able to discuss everything freely," Maxwell suggested.

"I think that would be wise. You never know who’s watching," Jason agreed.

Over two hours later they were all seated in Maxwell’s office. After eating a great lunch they decided to talk in Maxwell's office. 

"So, please explain this to me," Maxwell said.  He paced the floor close to his desk.

Cressida watched him as he paced. She knew once they were alone they would be having their very first argument. He’d been short with her all through lunch. What impressed Cressida, however, was the way he treated her with respect and he remained a gentleman despite the anger she knew boiled inside him. This enticed Cressida and scared her. It was what first attracted her to the Martinez boys. Now that Maxwell and she were dating, she feared she would never get over him should things not work out.

"Blake Carter's DNA was not found at the scene, however further testing revealed that he is somehow related to whoever really killed those children." Ryan Harris spoke to Maxwell, informing him of the findings.