I found the place where you meet with your client, and as usual, Ol' Evan was there. Just as nonchalant, and just as calm as usual. Despite not having seen me for about a year, he didn't look surprised at all.
"Been awhile since I've seen you, Brennan."
"You too, Evan. How's the business been?"
His face didn't twich, he didn't even blink. Sometimes I wonder if his eyelids and eyebrows lacked muscle for any movement whatsoever.
"Same as usual. Here to visit Brea?"
I couldn't help but be surprised.
"You knew I was coming?"
"Knowing you, I'd figure you'd come. Whenever something like this is up, you always end up showing up somehow."
"So in other words, Brandon told you."
"Yeah."
Brandon, always 5 steps ahead of everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if Brandon had told Sam I was coming earlier.
"So can I see her?"
"I'll go get her."
I should have expected that. I mean, it's not like he cares. Come to think of it, has he really ever cared about anything?
A few moments later, the door opened, and there was Brea. Or at least, whatever was left of her. The pride she had before looked like it had literally been torn out of her, all self-confidence and strength completely gone. Her clothes looked tattered, and her glasses had a few cracks in them. If I didn't seem worried before, I certainly am now.
"Brea? Is that you?"
She looked up, looking surprised. I expected her to yell at me, tell me I wasn't needed and that things were fine, and start throwing things at me. However, she didn't do any of these. In fact, she didn't say anything at all. There wasn't the least bit of aggression in her face. This was not the Brea I knew.
Evan got us both chairs, and we both sat down. Neither she nor I said a word. She kept looking at the ground while I studied her over and tried to think of what to say. For the first time ever, Brea looked frail. Before, I worried about what to say to her because if I said the wrong thing, I may have begun to feel pain. Now I was worried that if I said the wrong thing, she would lose her mind completely. I sat there for thirty minutes, but couldn't think of anything. No matter what kind of question, complement, or comfort I could think of, looking at the shriveled being in front of me stopped me before I could say anything. There wasn't words to describe what had happened here.
"If you want to know why she is here, it's probably best if I tell you."
I looked up to see Evan again. No doubt he had figured out the problem by now.
"By all means, go ahead."
"Brea has been arrested under charge of murder."
I almost fell out of my chair. Before, I wouldn't have been surprised, but this person in front of me wasn't capable of moving more than a couple feet at a time, let alone murder someone.
"Murder? You're kidding, right?"
"That's what I thought. The supposed murder happened a couple nights ago, behind a bar. There was a witness and everything. As the witness put it, she essentially lost all mental control and stabbed the victim multiple times. There were several wound marks on the victim, plus blood on Brea and the knife was found with her fingerprints on it."
I couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. And the worst part was, I knew more was coming.
"Also, the knife with the blood was Brea's special knife, the one she'd always twirl around in court. Has her name embedded in it and everything. She was arrested almost instantly."
I looked at him, still not believing a word of it.
"And you think she did it too?"
"Of course not. While there's lots of evidence, if she went completely mad, it would be more likely that'd she'd stab herself. She's in depression, not being pessimistic. She couldn't even bring herself to swat at the flies biting her."
I said nothing. All my emotions flowed through me. Anger, fear, sadness, everything. The person in front of me couldn't handle a single week in prison, she could literally die from it. And it couldn't have been her. But evidence is everything, and she certainly wouldn't get a defense. It was a straight up loss case. Any good prosecutor would win in a heartbeat. It was a perfect setup, exactly why I couldn't believe it. The evidence was too perfect, too precise. Not just the amount of evidence, but the type of it. If she were truly insane, there would be much more evidence than that. Not only that, but since the victim was stabbed, there was a good chance of struggle, and I don't care what evidence there is, there was absolutely no way Brea as she was then could have put up any fight whatsoever. I knew what I had to do.
"Brennan, your career is all but gone. Failure on this case could literally destroy what little respect people have for you still. No one would hire you, and not just as a lawyer, but as any sort of employee. You could end up in the streets."
I knew he was going to say that, and he knew what my response would be. We both knew the other result.
"If we don't do anything, Brea will literally die, and whoever murdered the victim will have escaped with two murders up his belt. We cannot allow that. If I were to stand here and do nothing, it would be no different then ending her right here and now. I still have some respect as a man, and I don't wish to lose any more of it."
I grabbed Brea's head by the sides, and turned her face towards me. I looked in right in the eyes, with more determination than I'd felt for years.
"Brea, I will defend you. I promise, no matter what the cost, I will get you out of here and back on your feet again. I promise."
She looked at me, a completely shocked look on her face. I stood up, leaving her to ponder the turn of events, and perhaps gain a shred of hope from them. Before walking out the door, I looked at her one more time.
"He's not dead. Do not think for a minute that's he's gone. He's been through hell and back, he will return to us one day. I know he will."
End of Chapter 1
Do I get to be part of the story?
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