" Really? You're going to the criminal case department?" Galinda asked after I told her.
" Yeah", I nodded, kind of feeling nervous.
" But why?"
" I just think that I should do it, you know?"
" That's so bad. Hakim will be so downcast. He was so expectant about you coming. It was super clear that he was happy that someone was going to train under him, and that that person was you", she sighed.
" What? He was what? Expectant?" I was surprised.
" Of course. He even talked about how you were so smart and all, and how you will even do better than he is doing in court if you ever master the caprices of court", she said, not even batting an eye. If it was a lie, then she must've stood in her mirror and practiced the lie several times before it would be able to fly out of her mouth the way it did.
" Wow. I'm surprised", I said, feeling the temperature on my cheeks rising.
" Well, let's look at the positive side, it's not so bad, and you'll be returning in two months, so it's not much of a big deal, but I must warn you, you will be so busy that you won't even probably be able to take a proper bath", she said, with every bit of seriousness.
" Why would that be?" I asked, chuckling at her facial expression.
" Criminal lawyers? They always have a case, there is always a trial, a puzzle to solve, evidence to find. And what do you think? We live in America, there is always a criminal offense with each passing hour, a stolen car, a shot victim, domestic violence, hate crime, just a lot, and they come with a wide range of emotions", she kept saying, and listening to her made me question if transferring to the department was a good choice after all.
" Why do you think that Mr Churchill always looks pale and smells like paper dipped in water? It's because he doesn't have the time to look at himself in the mirror".
Mr Churchill was the blonde haired dude who had barely looked at me on the first day while Galinda was patrolling me around and showing me off like a trophy, all in the name of introducing me to the co-workers. I had also met him a few more times, along the hallway, in the elevator, and the striking encounter was when I met him in the restroom, sitting on the toilet, a book in hand, with his toilet door widely open. I thought the dude was mentally retarded, but as soon as he noticed my presence, he shot the door, apologizing and saying that he had forgotten to close the door. I didn't believe him. I had already concluded on the fact that he was either a psychopath or a pervert, because tell me who on earth would forget to close up the door while using the toilet?
" Oh please Galinda, it can't be that hard", I said to her, but I knew that I was also trying to say the same words to myself.
" I can't say much, but one look at Mr Churchill is definitely enough to make me want to have a rethink. But don't worry, I know you'll do great", she said with a smile that warmed me up.
" Thank you", I said, feeling really touched, " and another thing, do I get to switch offices or anything? I mean, since I'm transferring to a different department?" I asked, feeling anxious about what her reply might be. I might not have wanted to train under Hakim, but I surely loved the office that I had.
" No, no,no need for that, you get to keep it, besides this is not the state judiciary Secretariat, it's a private law firm".
" Thank you", I said with a smile, a simple smile that I hoped didn't show how super excited I was.
" Here you go", she drop a large pile of files on my desk after we parted ways and I went to my office.
" What are all these?" I asked.
" Criminal cases that you'll be handling from next week", there was a finality in her tone, that work voice that made it clear that she wasn't playing April's fool; she was serious.
" All of these?" I asked, pointing at it as if it was some filthy shit. I just couldn't believe it.
" Yeah, hard to settle in, right?"
" Woah".
" Told you. It just isn't an easy job", she said, and I couldn't tell if it was just me, but she sounded as if she was blaming me for the decision that I made.
" I know, but... all of these?" She had warned me, and I was scared, but I was never prepared for what was right in front of me.
" Don't worry. You don't have to attend court until next week. You could just go through the files and figure out something, especially gathering evidence for every case. And yes, it will be better if you check for the case with the earlier date so that you can start with it".
" Next week? I have to attend court next week?"
" Mhm", she nodded.
" Like, an actual court where I would defend someone?"
She nodded again.
" When will I have the time to get everything together?"
" Well, start cutting everything short. Sleeping hours, lunch hours, television hours, hell, even sex hours", she chuckled, " just cut all of them, because you definitely do not want to lose any of these cases".
" It is surely going to be hard", I said, now regretting why I had transferred in the first place, no, I was regretting why I opted to become a lawyer in the first place.
I went through the files, checking the cases and their dates for trial, just as Galinda had suggested, and the one with the earlier date was a Crown Vs. John Doe 346 IG U.S 785 case.
I went through the case, a trial with the defendant, John Doe, as my client. It was a robbery case, one with a video tape showing how the defendant stole from the store belonging to Crown, but instead of him to plead guilty, he insistently kept pleading non-guilty, requesting for a trial. How the hell am I going to solve a case like that? And there was a video tape? Hell no.
I picked up my car keys after checking the station where he was, and immediately drove there. I needed a one-on-one meeting with him, then maybe I would be able to convince him to plead guilty and accept bail because there was no fucking way his tears or his claim for innocence was going to make him to not be convicted, especially when there was a video tape.
The drive to the station was short, and just few minutes after hitting the road, I was standing right in front of the mediocre looking building with a large sign post at the top which read " Police Station". A block of silver letters was attached on the wall; Discipline, Safety, And Security, boldly shining, reflecting the sun rays that were hitting on it.
" Good day. I'm Mr Davids, I'm here to see Mr John Doe", I said to the officer that stood on the other side of the counter, inside the building.
" And who are you?" He asked. The question was rude in itself, but the way he asked sieved every bit of rudeness in the question.
" I'm his attorney", I said, recognizing the fact that that was the first time I was actually saying those words, not just saying them, but it was the first time that it was actually true. I was really somebody's attorney. It kind of threw sweet jelly into my mouth, relieving me of the initial stress.
" Okay. Come with me", he said and I followed him inside. We walked through a long hallway without doors or windows, and entered another hallway with large windows that were sound proof; the interrogation rooms. The officer led me to the door on the far end, where two other officers stood, and as I approached the door, I was dead-struck.
" Dante? What are you doing here?" Basil asked, a mix of shock and surprise clearly written on his face. I was pretty sure that the only thing that was written on my face was shock because never in my life did I expect to see him again, not after I left his calls and texts unanswered. The world is a small place, but I felt it was also big enough to house I and Basil without making us crossing each other's parts again.
" Um...… yeah, I'm a.... I'm the .... The lawyer assigned to the case of uh.... The person sitting in there", I said, stammering. " What about you? What are doing here?"
" I'm the detective in charge of the case".