WILL BRIDGES: The Salvation Case

The Ace Attorney (2)

2015

THE SWANSEA CROWN COURT

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R. Bridges, who had been absorbed in his thoughts during the court proceedings, suddenly snapped back to the present moment. His mind was racing with thoughts of the past, when he was a prosecutor, not a defense attorney.

Just seven months ago he was a prosecutor, now a defense attorney. The change had been his own decision, not something his firm had pressured him into.

Turning his attention back to the courtroom.

The witness had just been sworn in, and she began to give her testimony. "My name is Jane Smith, and I'm here to tell you what I saw on the night of the incident. It was a cold, rainy night, and I was driving home from work. I saw a car swerve into the oncoming lane, and it struck another car head-on.”

She continued. “The crash was so loud, I pulled over to the side of the road to see if anyone needed help. That's when I saw Mr. Hardin, standing over Shayna. I could see that she was unconscious, and that Mr. Hardin was attempting to take something from her purse. I yelled at him to stop, and he looked up at me in shock. He then ran from the scene, leaving Shayna behind. I called the police, and they arrived shortly after. I told them what I had seen, and they began their investigation. That's all I have to say on the matter, your honor."

The prosecutor then asked the witness a few follow-up questions, and R. Bridges stood up to cross-examine her.

"Ms. Smith, you said you saw the defendant trying to take something from the victim's purse. Can you describe what it was he was trying to take?" asked R. Bridges.

"I couldn't tell for sure," said the witness. "It was dark, and I was a bit of a distance away. But it looked like he was reaching for her wallet."

Bridges nodded knowingly. He looked at her intently and continued, "And you said the defendant was in shock when you confronted him. Do you think he might have been in shock because of the crash, rather than because he was trying to steal something?"

"I can't say for sure," the witness said and continued, "But I do know that when the police arrived, they found the victim's purse unopened and with all of her belongings still inside,"

"So it's possible that the defendant was not trying to steal anything. Thank you, Ms. Smith. No further questions," R. Bridges said and took his seat.

To him, this was a child's play. He had handled bigger cases than this petty one but what could he do, he didn't assign himself the case.

The judge then called a short recess, and the jury filed out of the courtroom. When they returned, the judge instructed them on how to deliberate.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you have heard all the evidence in this case," said the prosecutor, Linton. "It is now your duty to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. I urge you to consider all the evidence, and to be fair and impartial in your decision. The defendant has been charged with a serious crime, and the victim deserves justice. Thank you for your time and attention."

R. Bridges rolled his eyes as he stood up. He swore at heart that he was going to give his boss an earful after this case. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he said, "You have heard the evidence in this case, and now you must decide whether it is reasonable to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.”

"I urge you to consider all of the evidence in this case with a critical eye. The prosecution has presented a compelling case, but there are still gaps in the evidence. And those gaps leave room for reasonable doubt. It is not enough to simply say that the defendant is guilty because the victim was harmed. You must find that the evidence proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant is guilty. I thank you for your service and ask that you keep an open mind as you deliberate."

The judge afterwards gave the jury their final instructions, and they were sent to the jury room to deliberate.

After several hours of discussion, the jury finally reached a verdict. The judge called the court to order, and the jury was brought back into the courtroom. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" asked the judge.

"We have, your honor," said the jury foreman.

"Please announce your verdict," said the judge.

"We find the defendant not guilty," the foreman declared.

The judge thanked the jury for their service and dismissed them. The courtroom was immediately filled with murmurs as the defendant was released from custody. His family ran to him, hugging him tightly with tears in their eyes.

R. Bridges stood up abruptly, grabbing his hat and coat as he prepared to leave. The atmosphere in the courtroom had become uncomfortable, and he no longer felt at ease. He had only been here because his firm had assigned him this case, and it was one of the simplest cases he had ever handled.

He gathered his things into his briefcase, all set to leave before the defendant stopped him.

"Now that the trial is over, I want to thank you for all your help," he said. "I know I was in a tough spot, and I appreciate everything you did for me."

‘Tough? Really!’ Bridges scoffed inwardly. "It was my job," he said. "But stay away from theft, it isn't good. Just make sure you don't try to steal again, consider your family if stealing comes to your thoughts.” Bridges said and walked away, not looking back.

.

Bridges took a few minutes to get to the tall building that housed his firm, L&J Law. He rushed into his boss's office without knocking. Just as he was about to start yelling, he noticed that his boss had company.

"Ah, there he is," Mr. Lambert, Bridges' boss, said cheerfully to the man sitting across from him, gesturing towards Bridges.

"Please, take a seat, Mr. Bridges," Mr. Lambert said, gesturing to the empty chair next to the visitor.

Bridges rolled his eyes as he sat down, refraining from yelling at Mr. Lambert. He didn't even bother to acknowledge the visitor or even spare him a glance.

The visitor said, "I know you're the lawyer who's been representing my brother. I want to thank you, but I also want to warn you to keep my brother's secret about stealing from that woman to yourself.”

Bridges looked up from his desk, his face stony and unreadable. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his voice steady. "My client's confidentiality is of the utmost importance to me, and I won't disclose any information about him."

The visitor glared at him, his face turning red. "You think you're so smart, don't you?" he said. "But I'm warning you, if you don't do what I say, you'll regret it. I know where you live. I know where your family lives. Do you understand?"

Bridges stood up, staring the visitor down. He was a large man, and his appearance was disheveled, with a silly mustache and his hair sticking up. But despite his appearance, there was an air of menace about him.

Glancing back to answer the man, Bridges took a deep breath and replied, “I do not mix my professional life with my personal life. Secondly, I am not your son or your brother so do not order me around and thirdly, I choose to do what I want and whenever I want to. That includes keeping a secret or not.”

The visitor stared at him, his expression unreadable. "We'll see about that," he said, then turned and left the office.

Bridges sat there quietly for a moment, letting the tension in the room dissolve. He then turned to Lambert who had a smirk on his face.

"What did that mean?" Bridges asked angrily. "You sent me to court to handle a trivial case. What happened to Attorney Benedict, Attorney Linda, and the rest? Why send me?" he demanded. Lambert burst out laughing.

"If only you knew how much that man who just left paid for that trivial case," Lambert replied.

"How much could it possibly be?" Bridges asked, still annoyed. He felt insulted that he, the talk of Swansea, had been sent to handle a cheap case that would definitely tarnish his image. He thought…

"How much could it be?" Lambert asked, raising an eyebrow. "Enough to get you a percentage share in this law firm," Lambert replied, watching for Bridges' reaction.

As he expected, Bridges' frowning face lit up at the thought of a percentage share in the firm.

"Oh," he mouthed, his mouth forming an "o". "Well, that's nice," you replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. "So, how many shares do I have currently?" He asked Lambert.

"Twenty-seven percent," he replied. They both smiled knowingly at each other, understanding the unspoken implication of the share percentage.

Suddenly, Bridges recalled something and asked, "Up until when are we going to see the second shareholder - the 'J' in L&J Law?”

Lambert shrugged and replied, "I have zero idea." "Have you heard?" he asked, changing the topic. "You're really trending, and Herman's Magazine, the top magazine company in Wales, called. They said they can't wait to see what you'll wear to your next court case. Keppin' it classy, Bridges."

Bridges rolled his eyes and let out a tired sigh. He grabbed his briefcase and walked toward the door.

"Aren't you going to say bye?" Lambert asked, though he was used to this behavior from Bridges. He always seemed so tough and stoic.

"Bye," Bridges said flatly as he walked out of the office. Lambert shook his head with a smile as he watched him go.

Lambert sat back down in his chair and began flipping through a file. He heard the elevator ding, signaling that Bridges was on his way out of the building. But then, something strange happened. The elevator dinged again, this time signaling that someone was coming up.

Suspecting it was Bridges and as soon as his door opened he said, “You forgot something Ace?” Sadly, it was him. Lambert frowned seeing who it was, it was the person he disliked currently in his life. “Jenny,” he called.

“Hello, L.”