Detective Gold,” the judge said, the faintest hint of a smile coming to his face. “I’ve read lots about you. But despite your fame, you have no right to intrude on a trial.”
“I agree, sir. But again, I must stress that Mr. Epps is not yet ready for a trial as the case is still ongoing.”
The judge looked to his desk and rifled through a sheet of papers. “Seems that there’s more than enough evidence here to hold him for a jury trial.”
“Other than the fact that there is no evidence to support the claims against him,” Ava said. “That and the idea that the only man who claims to have seen it happen saw it from a great distance.”
The judge was clearly frustrated, the slight smile now gone. He looked to the bailiff, as if wondering if he should just boot her out of here. Ava was quite sure he had the right to do it, despite her position of authority. She decided it might be best to speak up again before he had a chance to make that decision.
“Your Honor, I do apologize for the intrusion. I was only in such a hurry because it seemed that certain others on my force seemed to want to keep me in the dark concerning this trial. And to me, that seems suspicious. It almost seems like they wanted this hushed, wrapped, and done away with as soon as possible. I have theories as to why, but I won’t waste your time with them. But what it comes down to is this: a man cannot be tried when a case concerning the weight of his guilt or innocence is still being determined. I know I don’t have much experience in the field, sir, but that is one of the more clear and simple parts of my job.”
She could tell right away that regarding him as a superior had helped. It truly is simple to sway a man, she thought. Just make him think you’re well aware he’s above you.
“Detective Gold,” the judge said, “what stage of the case are you currently on?”
She knew stretching the truth in front of a judge was not the best idea, but she really had no choice. “We are currently looking into two potential leads, both of which would easily remove Carter Epps from the equation.”
“You feel certain of this, do you?” He was still looking down on her but there was at least a bit of interest in his eyes now.
“Yes, Your Honor. I do.”
The judge looked to Carter Epps and then back to Ava. When he sighed, it seemed to come from deep within him, a sound that reverberated through the courtroom. “Very well, then. Detective Gold, I will temporarily cancel this hearing, but unless you solve this case in the next twenty-four hours, I will expect to see Mr. Epps back here tomorrow at this same time. In other words, Mrs. Gold, you have one day to find a way to prove his innocence, or he will go on trial. And based on what I see here in these reports in front of me, he’s going to likely spend a very good amount of time in jail.”
Ava felt the weight of this responsibility right away but she also knew that to argue it would be foolish. She did her best to smile and seem grateful as she said, “Yes, Your Honor, I understand. Thank you.”
Feeling that it would be an invitation to danger and disaster if she stayed any longer, she instantly turned to leave the courthouse. She could see Carter out of the corner of her eye. It seemed like he wanted to speak with her but she also figured that would not look very good in the eyes of the court. Instead, she hurried her way out, hoping it would give the judge a good impression, the look of a woman hellbent on a mission.
As she left the courtroom, her thoughts turned to Clarence. She liked to think that he’d be proud of what she’d just done—of how she was fighting so hard to keep a man she thought to be wholly innocent out of prison. And with her mind on him, she started to think about Clarence’s case. Even though he was a murdered policeman, it almost seemed as if his case had been rushed. Because there had been no immediate answers, the force had simply moved on to cases they could get a better grip on—cases that would make them look better for closing quickly and efficiently.
It was something of a wake-up call for her. Yes, she’d been perfectly fine to feel that she had a bit of a responsibility to close Clarence’s case, but now she was also starting to feel that she had to. No one was going to do it and it was all on her shoulders.
First, though, the weight of Carter Epps’s life was also on her shoulders. And she’d need to free herself of that weight before fully committing to anything else.