Page 120 of In the Air Tonight

Before leaving the room, the officer uncuffs me.

The lawyer has grey hair and wire-framed glasses. He’s wearing a bespoke suit like the ones my old boss wore. “I’m Bennett Gormley.” He holds out a hand to me.

I shake his hand. “Ryder Elliott.”

“Your brother asked me to come by. I brought you a change of clothes for court.”

One of my suits hangs from a chair and my shaving bag sits on the table. That means someone went to my house to get those things. “How’s my wife?”

“I haven’t spoken to her directly, but your brother said she’s very upset, as you might imagine.”

That makes my stomach hurt even more than it already did. “What happens now?”

“You’ll be arraigned at ten a.m. in Superior Court in Newport. These are felony counts, so we won’t be entering a plea at the arraignment. Since this is your first offense, we can hope for personal recognizance with no outlay of cash.”

That’s a relief.

He slides a piece of paper across the table. “This is my retainer agreement, authorizing me to act on your behalf. The initial retainer is twenty-five thousand, half of which will be due after the arraignment. The other half is due within thirty days.”

A wave of shock rolls through me as I realize how quickly this will burn up our savings. We’ll have to sell the house. Immediately. Where will we go?

“Mr. Elliott?”

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you’re able to pay the retainer.”

“I, uh… Yes, but not much more than that.”

“We’ll also need to hire investigators to look into the victim and the witness.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t want them investigated.”

“Do you understand the charges you’re facing?”

“Yes.”

“In order to mount a defense—”

“What if I plead guilty? Will I still need to pay you?”

He stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “You have young children. You’ll spend the rest of their childhood behind bars if you do that. All it takes is one juror to acquit. You’d be insane to plead guilty.”

“Even if I did it?”

“Don’t tell me that.” I’m taken aback by his sharp tone. “Don’t say that to anyone.”

“I want my wife and kids to have money to survive if I go to prison. If I burn through everything we have defending myself and still get convicted, they’ll be left with nothing.”

“You don’t have to decide anything today. You should be released after the hearing, and you can discuss it with your wife and family. In the meantime, get cleaned up for court and we’ll take it from there.”

He gets up and leaves the room.

Twenty-five thousand dollars.And that’s just the beginning. I’m sick with dread, fear and regret.

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