Page 30 of Trial Run

Reggie laughed. “It’s pretty darn easy. I simply challenge my inner twelve-year-old who is much more present than the adult version on most days.”

“Don’t downplay it. You have a real talent when it comes to relating to kids. A lot of parents don’t have those skills.”

Reggie shrugged. “Ben is easy to get along with and he’s a likable kid.”

They sat for a moment in silence while Brooke tried to figure out how to bring the subject around to Reggie’s plan. Part of her didn’t want to hear it at all. She already had a plan. Do what she was told and hope for the best. It wasn’t the greatest, but it was probably less risky than anything Reggie was about to propose. “About that plan,” she started before Reggie cut in.

“Promise you’ll at least hear me out before you say it isn’t going to work.”

She didn’t want to. There was no reason she should trust this woman she barely knew. But as she stared into Reggie’s eyes, she saw something she’d given up on ever having—a person who genuinely cared about her and who was taking risks to make sure she and her son stayed safe. She wasn’t quite ready to trust the vulnerability that went with the realization, but she didn’t see what harm could come from simply listening to what Reggie had to say.

“I promise.”

Chapter Eleven

Reggie paced the room, growing more nervous with each pass. Brooke should’ve been here twenty minutes ago.

“Are you sure she’s going to show up?” Sarah asked, echoing her thoughts.

“I think so.”

“You think so? Come on, Knoll. I opened a case to help out your girl, but if she doesn’t show up, we both look stupid.”

“Lay off, Flores,” Lennox said. “You know you opened the case to be the star that gets to take down Shirley Mitchell. Give her a minute.”

Reggie mouthed a silent “thank you” to Lennox and continued to pace. She was on her second pass by the door when it flung open in her path and Brooke burst into the room.

“Freaking Uber driver kept trying to go to the wrong courthouse. I’m sorry I’m late.”

Reggie grabbed her hand and squeezed. “It’s okay. You’re here now.”

“I am, but I’m still not sure I’m on board with this plan.”

Brooke looked down at their hands which were still joined, and Reggie followed her gaze. She should care that Lennox and this FBI agent she barely knew were staring at them, but all shefelt in the moment was the warmth of Brooke’s touch and the easy way their fingers intertwined. “Trust me, okay?”

Several beats of silence followed before Brooke broke the quiet. “I do.” She turned to the others who looked away, pretending they hadn’t been watching. “Tell me how this is going to work.”

Sarah motioned for them to sit down and once they were all settled, she launched in. “The judge is going to call a recess and ask to see the attorneys for both sides in chambers. He’ll explain that he has reason to believe someone has been tampering with the jury and that the FBI has launched an investigation, but they will continue with the trial pending the investigation. He won’t let on that he knows anything about which direction the jury was being swayed.”

“And then what?” Brooke asked.

“And then I’ll corner Mitchell’s attorney. Let her know her client is the suspect in the tampering case and ask for a few minutes with Mitchell to lay out the case. We’ll offer her a deal to come clean.”

“You make it sound easy,” Reggie said, shooting a look in Brooke’s direction to let her know she was on her side. “Someone who would threaten a juror’s family and make good on that threat isn’t going to fold at the first sign of adversity.”

“We’re assuming Mitchell knows what’s going on,” Sarah said. “I mean she’s no innocent, but it’s possible one of her loyal employees crossed the line without permission from above. She would probably happily trade in one of her minions to save her own ass.”

Lennox cleared her throat. “There’s another possibility. If I was in Gloria’s shoes, which would never happen by the way, I’d ask for a mistrial claiming that if the jury was being tampered with, there’s no way my client could get a fair trial. It’s the perfectway to fade the heat from her client, and Gloria loves giving a big display of indignation—it’s her trademark move.”

“So, are you saying we do nothing?”

Everyone turned to stare at Brooke who was clearly over the ruminations. Reggie walked over to her side to signal her support. “Brooke’s right. You have to do something and it has to be soon.”

“But it can’t be a cavalier something,” Brooke added. “If your gamble doesn’t pay off, you lose a chance at a conviction, but I could lose my son.”

The room was quiet for a moment as everyone digested Brooke’s words.

“I vote we let Sarah take a crack at Mitchell,” Lennox said. “She’ll be able to tell if Mitchell’s in on it based on her reaction, and if Gloria resorts to histrionics, we’ll deal with that when it comes.” She turned to Sarah. “What Mitchell does after you talk to her is going to be key. Do you have the resources for surveillance?”

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