Page 14 of Deliver Me

Gabriel,

My classes are still going well. My humanities class has been the most interesting so far. The class focuses on learning about social issues and injustices. It’s been unpleasantly educational, but fortunately I wasn’t the only one in the class that was surprised by what we learned. There are so many horrible things most of us had never realized before.

We’ve spent two weeks focusing on the justice system, which made me think of you. There are significant problems, of course, with the structure of our laws and the way that they’re implemented, but one thing in particular caught my attention.

Did you know that you can still appeal your sentence if you were not properly represented? I don’t know all the details, but I know that something happened to you, something bad, and it was never brought up during the trial.

Your lawyers did almost nothing to defend you, they let you take the fall as an out-of-control rich kid and if you were abused or your lawyers had information about something thathappened to you and they didn’t do anything about it, you could petition the court to reverse your conviction and let you go. It’s too late for you to just appeal the conviction (why is the deadline for that only thirty days after the trial ends anyway??) but it’s not too late to file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The constitution guarantees you a legal defense and if your lawyers didn’t do their jobs, then you have a legitimate reason to challenge the results of your trial.

I’m doing my semester paper on ways the public defense system fails the public because it’s infuriating and there are so many examples. My professor says that it’ll make a good paper because I feel so strongly about it, but I wish there were ways I could help people like you that have been unfairly treated in some way. Not just that you shouldn’t be in prison for life, which I really don’t think you should, but also the complete media frenzy around your trial. The judge shouldn’t have allowed all of that, Gabriel. You were a minor and you deserved protection and privacy.

It’s not much but I hope you’re doing well today, and every day, and you know that I’m always thinking of you. I try to cheer you up and let you experience as much of college and normal life as I can through these letters.

There are a million little things that I notice every day that I probably wouldn’t notice otherwise, because I keep track of them in my mind to share them with you.

She went on, and each word kept the smile on his face for another minute longer.

You’re right.

He’d written back to her about college and friendships but all he had said about something that could have altered the course of his entire life was—

You’re right. I tried to tell the lawyers and the guardian the court appointed for me about what happened, but they didn’t believe me and there was nothing I could do about it. I was sixteen and in prison, how was I supposed to track down witnesses?

I wanted to challenge the conviction after it happened, but I couldn’t. Did your classes tell you that Texas doesn’t offer public services after conviction? There was no way I could find a lawyer to represent me for free within that thirty-day deadline. I couldn’t file an appeal all those years ago and I can’t do anything about requesting a new trial now for the same reason. Petitioning the court would mean hiring lawyers I can’t afford.

She was still fuming the morning after reading it, tapping her finger in irritation on her thigh as she listened halfheartedly to the day’s lecture. Sure, maybe she should be glad that he’d resigned himself to the inevitable—since apparently there was not one single thing at all that he could do to change it—but that went against every instinct she possessed. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, and he should not be made to suffer this way, no matter what he had done.

“Mia?”

“Hmm? Oh!” Mia looked around with dawning realization to find that most of the class had already filed out the door, leaving only her instructor. “I’m sorry,” she said, shoving her laptop and her water bottle in her bag and jumping to her feet. “I must not have been paying attention.”

“I was going to ask if you mind staying behind for a moment?” She smiled when Mia hesitated nervously. “I’d like to talk to you about your paper.”

Dr. Fischer had always been easygoing, and they all liked her well enough, but their final paper was worth a full 30% of their final course grade. “Is something wrong with the outline I turned in?” Mia asked when the door had closed behind the last student.

“Quite the opposite actually,” the professor responded, turning in her seat to face Mia with a wide smile. “I knew from our class discussions that this topic was something you were passionate about, but the paper that you are proposing is very in depth and already well researched. Truthfully, I’ve had many students come through my class with law school aspirations and not one of them was demonstrating work at this level.”

“Oh, thanks.” Mia shifted uncomfortably, tugging the strap of her backpack higher on her shoulder, and tightening her grip on the phone in her hand. “I appreciate that, but I’ve never even considered being a lawyer.”

Dr. Fischer nodded politely, but her eyes were keen. “Yes, I remember you said your primary interest right now was early childhood education. Is that right?” She waited for Mia’s mumbled agreement before continuing, “That’s an admirable field and I’m sure you’ll excel if that’s truly where your passions lie. I wouldn’t be doing my duty as your teacher, however, if I didn’t tell you that it would be a waste of your potential to go that route if your heart isn’t in it.”

“My heart is in helping people,” Mia told her honestly. “It’s in making a change in the world.”

She may have been uncertain of what exactly her future career might consist of, but that much she had always known. After all the challenges she had gone through in her life, it wouldn’t be right to hoard the gifts she had been given. She had been helped, and loved, and she wanted to pass that along to others.

Dr. Fischer looked at her for a moment before setting her glasses on top of her head and leaning back in her chair. “Not all lawyers are the bloodsucking leeches that you hear everyone making jokes about,” she said carefully. “There are two sides to every case, two sides to every policy. My husband is an environmental lawyer and works for a firm that handles litigation against companies that are engaging in pollution or destruction of habitat. There are also nonprofit organizations, pro bono cases, and many other ways that someone with an interest in the law could have a positive influence on the world.”

Mia tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, her mind flicked to Gabriel as she stood there, considering a possibility that had never occurred to her before. “I’ll think about it,” she promised.

“That’s all I can ask,” Dr. Fischer said with an encouraging smile. “And don’t forget about the quiz on Monday.” Mia recognized the dismissal when the professor turned back to her papers.

She said a hasty goodbye and slipped out the door, wondering if she still had time to catch Bryce and Lilly in the library and get some research done, and turning that way when she stepped outside onto the sidewalk. Her choice of college had been an easy one once Bryce had received a full-ride football scholarship. Lilly had wanted to go with Bryce, and Mia and Kennedy had both followed Lilly. There were other colleges close by that were just as good, but none of those had her friends and that had made the decision easy for all of them.

September had not done much to cool the air, and the leaves on the trees outside were still green, but something about being back at school always made things feel like fall. They’d be carving pumpkins and picking costumes by this time next month, and Lilly was already planning a Christmas toy drive for the prayer group.

After all, she’d insisted, you can’t start too soon on those types of things.

Mia knew everyone was hoping that she’d step in and do more for the group as Mrs. Mitchell got older. Her father was the pastor and her mother had run the group until she died, so it was a logical assumption but as happy as she was to provide snacks and chip in for events, Lilly was really the one that came up with the good ideas and enjoyed being involved in the planning.

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