Victim of the Defense by Marianne Woolbert-Maxwell

Author:Marianne Woolbert-Maxwell [Woolbert-Maxwell, Marianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Marianne Woolbert-Maxwell
Published: 2021-06-25T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

The conference room at the prosecutor’s office was bare and impersonal. It had one long rectangular table in the center lined with six chairs—three on each side—and rows of bookcases holding law books along the back wall. Most, if not all, of the law books were now available online and these were largely a decorative addition. A large artificial tree stood in one corner next to a small table holding a Keurig coffee maker. Next to that was a free-standing water cooler.

Megan had chosen to meet Lucy here instead of in her office because it was quieter on this end of the hall. Lately there seemed to be constant noise and activity outside her office and too many interruptions, too many people popping in, too many “only take a second” questions.

Megan took a seat at the conference table and opened the file. It seemed like the file of State vs. Tarkington had taken on a life of its own. What had once been a relatively small file was now bulging with papers. The other night when she couldn’t sleep she had extracted each document, read it, and put it back in the file in its proper place.

Megan heard the door open and looked up. “Lucy, come in.”

Lucy took off her jacket, rested it over the back of a chair, and looked at the clock on the wall. “I’m a little late. Sorry.”

“No problem. I’m just reviewing your ever-growing file.” Megan gestured toward the paperwork strewn across the tabletop and the bulging file lying on the table looking like a beached whale.

Lucy glanced at the lake of paper. “I saw Windfield when I came off the elevator. He said that you were deep into trial preparation.”

Megan leaned back in the chair and rubbed her eyes. “I need to go over all this with you.” She sighed and tipped the chair back to an upright position. “I want to ask you about some things.”

Confusion washed over Lucy’s face. “Is there a problem?” she asked.

Megan shook her head. “No. I just want to make sure the case is as tight as it can be. Just being cautious.” As she said the words Lisa Garrett popped into her mind and she felt her stomach tighten. “I’ve made some notes.” She picked up the legal pad. “The day of the rape, what time did you go to Tarkington’s apartment to tutor him?”

Lucy’s expression darkened. Megan could tell that just hearing Tarkington’s name upset her. Every time she talked to Lucy about the attack Lucy emotionally shut down. She always recounted the nightmare in a matter-of-fact way as if she was trying to control her feelings. Megan wondered how she would do at trial. She didn’t want Lucy to be an emotional wreck that a jury might write off as an unstable woman, but she also didn’t want her to appear cold and indifferent, which could make the jury question her truthfulness or not like her. Megan knew how juries could be. You never knew what they might do, and sometimes they would take a dislike to a victim.

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