Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander

Author:Dani Alexander [Alexander, Dani]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2012-02-05T08:04:33+00:00

The Lying Onion

“He’s with me,” Angelica told the bailiff at the doors when he stopped my entrance behind her. I followed her in, acutely aware that I had just tried to open my jacket and flash my nonexistent badge. I couldn’t remember the last time I had worn a suit and not had it, and my gun, weighing along my belt.

Inside, the courtroom was empty save the necessary people: myself, three at the defense table, two at the prosecutor’s, two bailiffs and a court reporter. The only person out of place sat primly on the bench behind the defense table.

Rosafa Strakosha, for that was who the woman behind the

hijab had to be, sat with her hands folded neatly in her lap. Only part of her hair was covered, the black tresses matching neatly with the hijab’s silk material and appearing almost part of it.

Like Cai, her nose was wide and long, her lips full and broad. I set her age at late thirties, early forties—and only because I did the math using her son’s age as a guideline. She could pass for thirty, easy. She turned red-rimmed eyes to me and then lowered them. Her reaction made me curious as to how we would mesh living together. A gay man and an Islamic woman. Something else to worry about, along with the plethora of other things.

I slid into the bench across from her. Not because she made me uncomfortable, or that I wanted to appear in favor of the prosecution, but so that I could read Cai’s face throughout the bail hearings. He wouldn’t be able to speak, that was Angelica’s job, but I wanted every opportunity to judge him. In fact, the whole thing wouldn’t take longer than maybe ten to fifteen minutes—not enough time to get a superb read on the boy.

Which reminded me—I twisted in my seat to check out the gallery—Why was the courtroom so empty?

I should have known then that something was different about this whole case.

When the deputies brought Cai in, I studied him closely, seeking signs this kid had put bullets in the back of two men’s heads. His skin looked taut and his eyes hollow. Stress was not playing kindly with him. Orange did him no favors, either. The vibrant color against his pale skin made it almost seem jaundiced. There was an air of innocence about him—maybe in the way his shoulders were hunched or the constant blinking? I couldn’t place what it was. He dragged is bottom lip through is

teeth multiple times; his lips were red and raw from the gesture.

He never raised his eyes, even when the judge entered.

I understood why Angelica was so adamant about my standing up for this boy. He was way out of his element.

"All rise. Superior Court of the State of Colorado, County of Denver, the Honorable Judge Morris D. Whitaker presiding, is now in session. Please be seated and come to order."

Judge Morris Whitaker was a tall, heavyset black man in his early sixties.

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