The Jodi Picoult Collection #1 by Jodi Picoult
Author:Jodi Picoult
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
II.
Do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing.
âMatthew 6:3
ELEVEN
Judge Philomena Ledbetter watched the attorney fumble her pen for the third time since sheâd entered chambers. For a big-city legal eagle, Ellie Hathaway seemed as skittish as a lawyer knee-deep in her first litigationâall the more bizarre, given the fact that just yesterday, sheâd been confident and competent. âCounselor,â the judge said, âyou called us back for a discussion?â
âYes, Your Honor. I felt there was a need for more argument before the trial. Certain . . . circumstances have come to light.â
Sitting on her right, George Callahan snorted. âIn the ten hours since we last met?â
Judge Ledbetter ignored his comment. She wasnât too thrilled herself to be called in on short notice and forced to juggle her schedule to make accommodations. âWould you care to elaborate, Ms. Hathaway?â
Ellie swallowed. âI would not normally do this, I want to say that up front. And this is not my choice. Due to confidentiality I canât say everything, but my client believesâthat is, I believe . . .â She cleared her throat. âI need to withdraw my defense of guilty but mentally ill.â
âExcuse me?â George said.
Ellie straightened her spine. âIn its place, weâre entering a plea of not guilty.â
Judge Ledbetter frowned. âIâm sure you know that at this pointââ
âBelieve me, I know everything. I donât have a choice, Your Honor. In order to keep my ethical obligations to the court and to my client, I have to do this. Iâm just trying to give you as much notice as Iâve had.â
Predictably, George exploded. âYou canât do this three and a half weeks before the trial!â
âWhy should it make any difference to you?â Ellie snapped. âYou were supposed to be trying to prove all along she wasnât insaneâand now Iâm telling you youâre right. This isnât about me screwing up your prosecution, George; itâs about me screwing up my own defense.â Taking a deep breath, she turned toward the judge. âIâd like more time to prepare, Your Honor.â
The judge raised her brows. âWouldnât we all, Ms. Hathaway,â she said dryly. âWell, Iâm sorry, but youâre on the docket for three and a half weeks from now, and this is your decision.â
With a terse nod, Ellie gathered her things and stormed out of chambers, leaving both the county attorney and the judge wondering what had just transpired.
* * *
Ellie hurried out of the judgeâs chambers and through the hallways of the superior court, then burst through the front doors of the building and stopped dead, staring at the bleak, bare arms of the trees and the overcast sky. She had absolutely no idea what to do next. Her mind was running a million places at onceâdamn good thing, since she had less than a month to mount a defense that was a 180-degree reversal of what sheâd been planning.
She set down her briefcase so that it lolled against her ankle, and slowly sank to the courthouse steps. Then, squandering time she could ill afford, she wondered how she was going to manage to win when she was coming from so far behind.
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