The Dream

Part II

We both walked in. There were three more person in that small office. Andrew Salas, he was the clerical help there. Attorney Racheal who is supposed to be on leave from next week. She is expecting her first child. Hope the kid grows as her mum, she is one of the most elegant and brainy persons I have ever met. And Attorney Shin, he is the head of the department. I have heard a lot about him but it would be the first time I would meet him in person, but where is he? Doesn’t seem he is in. “I want to be like Attorney Shin, that’s why I wanted to become a Public Defender” said Steve. “The way he sympathises with the defendant and takes on is just marvellous, don’t you think so?’’ he continued. “You are also here because of him right??” he asked. “Not really.” I replied. Andrew showed us our cubicle. I had to share cubical with Attorney Racheal till the time she was working. I was cool with it. She greeted me with a smile and so did I. “Would like some coffee?” She asked. “No I’m fine” I replied with a smile. “So, what am I supposed to do now” I asked. “Wait for Attorney Shin, He would assign you both cases”, she replied while turning the pages of her file. “Can I help you with something?” I asked seeing her struggling to get some files from the huge heap. “Please if you can, pregnancy is not an easy job”, she giggled and stepped aside. “File no 5 and Case file Claire” she said. “Here you go” I said forwarding her the files. “Thank you” she replied with a smile. I turned my face towards the heap and said “Should I arrange these for you?” “Well from next week it would be your desk, so you can as per your convenience but you have to help me find them till this week” she said. “That won’t be any issue” I replied. And started to clean up the mess. “Gosh, you two are already friends now” commented Andrew. “Ahhh!!! I would get blinded by the love” added Steve. We both looked at them with a frown and got back to our work.

I finished my work in half an hour and sat down. Looking at the office and suddenly saw Andrew and Steve were doing something. They were deeply involved. I drew attention of Racheal as well. “Look they are the bestiees now planning to go to the Baseball match this weekend” Shouted Racheal. “Who, we?? No, no. We are just talking about work” replied Steve. “It’s useless Steve, you cannot fool her” said Andrew. “Wow that was cool. How did you know?” I asked out of curiosity that how come she knows about their plan when she is about 10-15m away from their desk. “It’s observation dear, you can also do it once you start looking at the person as a suspect and try to analyse his/her body movements.” She replied casually while making notes for her case. I looked at her astonishingly and exclaimed “Wow.” She got a call from Attorney Shin. He asked us (me and Steve) to accompany Racheal in her trial today.

Richard Kin a 59 yr old guy is charged guilty of a murder, murder of his daughter’s boyfriend. A drunkard, bad tempered guy, already had threatened the victim twice for meeting his daughter, no evidence to prove him innocent and above all he has accepted all the charges against him. Strange still we have to defend this guy. “Do you think you should defend such a bastard?’’ I said. “He is innocent Kathy, so don’t call him so”. She replied while piling up the documents for case. “You think he is innocent…. I mean all evidences show he is guilty and he has confessed also.” I said. She collected her bag and looked at me “I don’t think Kathy I know he is innocent. Evidences can be made, confession can be forced but it should not be taken as truth. Sometimes truth is much more than what we know, see and understand”. She smiled at me and said “Now let’s go, we have to save an innocent.”  And we followed her to the court. She is something else, really. Soft but strong. Her words made me curious and now I also desperately wanted to know how she is going to save that guy.

The trail started at 2:15 PM. Prosecutor Jeff presented the case. He started from the background of Mr. Kin, a cruel husband, already had two divorces because of his short temper. His third wife who passed away a year ago was actually a widow with a girl child named Karry (Kin’s step daughter, only daughter). Richard married Karry’s mom three years back. The girl and the father would have fights every now and then. Karry (17 yr) got into a relationship with a 33 year old guy, a racketeer. Which was disliked by her father and many times he has caught them and have also threatened the guy. He presented witnesses to prove his arrogant nature, motive of murder and at last the murder weapon and forensic report. I looked at the guy. His face doesn’t seem of a criminal, his face had an expression of sadness. I was so confused I couldn’t make up my mind to trust this man or not. As soon as Jeff ended Racheal stood up to present her case. She pleaded “I plead not guilty as this was an act of defence.” She called all the witnesses again and established the fact that though this man is short tempered but has never laid a finger on anyone. Out of rage he would either throw some stuff around or hit himself indeed. His second wife undergone a kidney operation after they divorced, and he still helped her in those days more than her real family. Then she put forth the character of the victim, a racketeer with a criminal background, known for drug dealings and eve teasing. She started to explain the event day. She said, “That afternoon when Richard entered his house he saw…”

“I killed him, I did it. I need no mercy, punish me.” Mr Kin burst out.

.....to be continued