Body Swappers 22
Maya's anxieties, and going to the court room.
Maya tossed and turned all night. She didn’t know what was going to happen to Robert the next day, and she couldn’t talk to Camille about it. She gave up on sleep fairly early in the morning and dragged herself out of bed. She felt like someone had used her as a punching bag. She steeped twice the amount of chai as normal and sat by the window, gazing out at the pre-dawn sky. As she watched light creep into the world, she wondered again what Gimble had seen. How they might get a list of people with access to the blood at Deaconess. How they might narrow down the list after they got it. But the sleep loss left her feeling foggy even despite the tea. She rubbed her eyes.
Min texted her. They had three hours till the arraignment. Maya spent a long time showering and eating breakfast, and still had time to kill. She worked out, changed again, and still it wasn’t time to head to the courthouse. She was checking the clock on her phone for the fifteenth time when it began to ring. It was her dad’s number. Panic seized her throat in a chokehold. She silenced her phone and watched it continue to ring. Only after it stopped did she feel like she could move again.
She drove to the courthouse, and sat in the parking lot. She checked her phone, and saw the voicemail notification. She dismissed it.
I don’t need this right now, she thought to herself. She did some intentional breathing, trying to get herself back under control. Not that anything could make her feel okay, with everything that was happening. After a minute or two she gave up, and went into the building.
Something about the cold and impersonal nature of the courthouse had always comforted Maya before. Here, it said to her, we have a plan. An order. We will be impartial and fair. But Robert being detained wasn’t fair. Especially since well over 90% of people indicted with a crime were eventually found guilty. And he’s being indicted today.
Maya’s thoughts were restless as she roamed the halls, until it was time for the arraignment and she went and found Min outside the room.
“What’s the plan?” Maya asked.
“Like I said yesterday, this case makes no sense. There’s no evidence, and no motive. Besides, if the prosecutor is who I think it may be… Ah, perfect, there he is.”
Maya looked over and saw a man join the queue to get into the room. “What’s good about that prosecutor?”
“He hates Robert, because Robert’s successfully defended against him multiple times. Made him look bad.”
“Isn’t that a bad thing?”
“No. If he pushes this case, it’ll look like persecution. And then, if he pushes it and fails, it’ll look really bad for him. Excuse me a moment.”
Min pulled away, and had a hurried, yet hushed, conversation with the man in question. Just as everyone else had filed into the room, they broke apart, and Min gestured for Maya to go in with her.
They sat on a bench on one side of the room, and after everyone was settled, men were marched into the room in chains. Maya’s heart leapt when Robert came in, calm and proud in demeanor despite his circumstances. His eyes met hers for only a moment before he sat and watched the judge.
Maya typically found court procedure fascinating, but today she couldn’t focus on anything anyone was saying until the man Min had spoken to stood up.
“Your honor, would you turn your attention first the case of Spokane v Sullivan? The prosecution would like to drop the charge on lack of evidence.”
“Understood. Would the bailiff please take Sullivan back so he can be released from custody?”
Maya felt like her head was swimming. That was it? All my worry, for that? Before she knew it, Robert had been escorted from the room, and Min was tugging at her sleeve and nodding her head toward the door.
The prosecutor was speaking again, directing the judge’s attention toward a different case. Min and Maya stood and quietly made their way out of the room, careful to shut the door gently behind them. As soon as it shut, Maya sighed. “Good job!”
Min smiled. “I’m glad I could help. That’s why I do this.” She checked her phone. “Well, I have other things I could be billing my time for. See you around.”