The Reversal by Michael Connelly Page B

Let’s do it now.”
    Royce told his associate to wait in the courtroom and retrieve us when the next group of defendants was brought into the glass cage. I followed Royce through the gate and down the aisle between the crowded rows of the gallery. We went through the mantrap and into the hallway.
    “You want to get a cup of tea?” Royce asked.
    “I don’t think there’s time. What’s up, Clive?”
    Royce folded his arms and got serious.
    “I must tell you, Mick, that I am not out to embarrass you. You are a friend and colleague in the defense bar. But you have gotten yourself into a no-win situation here, yes? What are we going to do about it?”
    I smiled and glanced up and down the crowded hallway. Nobody was paying attention to us.
    “Are you saying that your client wants to plead this out?”
    “On the contrary. There will be no plea negotiation on this matter. The district attorney has made the wrong choice and it’s very clear what maneuver he is undertaking here and how he is using you as a pawn in the process. I must put you on notice that if you insist on taking Jason Jessup to trial, then you are going to embarrass yourself. As a professional courtesy, I just thought I needed to tell you this.”
    Before I could answer, Graydon came out of the courtroom and headed quickly toward us.
    “Somebody in the first group is not ready, so Jessup’s been moved up and was just brought out.”
    “We’ll be in straightaway,” Royce said.
    She hesitated and then realized her boss wanted her to go back into the courtroom. She went back through the doors and Royce turned his attention back to me. I spoke before he could.
    “I appreciate your courtesy and concern, Clive. But if your client wants a trial, he’ll get a trial. We’ll be ready and we’ll see who gets embarrassed and who goes back to prison.”
    “Brilliant, then. I look forward to the contest.”
    I followed him back inside. Court was in session and on my way down the aisle I saw Lorna Taylor, my office manager and second ex-wife, sitting at the end of one of the crowded rows. I leaned over to whisper.
    “Hey, what are you doing here?”
    “I had to come see the big moment.”
    “How did you even know? I just found out fifteen minutes ago.”
    “I guess so did KNX. I was already down here to look at office space and heard it on the radio that Jessup was going to appear in court. So I came.”
    “Well, thanks for being here, Lorna. How is the search going? I really need to get out of this building. Soon.”
    “I have three more showings after this. That’ll be enough. I’ll let you know my final choices tomorrow, okay?”
    “Yeah, that’s—”
    I heard Jessup’s name called by the clerk.
    “Look, I gotta get in there. We’ll talk later.”
    “Go get ’em, Mickey!”
    I found an empty seat waiting for me next to Maggie at the prosecution table. Rivas had moved to the row of seats against the gate. Royce had moved to the glass cage, where he was whispering to his client. Jessup was wearing an orange jumpsuit—the jail uniform—and looked calm and subdued. He was nodding to everything Royce whispered in his ear. He somehow seemed younger than I had thought he would. I guess I expected all of those years in prison to have taken their toll. I knew he was forty-eight but he looked no older than forty. He didn’t even have a jailhouse pallor. His skin was pale but it looked healthy, especially next to the overtanned Royce.
    “Where did you go?” Maggie whispered to me. “I thought I was going to have to handle this myself.”
    “I was just outside conferring with defense counsel. Do you have the charges handy? In case I have to read them into the record.”
    “You won’t have to enter the charges. All you have to do is stand up and say that you believe Jessup is a flight risk and a danger to the community. He—”
    “But I don’t believe he’s a flight risk. His lawyer just told me they’re ready to go and that they’re not