Chapter 7 - The Burned Bridges
|
The door to the interrogation room opened again twenty minutes later.
A sharp-featured defense attorney in an expensive three-piece suit entered, carrying a leather briefcase.
His name was Robert Vance, one of the most expensive criminal defense lawyers in the state.
Ethan let out a visible sigh of relief, leaning forward in his chair.
“Thank god you’re here, Vance,” Ethan blurted out.
“Tell this woman she has no case.”
“Tell her to take these damn cuffs off me so we can post bail and walk out of here.”
Vance did not smile.
He did not even greet his client with a handshake.
Instead, Vance sat down heavily, opened his briefcase, and placed a portable tablet on the table.
On the screen was the four-thousand-pixel video recording from the base briefing room.
It showed Ethan in crisp, undeniable detail, grinning cruelly as he dumped the steaming coffee directly onto Evelyn’s lap.
The audio captured his voice perfectly: “Oops.”
“Did you do this, Ethan?” Vance asked, his voice completely flat.
“It was an accident!” Ethan protested frantically.
“I slipped!”
“She bumped my elbow!”
Vance pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in sheer disbelief.
“The video shows you standing three feet away, stopping, making eye contact, and deliberately tipping the mug,” Vance said coldly.
“Every juror in eastern North Carolina will watch this video ten seconds after entering the courtroom.”
“That single clip destroys any claim of good faith, accidental conduct, or military immunity.”
Vance leaned across the table, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.
“The federal magistrate has already denied bail due to flight risk and national security concerns.”
“The government has thirty counts of wire fraud, grand larceny, and weapons trafficking against you.”
“If you go to trial on this evidence, you will spend the rest of your natural life in a supermax facility.”
May you like
Ethan slumped back against his chair, the reality of his doom finally crashing over him.
His own high-priced attorney was telling him there was no escape.
