She was a good girl, he could see that. She did her taxes. He laundered money. She paid her school loans. He shoots people for fun. She had a good job. He uses good people for his benefit. And she definitely didn't want to let someone like him in he...
I always had to keep a straight face. I had to keep my composure and avoid making any judgemental faces or sounds.
"She told me to keep my mouth shut or I'd end up like him."
"And him is?"
"The victim."
I blinked away the burn in my eyes as I typed away, only pausing to clarify a spelling or word with the person on the stand.
"Thank you Madame." Judge Gilbert nodded then thanked the clerk as he dismissed court. I nodded at him with a smile and remained in my seat in the center of the court room.
I watched the bailiffs escort the defendant out of the courtroom, as I usually did. I felt that they all deserved some version of a Perp Walk.
I went back over the transcripts, fixing any spots that I had messed up.
I huffed my bangs from my face, saving the program and closing my computer. I wrapped the cord of the stenograph up and left it in the courtroom.
I walked out, passing the judge and Sam, the court clerk, and my closest friend here.
"Are you going to eat right now?" Sammy turned to look at me as I passed them.
"No, I'm gonna finish transcribing this. I'll be done around..." I glanced at the clock. "Four-ish." I waved my hand around.
She sent me a thumbs up, throwing some papers in an envelope and giving it to Judge Gilbert. I walked out, moving back to the office to head to my cubicle. I hooked my laptop up to the office computer, letting the transcription download as I moved across the room to refill my coffee mug.
"How was court, Isabel?" I turned, holding my rim-filled cup steady. I spotted Diego peeking out out his office at me.
"Hey D. It was good." I gave him a friendly smile, and sat my cup down to pour too much sweetener in it. "Actually a lot easier than yesterday."
"Yeah, well witnesses usually aren't as prepared to get up on the stand as the detectives." He shrugged his beefy shoulders.
"I have to get back to my computer." I sipped my coffee, and let my eyes wander down his tall, fit body. Diego's had his eye on me since I started working at the courthouse. I thought it was sweet, and he was undeniably attractive but I wasn't willing to complicate my career for him.
Well.
With a relationship with him anyway.
"Okay, see you..." His eyes slid up to the clock. "At five?"
"Level 4?" I tilted my head with a smirk. He nodded and spun on his heels as he passed me, to keep his eyes on me.
I rolled my eyes, moving to my desk.
I found Sam when I was finished and joined her to eat our late lunch.
"You really think the girlfriend helped?" Sam shook her head.
"Yeah." I sighed. "It doesn't take much to make a good person do something bad."
"You were a psych major right?" Sam tilted her head. I nodded, stabbing at a crouton smothered in ranch. "So does your like... Freud brain get off on hearing all that crazy stuff in court?"
I gaped at her. "No! Sammy! I do not get off on it. I just... I don't know I wonder what goes through their minds." I shook my head. Sometimes I really do wish I could read minds. What made a good person snap? And what makes a bad person want to be bad?
"It's already five? Jesus-"
"Oh shit!" I huffed, jumping from my seat, causing it to scrape against the floor. "I have to go!"
"Got another garage date?"
I gasped, stopping my scrambling. Her perfect brow was arched up in interest. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but she chuckled.
"I see you two run off after work! I'm not blind."
I left her with a middle finger and jogged out of the court house and down the the parking garage. I usually would've changed into my jogging clothes but I had no time between eating and finishing my work.
My heels clacked against the cement steps that I was climbing up. I didn't even know what floor I was on. And before I could look up to check I was smashing into a hard surface.
A loud yelp escaped my lips as I bounced off of the roadblock I'd just hit. I'd reached out to whatever it was before I tumbled back down the flight of stairs I'd just climbed.
When I felt a pair of warm hands clasp onto mine, I opened my eyes finding a pair of dark brown ones peering down at me.
I released the man's hands and steadied myself. The man towered over me with an open- mouthed smirk. His tongue drug over his top teeth.
"I-I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" I lifted my hands to flick my bangs from my face.
"Don't be sorry, little lady." He bit at his bottom lip. The stairs were dark, but I could make out a large tattoo over his throat. "Are you okay? You uh..." He glanced down the stairs behind me. "Runnin' from someone?"
"No." I followed his eyes down the stairs, beginning to get an unsettling chill to run up my spine. "I'm fine." I cleared my throat, and lifted my chin, attempting to give off a little confidence. "Sorry again." I spoke as I moved around the still man.
"That's quite alright Isabel." He nodded, taking a step down. I froze as I held onto the railing. The unsettling chill was overwhelming my whole body now.
I swallowed hard and turned to the man. "How do you know my name?" I breathed.
I searched this man harder, for anything familiar about him. I could now see that the tattoo covering his throat was a bird- an eagle.
"Well..." He lifted his hands and rubbed his palms together. "I've seen you around the courthouse... And I could use your help." He bobbed his head side to side, pursing his lips.
"With what?" I spat, white knuckling the railing, and facing the man.
"Well you could help me gather some information, or I could just shoot you but, I'd rather not waste such a pretty face."
The muscle in my chest was beating through my entire body.
My eyelashes fluttered and a nauseating feeling warmed my middle.
