Show of Evil

'I'll drop by and tuck you in,' Vail said.

 'My nurse takes care of that,' Stenner responded brusquely, walking as jauntily as he could from the room.

'I'm jealous of Abel,' Venable said. 'He's going home and I have two more operations to go.'

Vail sat down beside her and ran a finger gently down the bandage on her face. 'A few more weeks and it will all be behind us,' he said gently. He stood up and walked to the window.

 'Still have Stampler on your mind, don't you?' she said softly.

'You know,' he said, 'there was a moment there… there was a moment when… when it was a catharsis. For a minute or two I had the power of life and death over him. I had him in my sights. God knows, I wanted to kill him. I wanted to shoot him over and over again. A bullet for every one he butchered. The trigger had an eighth-of-an-inch to go and I knew what he wanted, Janey, I knew he wanted me to put him down, to pull me down to his level. Then I saw the sign and eased off and let the devil have him.'

'Well, it's over, my dear,' she said and patted the bed beside her.

Maybe, he thought. And maybe it will never be over.

The next morning, Shana Parver and Dermott Flaherty sat at the prosecutor's table, prepared to ask for another continuance of the arraignment of Edith Stoddard. Vail, Naomi, and St Claire, accompanied by Abel Stenner, sat beside them in the first row. Edith Stoddard's daughter, Angelica, sat on the opposite side of the courtroom, nervously awaiting the hearing to start. She kept staring back at the entrance to the courtroom.

At exactly 9 A.M., Judge Thelma McElroy, a handsome black woman whose glittering, intelligent eyes hid behind round, wire-rimmed glasses, entered the room. A fair judge, she was known for her stern, no-nonsense approach to the law.

Edith Stoddard was led into the courtroom and took a seat at the defence table. She was drawn and thin. It was obvious her weeks in jail had worn her down. She folded her hands on the table and stared down at them.

A moment later there was a rumble from the rear of the courtroom, and Vail turned to see what the commotion was about.

Jane Venable entered the courtroom in a wheelchair. She was resplendent in an emerald green silk business suit, her red hair pulled back in a tight bun, a black patch over her eye, the side of her face covered with a fresh bandage.

She wheeled down the centre aisle, cast her good eye at Vail, smiled, and winked as she headed for the defendant's table. Vail could not conceal his surprise. Shana Parver was even more surprised. She looked back at Vail, who just raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

'What the hell…' he mumbled under his breath.

'I think we're in trouble,' Stenner said.

'We were in trouble when she took the case,' Vail answered.

Judge McElroy lowered her head and peered over her glasses at Venable.

'Well, Ms Venable, this is a surprise. Welcome back.'

'Thank you, Your Honour,' Venable answered.

'Are we ready to proceed?' the judge asked.

'Quite,' Venable answered.

'We were prepared to seek a postponement because of Ms Venable's injuries, Your Honour…'

'That won't be necessary,' Venable answered. 'The defendant is prepared to answer the charges.'

'The State is ready, Your Honour,' Shana Parver stammered as Flaherty dug into his briefcase and began pulling out files.

The judge looked down at her agenda sheet.

'This is an arraignment, correct?'

'Yes,' Parver answered.

'Any motions before we proceed?'

'Your Honour,' Venable began, 'if it please the court, the defence asks that we be permitted to introduce one witness for the defence.'

'Before we even start?' the Judge said.

'We will seek bond for the defendant, Edith Stoddard, Your Honour. She has been incarcerated for almost two months without relief. We would seek permission for a character witness to appear in her behalf.'