CHAPTER TEN
Monday morning was the bane of most people’s weeks, but not for Rebecca Walsh.
She walked from the train station to her work with a spring in her step.
Monday morning meant another chance to help the world by doing work that was more important than almost anything else. Keeping criminals off the street.
Of course, she wasn’t directly responsible for that, but if she put in the time and effort, then, one day, she could directly influence who went to jail and who was freed. For now, she could only do her best as a law clerk to support Judge Greene in his decision-making.
He was prolific. Rebecca felt the bounce in her step before it became more bouncy as she thought about the good fortune that had been bestowed upon her by whatever Gods of law there were.
She had never been very religious, but she had been chosen from dozens of potential candidates to be Judge Greene’s clerk, and she couldn’t believe that was down to anything but the best luck she’d ever had.
Then something came over her, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle. She’d had the feeling before on multiple occasions. She might not have been religious, but she was spiritual, and she knew that something bad was approaching.
She quickened her step, trying to outrun what was chasing her.
The sun was gently rising on some unseen horizon, but for all intents and purposes, it might as well have been night still with how dark the streets were. And, as Rebecca realized, looking around, it was empty.
That was out of the ordinary. She always arrived for work early on Monday mornings, thirty minutes before she arrived on other days of the week, and there were always people on the street.
That morning, however, it was usually quiet as if whatever was following her had conspired with everyone else in the city and convinced them to stay home.
Rebecca looked over her shoulder and behind to find no one and nothing there. It would have been more comforting to find something, but she suddenly felt very alone. She quickened her step, trying to outrun the invisible menace and get to the courthouse and to safety.
Judge Greene wouldn’t be in for another hour, and that gave her time to get his chambers ready for his arrival: a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen area that could be shared with anyone else who was in early, and printouts of all the important documents that he needed to go through for the day.
Rebecca stopped dead and spun around. She lifted her hands, ready to fend off whoever was following her, but again, found no one there. She took a breath and quickly returned to her route. She couldn’t shake the feeling and wasn’t often wrong when the hairs on the back of her neck pricked.
She turned the corner and—
Rebecca gasped as the hand clamped over her mouth.
As quickly as the hand covered her mouth, it was removed.
"I’m sorry," the man said. "I thought you were going to scream, and…"
"And what, Justin?" Rebecca demanded. "And what? You thought you would manhandle me, and that was the best course of action?"
"I don't know," he complained. "You don't answer any of my texts or calls, so what am I supposed to do?"
"Not accost me at six am on the street when I’m walking alone," she shouted at him. "Is this your first day on Earth? Do you really think it’s appropriate for a guy to grab a woman when she’s out walking alone? Especially when it’s still dark?"
"I—" Juston started.
"And do you remember when I told you in confidence about my friend who was attacked on the street, and they didn’t ever prosecute her attacker, and he’s still out there wandering the streets, and she’s afraid to go anywhere alone?
Do you remember that, Justin? Do you remember how I told you that I was also scared to walk the streets alone? Does that ring a bell?"
"It’s me," Juston claimed. "I’d never hurt you."
"You just grabbed me and silenced me," Rebecca hissed. "You’re stalking me at six in the morning. Do you see how this all looks?"
"You won't reply to my text and calls," Justin moaned.
"Yes, great," Rebecca seethed. "Then you can do whatever the heck you want, right? You do remember that we broke up, don't you? Do you remember that, Justin?"
Rebecca had to bite her tongue some. She was angry at him, and rightfully so, but she had to remind herself that she was out there alone, and if Justin was crazy enough to be waiting near the courthouse for her, he might be crazy enough to do more than just that.
"I don't accept the breakup," Justin said.
"You don't accept it," Rebecca scoffed. She couldn’t bite her tongue.
"I don't care what you accept and don't accept. No, do you know what?" Rebecca placed her hands on her hips and leaned slightly to the side. "I do, actually. It’s very important to me that you understand we’re not a thing anymore. We were never good together, and it wasn’t ever going to work out between us.
I don't want to be with you, Justin, and you can't be out here in the morning waiting for me. That’s a little crazy. "
"Oh, so I’m crazy now?" he asked.
Rebecca was thankful to see the man up ahead cross the street and walk toward them. She didn't think Justin would ever do something to hurt her, but she also didn't think he would wait on the street for her before dawn because she didn’t answer his texts.
"A little bit," Rebecca admitted. "You can't do this. It stops now. I need to get to work."
"Yeah, with Judge Greene," Juston said.
"Oh, for goodness sake." Rebecca rolled her eyes. "You say it as if we’re sleeping together. He’s in his sixties, and I don’t have time for anyone right now. He’s one of the best judges in the city, so sue me if I talked about him a lot."
"Don't worry, I spoke to him," Justin said.
"What?" Rebecca demanded. "What does that mean?"
"He works you too hard," Justin said. "Look how flustered you are coming in at six to start work, and I know you won't be done until five or six. It’s no wonder we didn't work out. You don't have time for anyone, not even yourself."
A shudder ran through Rebecca. "You spoke to Judge Greene?
" She asked. "You had no right to do that.
I can't believe you, Justin. What did you—No!
Do you know what, I don't want to know. Oh, my goodness.
You just make my life much harder than it needs to be.
" She held her hands up in front of her.
"Stop texting me, stop calling me, don't talk to any of my colleagues again, especially Judge Greene, and please don't wait for me on the street like this. "
For the briefest of moments, Rebecca felt sorry for Juston when he looked like a puppy that had just been scolded, his eyes large, unable to look at her, and his facial features softened.
Then she remembered that he had approached her on the street that morning and had said something to Judge Greene the previous evening that would only have made her job harder and her relationship with the judge more tenuous.
"I need to get to work," she said before leaving him standing on the street.
Rebecca tried to think what would be considered the opposite of a spring in her step. She had a thud in her step as if the ground below was pulling her downward with each step. She felt a shudder run up her leg every time she took a step.
When she reached the courthouse, she looked behind to ensure that, like a little lost puppy, Justin hadn’t followed her. The streets weren’t as deserted as before, and thankfully, there was no sign of Justin. The hairs on the back of her neck didn't prickle anymore. He was gone.
Rebecca used her fob to activate the code door, then stepped inside, pulling it closed behind her and making sure it was locked. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
The spring returned to her step as she made her way toward Judge Greene’s chambers, and, being in the courthouse, her second home, brought a calmness to her.
When she got to his chambers, the door was closed.
Rebecca felt some disappointment. Most Mondays, she arrived before him, and she could have everything ready for him.
On the occasional morning, he arrived first, especially if he had a busy caseload, which she didn't think he did.
She reached out her hand to knock on the door, but hesitated.
Instead of knocking, she walked swiftly toward the kitchen.
He didn't usually switch on the coffee machine, and the least she could do if she were to speak to him so early was not to turn up empty-handed.
Rebecca was happy to see the coffee pot empty and cold.
She switched it on, filled the reservoir with water, placed the filter, and added the ground coffee.
Then, she waited painfully as the seconds ticked by and the hot water warmed up before slowly dripping through, regretting her decision to brew the coffee and get back to his office ten minutes later than she could have.
She shook her head when she finally walked down the hallway back to his chambers with his coffee just how he liked it: lots of cream and three sugars.
Rebecca knocked on his door.
When he didn't command her to enter, she knocked again. Judge Green was not the sort of man who ignored a knock at his door. Rebecca mentally kicked herself. Judge Greene wasn’t in his chambers. The door had been closed, that was all.
She looked at the coffee, but couldn’t stomach drinking it here. She was used to black tea. Rebecca opened the door so it would be as it should be, and immediately dropped the coffee on seeing what awaited her inside.
The cup smashed on the floor, coffee spilling upward and covering the bottom of her left pant leg. Then it felt like someone had tripped her as she stumbled backward, tripping over invisible obstacles.
She finally fell, then thudded into the wall behind her. She could still see some of his on the desk, but not the blood. There was so much blood!
Rebecca pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the police. She had thought about calling for an ambulance, but it was far too late for that.
As the phone rang, Rebecca couldn’t take her eyes from the scene before her.
"Justin, what did you do?" she muttered.