Chapter 32
This past month hasn't been easy. Amy's absence has left a huge void for both me and Ellie. I try to make it up to my daughter, who calls for “Li” every day, and each day I come up with a different excuse.
I think about the day I threw her out of my house. Honestly, I regret what I did and all the words I said to her. After all, it's her father who's in prison—just as I would do anything for Luma, she would do the same for her father.
As a judge, I've always tried to do the right thing, and at the time of the accident, I relied on the evidence collected by the forensic experts working the case. I was emotionally vulnerable because of everything that had happened.
Today is the parole hearing, and of course I'll be there. I want to follow everything closely, to see how it goes. It's time, so I leave and head straight to the courthouse. When I arrive, I sit in the back. There's no need for me to be here, but I wanted to see her, to know how she's doing.
I've been there for a few minutes when I see her.
She looks beautiful, as always, accompanied by her friend and a man with his arm around her shoulders.
I recognize him—he's a lawyer who took over for her father after he passed away.
He guides her to a seat in the front row, kisses her cheek, and leaves.
Seeing that scene makes my chest tighten, and I'm left wondering—could they be together? I'll look into that later. All I wanted was to talk to her. Marcus excuses himself and goes over to her. I watch her flash that huge smile I miss so much and hug my security guard.
I wish I were the one giving her that hug, but I was a fool, an idiot. I've always been rigid about everything, especially when it came to work. Even though the documents were personal, it was still a legal matter. And now I see that I could have been more flexible with her.
I wonder if I'll get the chance to apologize and admit my mistake, but Améllie has a difficult temperament too.
Our temperaments are very similar—despite being happy and cheerful, she's always had her moments of fury.
She looks back and our eyes meet for just a few seconds before she turns forward again.
Minutes later, everyone begins to enter—the legal team, the prosecutor, and Mr. James. Soon after, the judge. We all stand as the hearing Améllie has been waiting for finally begins. It doesn't last long. Half an hour later, he's free—he got habeas corpus.
I watch Améllie hug her father and cry. Now more than ever, I want to personally review the entire case, starting with the car. He was sentenced to many years. If there were errors in the case, his name would be removed from the system—finally cleared.
I watch them leave—the lawyer with his arm around Améllie's shoulder, her father beside them, and her friend behind.
I try to catch up, but Jhonatan quickens his pace and I can't reach them.
Damn. I wanted to at least try to make contact with her.
Marcus comes over to me, and I ask how she's doing, just to find out.
“How is she?”
“Happier than ever. All she wanted was to see her father free, and she finally did.”
“I'm glad she's doing well.”
“Yes, she seems to be doing great. She went back to her grandmother's house, and it looks like her father will be living there with them.”
“All right. Wait for me a few minutes—I need to talk to Robert.”
“Yes, sir.”
I head toward the office of the judge who presided today. I enter and greet him, waiting for the others to leave before bringing up the subject.
“Robert, how are you?”
“Owen, I didn't think you'd come in today.”
“I wasn't planning to, but I need to sort out some matters regarding today's case.”
“How can I help?”
“I want to make sure everything is in order with Mr. James, since he was released today.”
“You think something's wrong?”
“No, I just wanted information about the case—how things stand, whether it's final, or if he could go back to the penitentiary.”
“Well, I believe it's final now. He shouldn't have to go back—he had excellent behavior, especially after we transferred him to another unit.”
“Good. That's all I wanted to know. I'll keep an eye on him.”
“One thing I found strange about this case—the forensic expert lost his position a month after the accident.”
“What do you mean? Was he being negligent?”
“Yes, in many cases. I'm not saying he did anything wrong in yours, since he knows you.”
“Now I'm not so sure. I'll think it over, and if anything comes up, I'll contact you.”
“One more thing, Owen. Mr. James's lawyer requested authorization to investigate the accident himself—actually, to bring an expert to the scene and examine the car as well.”
That news catches me off guard. Why would they want to investigate on their own when the original case took about two months to close and prove he was guilty? The thought lingers, but I'll think about it later.
I shake my friend's hand, thank him for the information, and leave. I'm going to talk to my friend Austin and get some answers, because this information caught me off guard.
I arrive home and go straight to my office.
I sit in my chair and think about my conversation with Robert.
Why does Améllie want a new investigation?
Could she be that certain of her father's innocence?
Of course she is, but the evidence said otherwise—that he was guilty.
Either way, I'm going to talk to my friend, so I dial his number.
“Austin, how's it going?”
“What do you need, buddy?”
“How do you know I need a favor?”
“Because you only ever call when you want something.”
“Go to hell, Austin. Why would I be calling some guy otherwise?”
“I thought we were friends. I'm hurt now.”
“That morbid humor doesn't suit you.”
“Just tell me what you want, or I'm hanging up.”
“You wouldn't dare—”
I don't even get to finish before the idiot hangs up, just to piss me off. But today he's not going to get to me, so I call back.
“If you hang up again, I'm coming over there to punch you in the face.”
“That's my friend.”
The bastard starts laughing on the other end of the line.
“I talked to Robert today, and he told me James's lawyer wants a new inspection of the car.”
“Wasn't that already done back then? Why dig into it again?”
“The forensic examiner was suspended a month after the accident for misconduct.”
“You want me to look into him? I can do that. I'll be in touch when I find something.”
“Anthony can help you with that.”
“I'll reach out to him.”
I thank him and hang up. As much as I've already judged James guilty, this whole thing with the forensic examiner is strange, so I decide to look into that first.