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“I do understand. I had to work this courtroom for a whole month once.”
“Counselor!” Judge Epstein bellowed, in case I'd forgotten.
“Coming Your Honor!” I bellowed back. I was from New York. I could bellow. “We are not helping your case by keeping her waiting. Let’s go.” I turned and headed to the bench with E.T. right behind me.
“Mr. Bre
“Disorderly Conduct, Your Honor. However, since the defendant confessed to being in this country illegally, we were obligated to inform the INS. We’re still waiting for an agent to arrive.” He sighed and shifted his weight to the other foot. Poor Mr. Bre
“Ha! You’re waiting for a federal employee to show up in Night Court on Halloween! That’s rich. I hope you brought a snack. Call the next case!”
“Judge!” Mr. Smith broke in. “The gravity …”
“I’m glad you realize this is serious. Now go sit down and contemplate.” She banged her gavel and gave him a gaze that would have withered a lesser alien.
“You don’t understand,” he tried again undaunted, clearly unfamiliar with Judge Epstein’s species. “The level of gravity where I come from is significantly lower. If I don’t get out of here, I may implode.”
“Yeah, you and me both, honey. Mr. Bre
“I’m warning you,” Mr. Smith said, giving me an earnest look, “if I don’t get back to the Mother Ship soon, it will be very ugly.”
“Look, Mr. Smith. I’m doing the best I can here, but the federal government is not noted for the speed of its response even during normal business hours. I wouldn’t exactly expect them to race down here at,” I glanced at my watch, “eleven-thirty PM on Halloween night because some guy from Nebulon Six doesn’t have the proper visa.”
“I’m not trying to be difficult, Mrs. Pierce. I’m merely letting you know that there could be green i
“It won’t be the first time, I’m sure, Mr. Smith. Now, go have a seat and I’ll let you know as soon as immigration gets here.”
I turned and headed for the defense table to get the file for my next case. Braden was there shuffling through some papers. Even after a year of married life, the sight of him still made my pulse race. He was big and blonde, like a Norse God, and he could do things to my body that sent me to another planet. Braden took sexy to illegal heights.
Back in the day, the two of us had been known to engage in some very interesting negotiations in various locations here at the criminal courts building. Ironically, though, now that we worked together, we hardly ever appeared in court at the same time. I had almost forgotten how seeing him so cool, confident and in control could melt my panties and make me want to be a bad girl.
He looked up and I saw his eyes darken. He gave me his hot Braden sex look, and I was tempted to throw myself down on the defense table in front of him and plead for mercy. The fact that we could turn each other on with just a look, while standing in the middle of Philly Night Court, was a testament to the volcanic level of sexual chemistry we had.
“Hey, Mr. Pierce,” I said in what I fancied to be my sultry voice.
“Mrs. Pierce, have you come to make a motion?” He gave me a cocky smile.
“I don’t know that we would have a chance to fully reach a resolution. The pace here is pretty frantic.” One thing I didn’t need was the pressure of trying to reach the Promised Land before Judge Epstein started bellowing somewhere nearby.
“She has to take a recess eventually. Nobody can sustain that much wrath for too long without a break. I’ve already spoken to my two clients, so I’m free and ready to engage in some private negotiations anytime you are.”
“I’ve spoken to both of mine too. If she calls a recess of at least half an hour, you’re on. In the meanwhile, while we have a moment, let’s compare notes.”
“Okay, for round one, I have this Mr. Marley, charged with trespass and prowling at night,” he said picking up a file and furrowing his brows. “He’s odd.”
“No, really? Imagine that,” I commented, dryly.
“I mean odd even for Philly criminal court,” he clarified.
“How so?” I leaned against the table and looked up at my handsome husband. There were still moments that I couldn’t believe that a clumsy, socially awkward woman like me, had charmed a gorgeous, sexy, guy like him. Braden loved me, though, quirks and all. In fact, I suspected that he loved me because of them.
“It’s weird, I can’t put my finger on it exactly, something about the way he talks, and the way he’s dressed.”
“He’s wearing a suit,” I noted, looking up at the gallery, where people sat waiting for cases to be heard. Mr. Marley was staring at a wall as if he were watching it do something. Okay, I could see Braden’s point.
“Yeah, but it’s the cut of it …”
“The cut of it? What are you, his tailor?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, looking sheepish. “It’s probably my imagination.”
“Oh wait, he’s the guy whose file said that he died in 1905. So, there you go. He’s odd because he’s been dead for over a century.”
“Yeah, right.” Braden rolled his eyes. “They still haven’t gotten that straightened out by the way. His case is all messed up. It’s listed on the docket for October 31st, but the year of his trial is also listed as 1905. There must have been some glitch in Records.”
“Either that or he’s a ghost.”
“Well then, I should introduce him to them.” Braden gestured at a team of guys in black t-shirts and ball caps who were laying wire and setting up some kind of equipment.
“Who are they? They don’t look like the Maintenance Department. For one thing, they’re not sitting in the lobby eating doughnuts.”
“Don’t you recognize the Spirit Hunters Team from television? They’re here to try to capture paranormal activity.”
“Well, they’re in the right place. Nothing here is normal.”
“How’s your close encounter of the a
“Mr. Smith has an urgent need to return to the Mother Ship as soon as possible. He has warned me that Earth’s gravitational pull might result in him imploding into a puddle of green slime.”
“That would suck.”
“Yeah, especially since nothing involving Night Court is urgent to the Feds. It’s going to be a green bloodbath.” I nodded. “How about your other case?”
“Delores Crowley? She’s a strange woman who does creepy things.”
“Have small children mysteriously gone missing in her yard?”
“Nah, she’s charged with Disorderly Conduct, and Terroristic Threats.” He glanced at the file he was holding. “Oh, and, uh, littering.”
“Glad they tacked that on there. God forbid, a disorderly litterbug walk free. What’s her story?”
“She’s an exorcist.”
“Who did she threaten, Satan? And more importantly, will he be testifying?” You needed to have a sense of humor in this business. And alcohol. It was also important to have alcohol.
“Testifying for the Commonwealth will be Mr. Evan Drake. You’re going to love Ev. Trust me. He’s such a wi
“Even better. Speaking of people who you would never want to bring home to meet mom, my other client is Mr. Bates. There’s something really creepy about him.”
“How so?’
“He has a weird way of staring at you, and he’s so pale and still.”