Blood of Eden

Chapter 3

The courtroom was abuzz with the sound of murmuring and shifting papers. Katherine ignored the stench of body odor and the perfume that was supposed to be banned from public areas and focused on the folder in her hands and her client who was seated next to her. Her client, although thoroughly innocent, was acting guilty as hell and it was pissing her off. Not only did James St. Laurent's case look dismal to anyone watching, with the prosecution's case well stocked with facts and his own alibi questionable, but now he was sitting beside her excreting an alarming amount of sweat and fidgeting. How was she supposed to win his case when he was acting so guilty? She leaning towards the damp young man and whispered, "You're innocent, remember? And I'm the best there is. So stop sweating and look innocent!"

Katherine could smell his fear lessen and she sensed his muscles relax somewhat as he took a few moments to breathe deeply, exhaling with intent. This was to be their final day in court, although neither her client nor the prosecution knew this fact. All the prosecution knew was that, under full disclosure, she had given them pictures of a young woman entering and leaving a park. She knew that the opposing council would have ascertained the woman's identity by now but she was fairly certain that they had no idea what the photographs meant in relation to their case against Mr. St. Laurent. No, the prosecution sat at their table fully satisfied that her defense would fall to pieces against the myriad of evidence they had against her client. Unfortunately for the prosecution, she held the ace in this particular case and, despite her client's intentions to lie on the stand today and keep his secret love affair out of court, Katherine had other plans. She had just one chance to attack and she wasn't going to let her prey get away easily. She casually climbed to her feet, shifted her papers, looked at the Judge and announced her first witness.

"The defense calls Natasha Green to the stand."

Katherine heard her client gasp for air as she called forward the one person in the world that he wanted to be kept safe and the only person who could help him be found innocent of murder. As she stepped forward, Katherine could feel her client's eyes boring into her back, urging her to turn so that he could plead with her silently to withdraw her witness. Katherine ignored the sensation. She had blindsided her own client in a court of law for his own good and she wasn't about to back down now. Soon all would be revealed.

A beautiful woman with silky black hair styled classically in a bob approached the stand awkwardly and was sworn in. She looked around the court swiftly, her eyes darting back and forth between Mr. St. Laurent and Katherine. The smell of fear and desperation seeped through her classic Chanel perfume even though outwardly she managed to appear unruffled.

She ignored the now overwhelming mixed scents of both her client and her witness and stepped forward to address the woman directly.

"Ms. Green, could you be as kind as to tell the court where you were on the night of December 3rd, 2006." Katherine kept the questioning light and casual, her approach kind and understanding. Natasha answered every question with short succinct answers, all of which sounded good to the Judge, jury, and prosecution, none of whom noticed that she was clutching her purse on her lap with whitened knuckles or knew that inside that purse was a delicate lace handkerchief that smelled of James St. Laurent's aftershave.

She had first smelled the man's scent on this woman on the day the trial began. She had been milling around outside the courthouse just past the few reporters that stood ever ready to get interviews on scandalous cases when she had covertly approached the front doors from the side of the building so as not to be caught up. After spending weeks preparing for this trial and getting to know her client, she could easily identify Mr. St. Laurent's scent on this unfamiliar woman. She knew that the woman wasn't a member of his family because she had interviewed each of them at length already. It didn't take more than a few moments and a few good whiffs to realize that this woman was linked to her client sexually and that, due to the fact he hadn't revealed this information to her previously, the relationship was a secret. That was the moment Katherine had started the hunt.