The Verdict

The Verdict

By Elizabeth Fleet

Tears streamed down her face, but they were not tears of sadness. Actually, she was laughing and smiling. Her whole face was lit up with joy, and there was a spring to her step, like a child on her first day of school. As soon as she left the courtroom, her lawyers behind her, she turned to them.

"I can't...I just I'm so happy. Thank you, thank you so much."

"Don't worry about the thank yous, Elaine. Freeing an innocent woman is our job and responsibility. We should be the ones thanking you, for letting us be your lawyers."

She smiled at the pair, and eventually, she couldn't stand it anymore. She ran over and hugged the woman with the long black hair and then the tall man with the emerald green eyes.

"I just can't believe you did it. There were nights where I would cuddle my children close, imagining that embrace being our last. But now I get to be with them as they grow up. And to hear that their mother killed their own father would've been devastating for them. But now they know the truth, and I am eternally grateful for that."

"Elaine, we would've never let that happen," the man finally said. He had been planning what he would say to Elaine if they won. And now he could finally say it, and it felt good to. "No matter what, we would've fought for you. I know that I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if they put an innocent woman behind bars. Now, it's all over. No matter what. Someone can't be tried more than once for the same crime."

"Yes," the woman chimed in, "it was a long upward battle, but all that matters is that against all odds, we won."

She smiled, but she burst out crying again. The man knew how emotional Elaine could get and he usually thought it was ridiculous. But today, he cried with her.

"Look, behind you."

She turned around to see her two kids running towards her. One was a girl with brunette locks tied up into two pigtails and the other was a boy, maybe around four years old. Elaine's sister stood a little apart, watching. Elaine opened her arms and they ran into them. For a few moments, that was all there was. A single embrace between a mother and her kids. That's when the woman with the black hair cried for the first time since she'd become a lawyer.

The little girl with the pigtails looked up at the two of them of them. "Thank you, for bringing our mommy back to us."

The woman tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes, but they just kept coming. "You're welcome."

The little girl came over and hugged them both. The boy didn't, but it was just because he was shy and very young, so he waved to them instead.

"Kids how about Auntie takes you to the hotdog stand outside? I've heard that they have the best hotdogs in the world and I'd like to talk to my lawyers and my heroes for a little while longer."

"Yeah!!"

Elaine's sister took the children by their hands and led them out of the building. Then Elaine turned back to the two.

"I just wanted to ask, how did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Find the evidence that cleared my name. I mean, it was looking pretty bad for me for a while there."

"Well, it just took some digging, and a little bit of luck." He smiled at the other lawyer. "But all that counts is that we found it."

"What happens next? Do you guys have any guesses about who the real killer is?"

"Not quite yet," answered the woman. "But we're working on a theory."

"Really? What is it?"

"We think that maybe the nanny killed him."

"Do you mean my kids' nanny? Why would you think that?"

"Elaine...this is going to be hard, but turns out her and your husband were having an affair."

She collapsed down on the bench, her eyes widened with shock."Oh my god."

"Yeah. Your husband called it off though, which probably made her angry. Also, she would've been there the day of the murder. We'll definitely be pursuing this."

"I can't believe this. The nanny I hired to protect my kids? Actually killing someone? What has the world come to?"

"I know, this is all really hard. But remember, we're here for you."

"I just can't imagine it. Her bashing," she choked up, "my beloved with a lamp? Over and over and over again." She shuddered.

"Wait, Elaine, we never found the weapon used to kill him. How would you know?"

Then something changed. For a couple of seconds, the lawyers witnessed something that would haunt them for days. Elaine's face turned up in a sneer that could only be described as pure evil.

Just at that moment, her two kids skipped back into the hallway, each carrying a hotdog exploding with ketchup.

"Mommy, can we go now? Both of us really want to go home and show you the present we made for you.We worked all day on it!"

The wicked grin disappeared so fast that it seemed like it was never there. Replacing it was a soft, motherly smile. "Of course, guys. I know I've had a long day and it would be nice to be home."

She started to walk away, but she stopped and turned around. "I think I recall you saying something about someone can only be tried once, right?"

And with that, the three walked out of the courthouse, and into the hot summer air of freedom.