Sentencing Sapphire (Sapphire Dubois: Book 3)

Chapter 6

As opposed to the closed hearing, the courtroom was packed on the first day of trial.

"Calling Christina Kraft."

God help me. Sapphire tried to channel Father O'Riley's faith and closed her eyes as Chrissy went to swear in as a character witness. Please, let her not say anything stupid.

"Wait!" Chrissy squealed. "What do you mean I can't lie?"

Sapphire scowled upward. Thanks for nothing.

"Like," Chrissy continued, "I have to tell you how many people I've slept with?"

"Why on earth would that come up, Ms. Kraft?" The judge asked.

"Well, it's forty-three." Chrissy threw her hands up. "So there, everybody happy now?"

Nobody looked happy. A common side effect when Chrissy opened her mouth.

Chrissy put her finger on her chin. "Unless this is one of those lists where we count high school too, then it's fifty-one?"

Sapphire's brow twitched. An odd increase considering she and Chrissy went to an all-girls school.

Judge Biggs, an ironically small man for his name, sighed. When the guard asked everyone to rise for the Honorable Judge Biggs earlier, people got confused when the door behind the bench opened and closed on its own. Moments later, the tiny man flung up a booster seat, then clambered up and grabbed the gavel.

Chrissy swore in and the prosecutor, Marissa Pearl, approached the stand. She was a young, attractive woman who scared the shit out of Sapphire. When they were first introduced, Marissa held onto Sapphire's hand and looked at her like she wanted to eat her with a side of coleslaw.

"What is your relationship with Ms. Dubois?"

Chrissy gave the courtroom a quick glance. "Former BFFs."

Sapphire looked at her table. She always knew people would turn on her if they found out what she was, but Chrissy's coldness still hurt.

"Did you ever witness Sapphire do anything out of the ordinary?"

No!

Chrissy's panicked eyes darted to her and Sapphire knew what she was thinking. She'd witnessed Sapphire pick the lock to the Chancellor's office when they first met at Winchester Private Academy. She never said anything to anyone and that loyalty was why Sapphire wanted her as a "best friend."

Chrissy drew a breath. "There was this one time, in high school..." She'd recited the event and finished with a slight panic. "But... but our Chancellor was really mean. He was one of those short, ugly guys with a complex." She gave Judge Biggs a nod. "You know what I'm talking about."

Judge Biggs glowered down at her as Marissa turned around and spoke to no one in particular. "Picking locks at the age of sixteen. That would be a skill someone like the Serial Catcher might need, wouldn't it? Thank you, Ms. Kraft."

Sapphire turned to her public defender hoping he had something good coming.

"Does this look like ketchup to you, Saffron?" Mr. Leary showed her a stain on his tie, then took a sample lick and shook his head. "No, no. Definitely jam."

Obviously not.

Mr. Leary walked up to the stand, eyes still on his tie, and a bad feeling came over Sapphire. He would open his mouth and tack on time to her sentence, instead of the other way around.