The Evil Inside

2. Summoning Max Sheppard

     Max Sheppard was what many people in his profession would call a decent lawyer. While Max lost more cases than he cases than he won, the truth was he took on a lot of cases people would have labeled unwinnable and tried to win them anyway. The fact that he won any of these cases on occasion was only a testament to how awesome the justice system really was. Even if the person he represented was guilty, fighting tooth and nail to beat the rap was Max's way of making sure the rules were followed and the system worked. Everyone was entitled to a fair trial, and this included the poor who were guaranteed representation. Max believed that doing his best to win freedom for even the most vile for of scum not only upheld his rights but at the same time made sure that the convictions would never be overturned for one less reason. No one would ever accuse Max of not being incompetent, so any appeal of attorney misconduct would be squashed rather quickly and literally laughed out of court.

     Max had been working as a public defender for over ten years, and after all that time it was hard to find a case that surprised him. He had dealt with all types of people. From the gang bangers who wildly fired at anything that moved during a drive by to the teens who are trying to prevent a small mischief charge from ruining their chances to apply for an ivy league school. He had seen it all but it was this day something new, and it left him puzzled to what exactly was going on. Usually when he received a new case, Max would have access to all information but this time discovery wasn't honored. The only thing attached to the file was a letter from the judge, asking him to meet a the courthouse with himself and a representative from the district attorney's office to discuss the case. Max looked at the file and walked into his boss' office.

     "Dave," he called out, "We need to talk."

     "What's up Max?" Dave answered without looking back up.

     "What the fuck is this?" Max said as he help up the empty folder.

     "Oh, that." Dave said, understanding his frustration. "This case is under seal. The judge immediately issued a gag order before it was even assigned. Even I don't know what it's about."

     "Why did you give this piece of shit to me then?" Max asked.

     "They asked for our best," Dave answered. "This case, whatever it is, could be a potential powder keg. They wanted someone who would take the case on passionately and without prejudice and learn to follow its unique instructions. Considering that, I of course thought of you."

     "What the hell is going on?" Max asked.

     "I told you, I don't know shit." Dave repeated, "You need to be down to the courthouse later today and find out. The feds are involved so I suggest you make this case your number one priority."

     "The feds?" Max repeated out loud. This can't be good, he thought to himself. Usually the only time the feds got involved in anything is if someone died. "I'm supposed to be flying to Nashville with Janet to visit her parents in three weeks. As much as I don't like visiting the in-laws, if my vacation gets cancelled because of this, you'll be hearing from her."

     "Noted for the record," Dave said, as he waved him away. "You're the man for this job. I don't trust anyone else not to screw it up."

     "Fuck you, Dave." Max said as he left the office. He slapped the file, or what little of it there was onto the desk. He sat down for a few moments and then finally took out his cell phone and dialed it.

     A few seconds the line picked up. "Janet; it's Max."

     "Hey baby." She replied. "Is everything all right?"