was reacting even before he heard the name that had haunted him for the last four years.
“Jamie Morton, Andrew.”
Jamie. He never did get her surname, but boy did he remember her first. His voice cracked when he answered. “My witness?”
Darren nodded enthusiastically. He could not hide his excitement and laughed aloud. “Your witness and more - your alibi, Andrew.”
“My alibi?”
“Yes, your alibi! Don’t you see? We can proceed with the PCR now. We have her, and she’s very cooperative.”
Andrew’s chest grew tight as he struggled to get a breath. While his lungs stopped functioning, the color faded from his face, and he knew that Darren noticed his shock when his lawyer’s grin slowly faded. “Are you okay?”
“I - uh, I don’t know.”
Andrew took several deep breaths before lowering his head to the table. Breathe, he reminded himself. His hands fell to his lap, and he stared down at them through blurred vision. They were trembling. All over he was shaking, from head to toe. These reactions were not new to him. He had been having episodes since his time in Afghanistan, full blown panic attacks that had been diagnosed when he began having night terrors. A form of post-traumatic stress disorder now self-treated since his incarceration.
“Andrew, I know this is a shock, but this is really good,” Darren said encouragingly. “I’ve met her. She gave very detailed information. She had an impeccable memory about that night, and everything she said matches what you told us from the beginning. She has things - photos, a black jacket from that night, and two other witnesses who corroborate her story. I’ve been working with another lawyer to file your appellate brief. There’s a whole team ready to go over the case and write it up.”
“How is this possible? Hasn’t the deadline passed by now?”
“No, this is new information.”
“How?”
“We’re able to prove that we looked for her before to no avail. That was easy. Since we tried to find her but couldn’t, it proves that we were diligent in trying to obtain this information but didn’t have it at the time of your trial. This girl is the smoking gun to clear you, and that could result in your acquittal.”
“No,” he whispered. “How did you find her?”
“She found me, actually.” Darren chuckled again. “She recently moved back to the Valley and saw your case on TV. When she realized that it was you, she contacted this lawyer I spoke to, and he had her contact me. We spoke on the phone first, and then she came down to my office. She had date-stamped photos from a digital camera that her friend mailed her and the black jacket with her. I spoke to the two other witnesses this morning, and they were able to corroborate what she told me. She’s legit, Andrew.”
Darren laughed again, but Andrew could not find the same enthusiasm. He was still shaking all over and feared the lightheadedness from his inability to breathe would make him collapse. This episode was coming on more rapidly than his previous ones, most likely due to the shock to his system. Pushing the chair out, he stumbled to his feet. He reached out and grasped the chair back to support his weak legs as a wave of dizziness washed over him, aware that the closest posted corrections officer was watching him intently.
“I can’t do this right now,” he whispered. “I’ve got to go.”
“Wait Andrew! Don’t go. This is it. We can win this.”
He shook his head. “I can’t do this anymore. I told you that.”
“But she’s here and willing to talk. Give her a chance – give me a chance.”
“I’ve given America everything I have, and they locked me in prison. I can’t go through it again,” he said in a low voice.
“You can. We can win this.”
He did not turn around or acknowledge Darren, but he could hear his lawyer’s chair scrape against the floor as he pushed it back. His voice was loud when he called out for him to wait.
Ignoring
“Jamie Morton, Andrew.”
Jamie. He never did get her surname, but boy did he remember her first. His voice cracked when he answered. “My witness?”
Darren nodded enthusiastically. He could not hide his excitement and laughed aloud. “Your witness and more - your alibi, Andrew.”
“My alibi?”
“Yes, your alibi! Don’t you see? We can proceed with the PCR now. We have her, and she’s very cooperative.”
Andrew’s chest grew tight as he struggled to get a breath. While his lungs stopped functioning, the color faded from his face, and he knew that Darren noticed his shock when his lawyer’s grin slowly faded. “Are you okay?”
“I - uh, I don’t know.”
Andrew took several deep breaths before lowering his head to the table. Breathe, he reminded himself. His hands fell to his lap, and he stared down at them through blurred vision. They were trembling. All over he was shaking, from head to toe. These reactions were not new to him. He had been having episodes since his time in Afghanistan, full blown panic attacks that had been diagnosed when he began having night terrors. A form of post-traumatic stress disorder now self-treated since his incarceration.
“Andrew, I know this is a shock, but this is really good,” Darren said encouragingly. “I’ve met her. She gave very detailed information. She had an impeccable memory about that night, and everything she said matches what you told us from the beginning. She has things - photos, a black jacket from that night, and two other witnesses who corroborate her story. I’ve been working with another lawyer to file your appellate brief. There’s a whole team ready to go over the case and write it up.”
“How is this possible? Hasn’t the deadline passed by now?”
“No, this is new information.”
“How?”
“We’re able to prove that we looked for her before to no avail. That was easy. Since we tried to find her but couldn’t, it proves that we were diligent in trying to obtain this information but didn’t have it at the time of your trial. This girl is the smoking gun to clear you, and that could result in your acquittal.”
“No,” he whispered. “How did you find her?”
“She found me, actually.” Darren chuckled again. “She recently moved back to the Valley and saw your case on TV. When she realized that it was you, she contacted this lawyer I spoke to, and he had her contact me. We spoke on the phone first, and then she came down to my office. She had date-stamped photos from a digital camera that her friend mailed her and the black jacket with her. I spoke to the two other witnesses this morning, and they were able to corroborate what she told me. She’s legit, Andrew.”
Darren laughed again, but Andrew could not find the same enthusiasm. He was still shaking all over and feared the lightheadedness from his inability to breathe would make him collapse. This episode was coming on more rapidly than his previous ones, most likely due to the shock to his system. Pushing the chair out, he stumbled to his feet. He reached out and grasped the chair back to support his weak legs as a wave of dizziness washed over him, aware that the closest posted corrections officer was watching him intently.
“I can’t do this right now,” he whispered. “I’ve got to go.”
“Wait Andrew! Don’t go. This is it. We can win this.”
He shook his head. “I can’t do this anymore. I told you that.”
“But she’s here and willing to talk. Give her a chance – give me a chance.”
“I’ve given America everything I have, and they locked me in prison. I can’t go through it again,” he said in a low voice.
“You can. We can win this.”
He did not turn around or acknowledge Darren, but he could hear his lawyer’s chair scrape against the floor as he pushed it back. His voice was loud when he called out for him to wait.
Ignoring
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