Unintended Consequences - By Marti Green Page 0,49

and assuage his conscience by believing he’s upholding the Constitution. The judge wants to win reelection and so she’ll choose to play it safe. Don’t get me wrong. There are great judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys committed to performing their roles with integrity and passion. But you have to realize there are too many of the other kind as well.”

“Okay. So assume this judge wants to play it safe. I still don’t see how ordering exhumation is risky.”

“Let’s say he ordered the exhumation and the DNA test comes back proving she’s Angelina Calhoun. Now the press is all over him for allowing this horrible murderer another chance, for delaying the justice they’ve all been waiting for. Edwards is a coward. He doesn’t want to risk looking like he favors defendants. He knows we’ll appeal, and if he’s right in denying the order, it proves how smart he is. And if he’s overturned, well, then, townsfolk can feel comfortable that he’s a tough judge.”

Melanie shook her head. Dani knew how she felt: disgusted. She had experienced it many times, both as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and working at HIPP. Law school didn’t prepare hopeful attorneys for the vagaries of judicial decision. The study of law was devoid of politics, of pettiness, of bad judges and incompetent attorneys. There was a purity to the study of law that Dani loved. Over the years, she’d come to terms with the messiness in the real life practice of law.

They headed to Judge Edwards’s office. A young woman sat at a desk outside his chambers. Dani handed her a business card. “Good morning. We just came from Judge Edwards’s courtroom on the People v. George Calhoun case. I’d like to make sure we get a copy of the judge’s decision as quickly as possible.”

She looked at the card. “I’m sure everyone wants the decision as soon as possible. It usually takes about a week, sometimes longer, depending on his calendar.”

Secretaries were the gatekeepers. If this one wasn’t on Dani’s side, she could delay typing up a decision out of spite. “I appreciate how busy everyone is. But my client is facing execution in three weeks. For a crime we don’t believe he committed.”

The young woman stared at her and sighed. “All right. I’ll see what I can do.”

“You are an angel of mercy,” Dani said and thanked her.

“What now?” Melanie asked as they left the clerk’s office.

“Now we pray Tommy comes up with something.”

CHAPTER

17

It seemed as if the rain would never stop. Six days in a row of nonstop showers made Sunny feel as if she were lost at sea, with nothing but water wherever she looked and no hope of rescue. Six days of putting together puzzles with Rachel, six days of reading Goodnight Moon over and over, six days of watching Dora the Explorer on the television. She thought she would lose her mind. Eric didn’t understand. He’d come home exhausted in the evening and think Sunny’s life was a breeze, taking care of a three-year-old her only responsibility. He didn’t even demand dinner when he came home: Takeout from the Chinese restaurant or Pizza parlor worked as well as a home cooked meal. Nor did he mind when she hadn’t tidied the apartment, Rachel’s toys strewn all over the living-room floor and the laundry still waiting to be folded.

Stuck inside the apartment day after day made her feel trapped. Eric promised they’d move away from New York when he finished his residency. Sunny hoped it would be closer to her mother. She loathed being so far from her. She wondered whether Rachel would remember her life in New York City—the noise, the smell, the crowds. She recalled so little of her own childhood. Her first real memory was from when she was 6 and entering first grade. When she attempted to conjure up earlier events, she’d felt a strange uneasiness, so she’d stopped trying.

“Mommy, I’m bored.”

Even her sweet-natured angel had turned whiny after six days of being cooped up.

“I know, Rachel. I think tomorrow the sun will be back and we can go to the park then. I bet Billy will be there.”

“But I’m bored now.”

Sunny understood boredom. It was her daily companion.

Eric heard the telephone ring first. He often received calls in the middle of the night and, despite his natural tendency to be a heavy sleeper, had trained himself to awaken quickly at that familiar sound. Expecting the hospital to be on the other end, he answered