The prosecutor and sheriff said nothing.
“I’m going out the front,” Jason proclaimed.
24
Jason made a beeline toward the sidewalk that would take him to his car, telling each of ten or twelve reporters “No comment” in response to their questions. If he decided to take the case, then perhaps some grandstanding would be in order. But not now. The only publicity these guys were going to get was confirmation that he was in town and had seen his sister.
And if that made Shay Lankford and Sheriff Griffith nervous or anxious in any way, then Jason was glad. He could see the look of superiority in the prosecutor’s face, along with the same condescending tone he’d heard from so many other lawyers during his eleven years of practice.
“You aren’t a real lawyer.”
“How many cases have you tried?”
“You run a racket, not a law practice.”
While Shay wasn’t ugly about it, the thoughts were written all over her expressions and tone of voice. Jason had dealt with smugness before. In the personal injury world, it simply didn’t matter. Jason and Izzy signed up cases. Most of their matters involved people who’d been injured badly in a car accident, trucking collision, or premises accident. The law was simple, the burden of proof easy. And the insurance companies on the other side always wanted to settle regardless of whether you were a billboard lawyer or in a blue blood firm.
About the only areas of law in Alabama where an attorney could get courtroom experience trying cases was criminal law, either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney, or in the specialized area of civil law called medical malpractice. Because physicians were reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank and their state medical board if they settled a case, medical malpractice cases often went to trial.
Jason had avoided med mal cases like the plague, not because he was scared of the courtroom but because of the massive expense involved for a roll of the dice in front of a jury. In his career, he’d focused on the sure thing and worked his ass off marketing his ability to bring that sure thing to his clients. He knew how to investigate a case and had become adept at taking and defending depositions.
But, in eleven years, he’d only seen the inside of a courtroom for status conferences and motion hearings, and he’d begun to let Izzy handle those.
Jason walked briskly to his car, working up another sweat as the midday heat ratcheted up. He didn’t hear footsteps behind him, so he figured the horde of press had given up. As he opened his door, he felt a hand on his arm. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a small woman wearing wire-framed glasses.
“I said no—”
“This isn’t an interview request,” the woman said. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
Jason blinked his eyes and focused on the petite woman with light-brown skin. “Kisha?” he asked. “Kisha . . . Humphrey?”
She smiled at him. “It’s Roe now. Kisha Roe. Married name.”
“It’s great to see you!” Jason said. They’d been the only two kids from Guntersville in their class at Randolph, a small private school in nearby Huntsville. In elementary and middle school, their parents had carpooled together. Kisha had always been near the top of the class.
“So you’re a reporter now?”
“I prefer journalist,” she said with a tease in her voice. “I write for al.com and the Advertiser-Gleam. But my dream is to be a forensic investigative reporter for Dateline or I/D.” She raised her eyebrows.
“And my sister’s case would be the perfect vehicle for that. You slumming for an exclusive?”
She reached out and punched his shoulder lightly. “No, silly. I was saying hi to an old friend. I also wanted to say that I’m sorry. I’m not sure if you were close with your brother-in-law, but I can’t imagine how your family is handling all this.
“Of course . . . ,” Kisha continued, “the murder of Dr. Braxton Waters is the most high-profile homicide in north Alabama in years. Probably the biggest since the Jack Wilson murder in Huntsville in the early nineties.”
Jason shrugged, not knowing the reference.
“The ophthalmologist who was killed in a murder-for-hire scheme. His wife was arrested and convicted of murder, but her twin sister, who many believe to be part of the plot, was found not guilty in a separate trial. Paula Zahn, who is my absolute hero, did a great piece about it on I/D. You should watch, especially if you take Jana’s case.”
Jason didn’t have the foggiest clue what she was talking about but found himself enjoying the conversation. Kisha had always been like a cool breeze. Easy to be around, smart, observant, and curious about life with a whimsical streak. It didn’t surprise Jason that she’d gone into journalism.