Page 41 of The Perfect Marriage

“Fine. I’ll tell you what. If he pleads guilty, I’ll reduce the sentence from twenty-five years to twenty years without parole. But that offer expires in five minutes.”

“I’ll go talk to my client. Thank you.”

Adam is still standing handcuffed in front of the doors of the courtroom. Eleanor is deep in conversation with him. Nothing good can come of that. The guard is near him but inattentive, and Anne is sitting on a bench alone, looking around aimlessly.

“Hey,” I say interrupting Eleanor and Adam.

Anne quickly gets up and joins us.

“Are you okay?” Anne and Adam both speak at the same time. I tell them I am.

“Maybe we should have someone else stand in for you.” Eleanor looks me up and down.

“I said I’m fine and I renegotiated the plea deal.”

“What is it?” Adam asks.

“D.A. Peters offered twenty years with no possibility of parole if you plead guilty. It’s a good deal considering what you’re looking at. I can’t tell you what to plead, but I do have to present it to you.”

He draws his eyebrows together and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. He was hoping for a miracle, but twenty years is still a long time to spend behind bars. He’ll be fifty-six when he gets out. But it’s better than the alternative, which is death if a jury finds him guilty. With the current evidence, a jury would most likely have no problem passing out a guilty verdict.

“That’s a terrible deal, Sarah. My son is innocent. Twenty years? I’ll be dead by the time he gets out.” Eleanor stomps her heel.

I ignore her and look to Adam.

He looks to me. “What would you suggest?”

“As your lawyer, I’d say take the deal.”

“What about as my wife?”

I take a moment to decide what to say. “As your wife, I’d say fight like hell.”

“All right then. Tell him no deal.” There’s positivity in his voice. I don’t know where that came from, there’s nothing positive in this case. I nod at Adam, and he sends back a partial smile, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

D.A. Peters walks up to us and says hello to everyone. “What’s it going to be?”

“My client will be pleading not guilty.”

“You’re making a mistake. My son is innocent.” Eleanor folds her arms in front of her chest.

“Okay then.” D.A. Peters nods, walks past us, and enters the courtroom. Adam, Anne, and I follow and sit on the left side of the room at a table. Eleanor takes a front row seat. I hope she keeps her mouth shut during this. Better yet, I hope she doesn’t. Perhaps the judge can do me a solid and charge her with contempt of court. Anne pulls out a couple of files and places them in front of me.

“All rise! The court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Dionne presiding,” the bailiff announces.

Judge Dionne, an old man with thinning white hair and glasses hanging at the tip of his nose enters and sits at his bench. He flips through a couple of pieces of paper and then redirects his attention to D.A. Peters and me. “In the matter of the People of the State of Virginia v. Adam Morgan. Counsel, please state your appearances,” Judge Dionne says.

“District Attorney Josh Peters representing the People of the State of Virginia, Your Honor.”

“Sarah Morgan representing Adam Morgan, Your Honor.”

Judge Dionne raises an eyebrow when he hears Morgan and Morgan. He immediately puts two and two together. “Interesting. Defendant, please state your full name for the court.”

“Adam Francis Morgan.”

“D.A. Peters, will you please state the charges that have been made against the defendant in this case?” Judge Dionne asks.

“Yes, Your Honor. The state charges Adam Morgan with first-degree double homicide against Kelly Summers and her unborn child.”

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