Page 61 of Tequila Tuesdays

“Fair enough. But if she isn’t here by the time I get through my calendar, I’ll issue a bench warrant.”

I nodded and sat back down as the bailiff called the next case. I checked my phone again. There weren’t any texts or phone calls from Shanda, but I noticed there was a text message from Damien that was only a few minutes old.

Damien: Shanda coming. ETA 15 mins.

I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

Me: Did she say anything?

Damien: No. Just found her this morning.

I looked around the courtroom. Jason and his attorney were still there, along with four other defendants. Between cases, I walked over to Evan, the senior prosecutor, and whispered in his ear. Evan Harman had been a prosecutor for almost as long as I’d been alive.

He was even-tempered and unflappable. His bushy gray eyebrows made him look vaguely surprised all the time, and sometimes there were food stains or crumbs on his white dress shirt or tie. I vastly preferred him to Trevor any day.

“Evan, Shanda Briggs is on her way here. I haven’t been able to talk to her, so I don’t know what she wants to do.”

He glanced at me. “Do you need some time before we go on the record?”

“Yes, and I don’t want Jason Ulrich in the courtroom when she gets here. I’ll also be requesting the court bifurcate their cases and handle them separately from here on out.”

He looked over at Jason and his attorney. “Okay. I’ll ask the bailiff to call them next.”

“Thanks. I’m going to talk with her out in the foyer when she gets here.”

He nodded and I grabbed my belongings, then walked out of the courtroom. I hoped Jason and his attorney would think I’d given up on Shanda and was leaving for the day.

In the hallway, I dialed Damien’s phone and waited by the elevators. He didn’t pick up, but less than a minute later one of the elevator doors opened and he and Shanda walked out.

“Oh, thank you, God,” I breathed out. Shanda looked pale and scared, but she also appeared healthy and clean. She wore purple scrubs, and she’d dyed her hair a teal blue color. It looked better with her skin tone than the orange color.

I opened the door to one of the small conference rooms in the foyer area and waved them inside.

When Damien walked by me, I spontaneously gave him a big hug. “I owe you, big time. Can you stay, or do you need to get going?”

He grinned and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ve got a few minutes.” He glanced down at my cream silk blouse and gray pencil skirt. “You look nice, Ms. Emerson.”

“Thank you, Mr. Andreasen. Really. Thank you.” I hugged him again, then I turned to Shanda. “I’m so glad to see you. I like your hair, and your piercings look better.”

She raised her eyebrows. “That’s it? You’re not going to yell or give me shit?”

“We’ll save it for later because we’ve only got about four minutes. Is it okay if Damien stays while we talk? He’s an investigator, and he’s working with me on your case.”

She looked over at him. “He told me. He also said I’d get a bench warrant and the police would probably find and arrest me if I didn’t show up today. He got me a Lyft here then followed us over.”

I turned to him. “The PD’s office will reimburse you for the ride.”

He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

Shanda interrupted us. “Is what he said true, or was he just blowing smoke up my ass?”

“It’s true.”

Shanda glanced at Damien. “Okay. He can stay.”

I sat down next to her. “All right. The last time we talked, you saw the video showing Jason driving the car. The prosecutor has seen it too. I think it’s in your best interest to admit you lied, but we let the prosecutor know you did it under duress. He’s likely to drop the more serious charges against you.”

Shanda sat down slowly at the small conference table in the room and looked up at me. “What’s duress?”

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