Federal Affair

Chapter 31

"I really don't want to see his face," I groaned, slumping back in Nick's passenger seat as we drove to the Cook County courthouse.

Nick reached across the console, grabbing my hand and giving it a soft reassuring squeeze. I'd made somewhat of a scene back when he came to pick me up. I was torn between wanting to go because I wanted to see Derek get indicted, but I also didn't want to go so I wouldn't have to see his face - except maybe on the six o'clock news. Nick had talked me into going though, reminding me that I basically had to go due to the prosecution planning to call me as a witness. So far, I wasn't too thrilled about it.

I looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Monica's car behind us. Brianna was with her due to the authorities not allowing the local news stations inside the courtroom during today's hearing. Brianna was going to wait outside the courtroom with Monica for me to tell her what took place, and she would tell Jamie about it afterwards. Jamie wanted to be the first reporter to break the news that Derek had or hadn't been indicted. She wasn't going to reveal her sources though, which was the only reason I was helping.

I knew how this was going to go. Indictments are about as textbook at it gets. The suspect and their attorneys are rarely present. Prosecutors have the option to call suspects as witnesses, but they usually don't. If the suspect is present, they almost always refuse to testify, invoking their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, not wanting to incriminate themselves even more.

Nick had presented to the FBI the evidence he found in Derek's folders that Samantha had given him. The FBI had turned it over to the prosecution. I was surprised at how fast this case was starting to move. The US Attorney, Mike Flint, had made it pretty clear that he didn't want Derek's hot-shot lawyers finding a way to get him out of everything. He didn't want to allow them the time to try. Hence today being the day a jury would decide whether or not to indict Derek, a week and a half after his arrest. To everyone's surprise, Derek had not made bail. He'd been sitting in the sheriff's department for ten days.

"I'm not exactly anxious to see the fucker either," Nick said, slowing down due to the backed up traffic in front of us, all taking the same exit toward the courthouse.

The interstates around downtown had become slow moving parking lots. Ten in the morning looked like rush hour. It was cloudy and we were supposed to get thunderstorms by noon. It seemed ironic to me that the day Derek would most likely be indicted would be all dark and gloomy.

Due to Nick's heavy involvement in the case, the prosecution also wanted to call him as a witness. It didn't seem to bother him that his statements were going to be written down and the defense would most likely have access to the transcripts later. I didn't like the idea of saying something on the stand that Derek and his attorneys would read. The last thing I needed was them being pissed at me.

The courthouse was a mile from the highway. Heading for the parking lot across the street, we passed four vans with satellites on top that belonged to some of the local news stations. There were two reporters standing in front of the courthouse, recording part of their evening news stories. I didn't see Jamie anywhere.

Nick pulled into the parking lot, slowly driving through rows, trying to find a place to park. He pissed off the vehicle behind us when he decided to back into a space, taking his time. The man stuck his middle finger out the window and Nick grinned at him like he was so proud of himself, obviously amused by the angered driver. Monica parked beside us and the four of us began to walk to the courthouse.

Once we reached the courtroom, Monica and Brianna sat down on a bench outside in the hallway, while Nick and I found a couple spots close to the prosecution's table. The old wooden benches were uncomfortable and my ass started to go numb within minutes. The hearing was supposed to have begun at ten-fifteen and they were running late.