Federal Affair

Chapter 32

Brianna and I sat on the couch at her new apartment, sipping pink champagne and watching TV. It was almost six o'clock and we were waiting for the evening news to come on. Brianna had invited Monica and me over to celebrate what we were about to see on the news.

After the hearing was over, I'd received a call from the district attorney's office telling me that I was no longer needed as a witness and that Emily would not be calling me to the stand. I was relieved to hear that, having hated the idea of putting a target on my own back if I spoke out against Derek. When I asked how come they didn't need me anymore, I was told that the prosecution had more than enough evidence for the jury to not only indict, but also convict Derek without any witness testimony. They told Nick the same thing, which he was irritated about, wanting to tell the jurors his personal opinion on the issue. He thought he should have that right since he was the investigator who had gathered the most evidence.

Monica was late, as usual. She'd been out to an early dinner with Monty at some French restaurant I couldn't pronounce the name of, and said she'd be here shortly. I was actually surprised they hadn't broken up again yet. Monica and Monty were a couple that you looked at and thought there's no way they go together. Somehow they made it work and she seemed really happy.

Brianna had stopped by the liquor store on the way home to pick up three different types of champagne. Jamie called her earlier in the day to break the news to us that the jury believed there was enough evidence presented by the prosecution to indict Derek. Brianna wanted to celebrate by getting tipsy and having a girls' night. I was surprised to find out that Jamie got her information direct from Emily, the ADA. It turned out they were old friends, having gone to the University of Illinois together and sharing a dorm before Emily went to Harvard. All the local news stations were covering the story tonight but we were only interested in Jamie's report.

"I'm here!" Monica called from the front door.

She walked in carrying a brown paper bag and I just knew it was ice cream and more alcohol. Monica believed those two things were the answer to everything, whether you were happy, sad, pissed, or any other emotion. She unloaded her sack and excitedly skipped into the living room, flopping down on the couch beside me. I was sandwiched between two overly-enthusiastic girls. I half-expected them to scream like twelve year olds at a boyband concert when the news began.

"Oh! Oh! It's starting!" Brianna said, turning up the volume louder than necessary.

"And let's get right to our top story tonight," said Rick Marshall, one of the anchors. "Our star reporter, Jamie Hollis, is on the scene downtown at the courthouse right now to bring you the latest in the indictment of one of Chicago's most prominent attorneys, Derek Hampton."

Jamie popped up on the screen, standing outside the courthouse where the wind had picked up tremendously and I almost thought she might blow away. Brianna leaned closer to the TV, paying extra close attention.

"Thank you Rick," Jamie said, attempting to keep her hair out of her face as it whipped around with the wind. "I'm outside the Cook County courthouse right now where earlier this afternoon the prosecution for the case against attorney Derek Hampton of the well-known Chicago-based firm, Hampton, Burns and Hampton, presented their evidence to a jury made up of twelve jurors, all of whom voted to indict Hampton on charges of embezzlement, fraud, forgery, and multiple other offenses."

"I'd like to point out that this is a felony case. Assistant District Attorney, Emily Richards, said the prosecution would not even consider a misdemeanor due to the massive amount of charges in this case. I tried to speak with Derek Hampton about the news of the indictment, but was directed to the Hampton family's spokesman who told me that the Hamptons are confident all charges will be dropped in this case soon. He says Derek Hampton is innocent and has been framed by disgruntled employees. I've been unable to speak with Robert Hampton, Derek Hampton's father. His assistant informed me he does not wish to comment at this time. I'll have another update for you on Channel Five News at Nine about when the trial might begin. Reporting live in downtown Chicago, I'm Jamie Hollis, Channel Five News."