VIRAGO

kefi

kefi (n.) - the spirit of joy in which good times and passion for life are expressed with an abundance of excitement

Assistant District Attorney Kianna Wilkins was very good at her job. When handed the open and shut case of Clarke Reed, she knew that either he would plead guilty on his own or they would come to a deal. If they could not, that meant a trial, which she would hate to put the young daughter through after years of abuse. She had told her that if this case were to go to trial, it could get a little tricky since most of the abuse happened before she turned eighteen, but since she lived under the same roof, she hoped it would not be an issue, especially since the most documented case was after she had her birthday.

She walked down the hall and to her office, where Charles Gaylord was waiting for her with his client. "Have a seat." She said as she walked into her office, closing the door behind her and going to sit across from him. When he was arraigned, he was remanded due to being new in the area with means to flee, so he sat in her office with a navy jumpsuit and his hands still cuffed. The officer that had escorted him stood waiting outside.

"Let's get straight to is Mrs. Wilkins. My client is willing to plead guilty, but we wanna work something out for a lesser sentence." Charles told her, and she gave a soft scoff.

"What does he have in return? I don't see any gain whether he pleads to a deal or straight guilty in court." Kianna responded, putting the defense attorney back.

"She's reporting the abuse after she turned eighteen. That legally makes her an adult so it's not child abuse anymore." He tried to argue with her.

"But the abuse was still happening after she turned eighteen, and legally she still lives as a dependent of your client, making it grounds for child abuse." She answered. The gears started quickly rolling in her head. There were ten physical situations documented, and if she told him ten months for each count, he would at least be in jail for the next eight and a half years. It would allow the girl to get going with her life and not having to worry about her father.

"Can we work anything out?" He asked her.

"Ten months for each count of child endangerment." She offered, and the two men in front of her conversed about her offer. After a few moments, Charles looked back at her and nodded. They started to fill out the paperwork for the deal so they could go to court at the end of the day to get him behind bars. She escorted them out of her office so she could make a phone call to Detective Crawford to meet with him and the girl.

"Detective Crawford." He answered in a monotone voice.

"You sound so happy to hear from me." She chuckled.

"Oh, sorry. Did you expect more enthusiasm?" He asked.

"Just a teensy bit. Just got done striking a deal with Clarke Reed. Ten months for each count of child endangerment. It adds up to about eight and a half years." She informed him, and there was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the call.

"I guess it's better than going to trial and only getting ten months for all of it." He sighed.

"I know we wanted more out of this, but I didn't want to risk a trial in this case." She told him, but she knew he understood. "Do you want to tell Samantha or I?"

"I'll take a drive up to the Gordon residence this evening to tell her. Thanks Kianna." He said.

"Are we still on for dinner though?" She asked, and she heard him chuckle.

"Of course. I'll see you at home." He answered, and they hung up. He looked at his watch and saw it was already four in the afternoon. It was a Wednesday though, which meant Samantha Reed was at a soccer game, so she would not be available he assumed until after around seven that evening.