"Are you sure?" she asked, not touching it. "The defense has a new expert on the blood spatter."
In the parking lot, the sun was a blunt, white disc. She got into her car and sat for a long time, gripping the steering wheel. Her phone buzzed. A text from her younger brother, Marcus, who was twenty now and struggling with a rent payment he couldn't make. full block
She signed.
Eleanor stood. Her knees felt strange, as if the floor had tilted a few degrees. She walked out of his office, down the fluorescent corridor, past the rows of identical doors, past the bulletin board with its "Justice for All" poster. "Are you sure
Paul leaned back, his chair groaning. "The jury didn't buy the expert. The judge didn't buy the motion. The clock bought us a full block, Ellie. No wasted space. No mercy." Her phone buzzed
