Justice

I looked at the lawyer like I meant business.

Mr. Reynold glared at me for a while before nodding in understanding. "Let's talk to the detective first."

I leaned in slightly, my voice steady." Mr. Reynolds, I know how unrewarding it can be to be a public defender. We could draft an attorney contract if you help me file that counterclaim and represent me in case this goes to court, though I doubt it will go that far."

I could see my father staring at me like I was speaking Martian.

I knew my own limits. I realized that I might need the help of someone with experience; I was a market analyst, not a lawyer.

At that moment, the detective entered.

He was on the short side but also on the fatter side, with a head full of grey hair. He held a pen and a pad. He threw his things on the table, "Hello. My name is Robert Hendricks, and I'm a detective," he said.

Then he pointed to the policewoman I met earlier who had entered with him: "And this is Officer Jasmine Carter."

'Guess she figured she'd need some help. That first meeting must've left quite an impression,' I thought.

The detective sat down and looked at me. "Mister Somnus, I presume?"

"This is Jack Somnus, and I'm Nicholas Reynolds, his attorney," answered Mr. Reynolds.

I liked how strong his voice was. It seemed like he was the one making the choice to be my attorney.

Mr. Reynolds and Detective Hendricks shook hands and then the detective turned to me with a friendly smile. "And you must be Jack. Can I call you Jack?"

"Of course, Robert, I have no issue with that," I answered, matching his informal way of speaking.

The detective raised an eyebrow and glared at me for a while. He then glanced down at his notes.

"Jack, there is a serious allegation filed against you. The opposing party claims that you assaulted Bob Finch and is demanding monetary compensation in the amount of $18,000 for hospital fees and mental distress."

He turned to me and said, "I want you to tell me your side of it."

I briefly looked at Mr. Reynolds, who nodded in silence.

I proceeded to recount the event once again. The truth was on my side, and I did not stutter even once as I stated the reality. I even included some of the names of the students who saw all of it happen.

The detective made a few notes and at the end, he said, "That's not the story I got..."

"Who did you ask?"

"According to the accusing side as well as a witness on site, you attacked Bob Finch, who was talking with his friends at the school gate at the time. You threw him to the ground, breaking his nose and sending him to the hospital."

I raised an eyebrow. 'Bob's father must have some influence for the only witness the police interviewed to be a bribed rat...' I thought.

"Have you interviewed any of the other witnesses? Any of the other students?" I asked.

"Who do you think we should interview?"

"I saw you writing the names down. These kids I mentioned, as well as dozens of others, saw everything happen with their own eyes. You could go to my school right now and interview them. Scratch that, have you checked the school cameras?" I asked incredulously.

All this time, my dad was quiet, clearly confused about my sudden change in character.

Mr. Reynolds could have taken the conversation over but he didn't. 

I was taking control of the interrogation.

Detective Hendricks glanced at Officer Carter, then back at me.

"Alright, we'll look into these other witnesses and review the school camera footage," Detective Hendricks finally said.

Officer Jasmine Carter stood up like the interview was finished, adjusting her uniform and giving me a gentle smile. "If what you're saying is the truth, as far as I see it, you had no intention of causing harm. This case will most likely end up getting dismissed, with both of you boys getting charged with misdemeanor." 

Detective Hendricks started picking up his pen and notebook from the table.

"The case is not going to get dismissed." I said, grabbing everyone's attention, "That's because I want Bob Finch arrested." I said calmly.

"I'm sorry?" The detective looked at me like I was crazy, "Arrested? Let's be honest here: you boys got into a beef and you accidentally crashed his nose while defending yourself. This is never going anywhere near a court."

"You're right about that; this is never going to court because they would never allow it to go to court. They had too much to lose. But the thing is that this situation created serious issues for me."

"Issues?"

I nodded. "As it stands, I have been arrested and formally accused of assault. At this pace, I could get expelled from school. As we speak, the principal is probably taking disciplinary action against me, scribling down a letter of expulsion."

I continued, "If I get cleared of all charges and Mr. Finch is punished for attacking me in broad daylight, the school will definitely take my side." 

The detective stared at me in a trance for a good chunk of time.

"I see that you've given this some thought," he finally said. "So you want to press charges against Bob Finch?"

Before I could respond, Mr. Reynolds interjected, "My client will be filing a thorough complaint after the interrogation ends. There's no need to ask such questions at this time."

Detective Hendricks nodded. "This is genuinely one of the craziest things I've seen," he admitted. "But for now, you're still under arrest. I'm going to need to ask you to stay here until we review more evidence. Thankfuly, we have free hands at the moment, so we will head to Wahneta right away."

A few minutes later, I left the room and sat down in the hallway with my father.

Mr. Reynolds caught up with us after having a brief talk with the detective.

"Jack, I'll be representing you in this matter," he said firmly. "Don't worry about the cost."

I nodded gratefully. 

"By the way, have you ever considered getting a law degree?" He surprised me with a question.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't and I'm not planning to."

"Fair enough."

I've spent the next two hours planning out the next steps with Mr. Reynold. We filed a lawsuit against Bob Finch and his parents, citing charges of 'Assault' and 'Witness Tampering'.

For each of these felonies, I proposed a bail-out monetary compensation amounting to $18,000.

A total of $36,000 to void the case.

That was my ultimatum.

Throughout it all, my father sat next to me and I could sense his curiosity; I knew he had many questions for me.