Conflict of Interest - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

On her walk through the police department, Weiss wrote off the superfluous glances as coincidence.  When the attention continued all the way to the courthouse however, she had valid reason to suspect that everyone working in the sprawling Justice Center was looking at her differently.

They must all know.  They knew about that lousy speeding ticket and were more than a little pleased that she was the one to suffer such ignominy.  Well, she planned on returning the favor sooner rather than later.

“The jurors will have a constant feed on your reactions,” she explained to her client as he followed her from the police department to the courthouse.  “Fair or not, the prosecution might try to provoke you into a response - you need to stay as impassive as possible.”

“I’ll do my best.”

He said he would do his best, but he’d already disobeyed the one ‘highly recommended’ suggestion Weiss had given him.  Apparently, after spending months preparing for this day - the golden opportunity to clear his name - he decided that dressing ‘modestly’ meant wearing the most expensive suit he owned along with thousands of credits worth of jewelry.

But his flashy, ill-conceived outfit was the least of her concerns at the moment.  In the dwindling time before the trial, she somehow had to convince his arrogant, entitled ass to be on his best behavior.  Considering he enjoyed rolling his eyes even more than she did, that was guaranteed to be an uphill battle.

“If you can, watch the judge the entire time,” she suggested as they approached the security checkpoint.  “That might be easiest.”

Interpreting his soft scoff as agreement, Weiss handed her identification to the officer manning the checkpoint leading into the courthouse.  For as bothersome as the Justice Center’s layout was, the interconnectedness must make it easy for the employees to come and go.  Working so close together probably provided advantages to the detectives and prosecutors...though one wouldn’t think so considering how poorly they did their jobs.

“Courtroom Three,” one of the paralegals told Weiss once they passed through security.  An unnecessary reminder since she was already headed that way.

“When it’s your turn to speak,” she added as the courtroom came into view.  “Emphasize that you entrusted your accounts to your manager.  I’ll have already torn their evidence apart - you just need to plant the seed of doubt.”

“I’m sure I can do that.”

As usual, he was too confident for his own good.  How many clients had Weiss put on the stand only to watch them fall apart after the prosecution’s first question?  Their biggest problem was typically ego, resulting in defensiveness at the first perceived attack on their glowing self-image.  They couldn’t help but stick up for themselves, talk back, whine, mope, or point their fingers at someone else.

This was why Weiss never built a case around a client’s ability to do what she asked.  If this client somehow could, great - that made her job a little easier.  In the far-more-likely case that he couldn’t, she would do this on her own.  As long as he didn’t say anything too egregious, the case would still be won.

“In here.”

Waving him over to Courtroom Three, she waited for him to enter first before walking in behind him.  The hearing would begin shortly, leaving little time to provide more last-minute instructions.  Usually, she preferred arriving earlier to get settled and feel out the atmosphere, but the self-righteous fool beside her hadn’t seen the need.

Several spectators had already settled into the stands at the back of the room, but she paid them no mind as her focus shifted in front of her.  Judge Werner was already seated at his pulpit, but the prosecution hadn’t arrived yet.  Of course, but that wasn’t exactly newsworthy - the prosecutor’s office loved setting the bar lower and lower.

“Sit,” she told her client, pointing to one of the seats at the defense’s table before walking up to the judge.

“Judge Werner,” she greeted the man with a warm smile and an outstretched hand, only to hesitate when he coughed heavily into his own.

“Councilor Schnee.”  Fortunately, he waved off her handshake.  “Sorry, I’m a bit under the weather today.”

“Just a small cold, hopefully?”

Weiss’ smile wavered when he dissolved into another coughing fit, this one worse than the last.

“Sorry,” he repeated once the coughing subsided.  “I hope so.”

Moderately appalled by his condition, Weiss somehow kept a smile in place while backing away.  Thankfully, the prosecutor - a past-her-prime whip named Jessie - had just arrived and would want her own opportunity to schmooze with their arbitrator.  Today, Weiss was more than happy to cede her position at the bench.  Hopefully only one of them contracted whatever lung-eating illness he had…

“Jessie,” Weiss greeted the woman while returning to her seat.

“Weiss.”

After giving Weiss a polite nod, Jessie approached the bench with a smile suggesting that she and Judge Werner were great friends.  Considering their advanced ages, maybe that was true.

“We’ll start soon,” Weiss told her client before sitting beside him and accepting her case files from the paralegal behind them.  The clerks were already setting up the camera feeds for recording and transmission, and Jessie had quickly decided that spending too much time near Judge Werner wasn’t in her best interest.

“How long will this take?”  When Weiss responded to the question with a look of disbelief, her client tapped his watch.  “I scheduled an early dinner meeting.”

If he wasn’t paying her to be here, she would have a lot to say to that.  Instead, she forced a smile and quick, “We’ll go as fast as possible,” before returning to her preparation.

Thank god she was highly-compensated.  Otherwise, she would never find the patience to deal with these idiots.  Still, there were days when all the money in the world wouldn’t be enough to put up with their bullshit - today was inching dangerously close to one of those days.

“Councilors,” Judge Werner addressed them before coughing several more times.

Weiss stood and shared a glance with Jessie, who looked equally concerned about his questionable health.  As far as she knew, there was no precedent for a situation like this - could they reschedule now?  Or would they have to listen to him cough throughout their arguments and testimonies?  That sounded beyond aggravating, but Weiss would deal with it and rise above it.

“We’re here for Case -”  Another pause as he coughed loudly into one hand before clearing his throat and continuing.  “Case 32114 - a criminal complaint of money laundering and other crimes against Mr. Quentin Brant.  Councilor Barr, if you will.”

He waved for Jessie to present her opening remarks and, just like that, the hearing began.  A sense of calm fell over Weiss while watching her opponent walk to the front of the room, and her heart slowed in anticipation of noting every word that came next.

Besides the verdict, this was her favorite part of every trial.  This was the calm before the storm.  The leap before the fall.  And she was ready for everything, like she always was.

“Your Honor.  Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” Jessie began in her slightly-raspy voice.  “This case is about a man who had everything yet decided it still wasn’t enough.  It’s about untamable excess, unquenchable greed, and flagrant flaunting of the laws.

The man before you, Quentin Brant, owns dozens of valuable properties across Vale.  His net worth is estimated in the hundreds of millions.  Yet he decided to line his pockets with credits by laundering illicit funds through our systems.  Drug money - for-hire money - all of it passed into his corporation, where it was used to purchase real estate assets that were then sold to the highest bidder.

In this trial, the City of Vale asks that we make this man pay for the damages he’s done, the criminal activity he’s fostered, and ensure that not one credit of illegal profit makes it into his hands again.”

After nodding to the jury camera, then to Judge Werner, Jessie returned to her seat and waited for Weiss to speak next.  Standing up, Weiss used her best ‘sympathetic-yet-disbelieving’ expression while addressing the jury.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she began before turning towards Judge Werner, only to flinch when he started coughing.  After giving him a few seconds to reign in his illness, she smiled and added, “Your Honor,” before beginning her opening remarks.

“Have you ever heard of Jackson Tavern?” she asked in a light, friendly tone.  “It’s a small watering hole in the heart of the Bronze District that’s been around for nearly sixty years.  Not long ago, you would have found my client, Mr. Brant, pouring drinks for the patrons there.”

After pausing for effect, and to give Judge Werner the chance to quiet down, she continued.

“To assume that he’s a criminal simply because he built something valuable is a disservice to the great city we call home.  It’s a disservice to democracy, equality, and the value of hard work.  Mr. Brant isn’t some silver-spooned heir sitting on his family’s pile of credits.  He started at the bottom and worked his way up.  He scraped together his meager tips from pouring beer and managed to buy a piece of real estate.  That property was Township One - a sheer stroke of luck that catapulted him from the tavern to the boardroom.

Since then, he’s purchased and sold hundreds of properties because that’s the business he operates.  He makes money on some, he loses money on some, but they’re all his.  For the prosecution to claim otherwise is an insult to his business acumen, which keeps hundreds of Vale citizens employed.

Over the course of this hearing, I ask that you keep in mind this man’s upbringing and character - and put yourself in his shoes.  We’re all just trying to build a life for ourselves, but finding success shouldn’t automatically mark us as a criminal.”

Satisfied with that conclusion, Weiss nodded to Judge Werner and returned to her seat.  As usual, she gave herself the advantage after opening remarks - mostly because she was good at them while the prosecutors were mediocre at best.  This was only the beginning, however, as she had even better arguments planned for the trial to come.

“Please call your first witness, Councilor Barr,” Judge Werner managed to get out, though it sounded like another round of coughing was on the horizon.

“Yes, Your Honor.  The prosecution would like to call Ruby Rose, Vale P.D.’s Head of Technology, to the stand.”

Hearing Ruby’s name, Weiss felt time briefly stand still.  But it almost immediately snapped back to the present as she clenched her jaw and watched Ruby walk to the witness stand with an easy, comfortable gait that hinted at her subtle confidence.

Finally, Weiss understood what was happening.

Three cases in a row - including a speeding ticket Ruby had no business wasting her time on and now a last-minute substitution that reeked of desperation.

Three cases in a row where the department pulled its one and only trump card and shoved it in Weiss’ face.  They must have forgotten that she’d won plenty of times regardless of Ruby’s wizardry.  Just because Ruby made things more difficult didn’t mean she was a magic solution for the department’s failures.

“If you could,” Jessie prompted Ruby once she settled into her seat.  “Please state your qualifications for the jurors.”

This time, Weiss shook her head and frowned while Ruby launched into her list of too many qualifications.

“I’ve been the lead tech analyst for the Vale police department for three and a half years now.”  When Judge Werner started coughing again, Ruby kindly waited for him to stop before adding, “I graduated top of my class from Vale University’s Technology Innovation program, and I’m CIMA, FLO, and PIR certified.”

“Thank you,” Jessie replied while Weiss ground her teeth and tapped her fingers on the desk.  “Now, after Mr. Brant was brought in for questioning, Vale P.D. was granted permission to access his company’s books and records - can you tell me what you found?”

“Yes.”  After shifting in her seat, Ruby tapped one of the buttons on the witness stand to bring an exhibit onto the screen beside her.  “Over the past year, Mr. Brant closed one hundred and sixteen transactions.  Some were legitimate, but almost twenty-five percent included illicit funds.”

“How do you know that?” Jessie asked, and Ruby seamlessly highlighted the supposed fraudulent transactions before letting the exhibit slide into the next.

“A good bit of tracking.”  With a soft chuckle that deepened Weiss’ frown, Ruby prompted her evidence to focus on one particular line item.  “What makes these transactions stand out are the purchase prices, days on market, and outside interest.  We compiled all of the metrics for comparison.”

Ruby motioned to the screen, which showed statistics from the legitimate group on the left and the fraudulent group on the right.  The difference was...significant.

“Once the funds were exchanged,” Ruby explained while an animation zeroed in on one of the sales.  “We traced backwards to the source of funds - in this particular instance, to a drug cartel on the East side.”

Ruby had changed the exhibits, but not enough to raise an objection.  She just made them easier to read, easier to follow, and far more damning.

While Ruby effortlessly explained the ins and outs of money laundering - undoubtedly enlightening the jury in the process - Weiss clenched her jaw and waited for her turn to respond.  Not even Judge Werner’s coughing disrupted the explanation, as Ruby politely paused and waited for him to collect himself each time.

As Ruby’s patient, imbecile-proof testimony made a mess of everything, Weiss planned a new method of attack.  How important was the tech evidence?  As with most cases, fairly important.  But where was the weakest link?  What was the one point she wanted to hammer home above all else?

Once Jessie mercifully returned to her seat, Weiss stood and walked to the stand without hesitation.  The way Ruby smiled at her didn’t help matters, but she knew what she had to do next.  Even though she hadn’t been prepared for this, she knew how to get around it.

The police department thought they could best her by throwing Ruby in her path, but they were wrong.  Ruby was only one piece of an argument.  One very convincing piece, but still.

With their gazes locked, Weiss realized how expressive Ruby’s eyes were.  How emotions raced through bright silver, and how intently those feelings were directed towards her.

Ruby expected something from her, but she had no idea what.  She didn’t particularly care, either.  She had a burning case to save, and standing here waiting for their sickly judge to quiet down wasn’t going to make that happen.

“I’m sorry, Councilor,” he said after another coughing fit ended.  “Feel free to begin.”

In the brief moment that followed, Weiss looked at Ruby and came to a decision.  It was unorthodox, but if anyone could make it work, it was her.

“No questions, Your Honor.”

Ruby’s brow instantly shot up, but Weiss was already walking back to her seat.

“Are you sure, Counselor?” Judge Werner asked, sounding just as confused as her client looked.

“I’m sure, Your Honor.”

Today, Weiss’ strategy was avoidance.  By not arguing Ruby’s science, she kept Ruby from doing more damage than she already had.  The technology evidence would stay as it was - convincing but not entirely bulletproof - and Weiss would focus on the weakest link - the employees.

“But I thought you said -”

“Not now,” she whispered to Quentin before shaking her head.  He’d hired her because she was the best.  Now he had to trust that she knew what she was doing even when it looked like she was out of her mind.

Was she out of her mind?  Possibly.  But, after what happened yesterday, she wasn’t willing to risk Ruby blowing this case apart by dropping a bombshell during cross-examination.

“Councilor -” Judge Werner attempted to say before dissolving into another bout of coughs.  This time, Weiss used the delay to solidify her updated strategy.

Without invalidating the money trail, testimonies from the employees became her main focus.  Faced with the right questions, they implicated the regional manager far more than Quentin.  And, fortunately for her, juries weighed the words of eyewitnesses just as heavily, if not more so, than raw data and values.  Wrongfully so, she might add, but she wasn’t about to complain.

“Councilors -” Judge Werner finally said before drinking some water and coughing several more times.  “Let’s take a recess.”

Before anyone protested the abrupt break, he hurried out of the room and let the door fall shut on his coughs.  Disgruntled, to say the least, Weiss glanced around the courtroom before scoffing and deciding that a break would be good for her head.

“I’ll be right back,” she told Quentin and the paralegals before grabbing her phone and leaving through the doorway they’d used to enter.  Once outside, she clutched her phone in one hand and paced from one side of the hall to the other.

This case was supposed to be easy.  The tech evidence was accurate but sloppy, providing the perfect opportunity to undermine the results.

Not with Ruby around.  Even if Weiss had questioned the results, Ruby could explain the careless mistakes in a way that only solidified what the other numbers said - all without coming off as salesy or contrived.

The danger in Ruby’s explanations rested in her sheer level of knowledge and the effortless way she communicated even the most complex problems.  She liked explaining how things worked, and that inherent joy won juries over.

But Ruby was just another obstacle in Weiss’ path.  A very smart, very capable obstacle, but an obstacle nonetheless.  Weiss had never shied away from a challenge before, and she wouldn’t start now.

When the courtroom door opened and the object of her current frustration walked into the hall, the two of them made eye contact for a split second before Weiss forced her gaze away.  Determined to hide her irritation, she slowed her pace to a more moderate walk and glanced at her phone for messages.

She expected Ruby to leave - after all, wasn’t the damage already done?  Instead, Ruby lingered in the hall and, after several seconds, shuffled her feet.

“How’re you doing?”

Surprised by the question, Weiss turned around and confirmed that it had, in fact, been directed to her.  But no one in the department spoke to her unless necessary.  Why would they speak to her?  They worked on opposite sides of the law.  They were competitors.  Enemies, almost.

Still, Ruby looked as if she expected a response.

“I’m fine.”

Now even more agitated, Weiss nearly turned away but stopped when she saw the look in Ruby’s eyes - one of the most openly inquisitive, thoughtful looks she’d ever received.

“Why would you lie about something like that?”

That question threw her off even more than the first one had, but she scoffed and resumed pacing rather than reply.  It was a distraction, that’s what it was.  Ruby was distracting her so that she wouldn’t have her arguments in order when the trial resumed.  A clever ploy.  It seemed a little underhanded from someone like Ruby, but Weiss wasn’t falling for it.

But why was Ruby here?  That was what Weiss wanted to know.

“Miss Schnee?”

Turning towards her name, she found one of the court clerks approaching.

“I’m sorry, but Judge Werner can’t continue today.  He’s heading to the doctor as we speak.”

“Mistrial?” she immediately asked, and he nodded.

“We’ll have to reschedule.”

“Poor guy...”

Again, Weiss looked at Ruby and tried to determine the motive behind the comment.  Again, she gained nothing more than a curious look from Ruby in return.

“I’ll have one of the assistants reschedule,” Weiss told the clerk, who nodded before hurrying off to deliver the message to everyone else.  After casting one last look at Ruby, she returned to the courtroom determined to forget that conversation ever happened.

It was one thing for the department to set Ruby in her path on every single case.  It was another to gloat about it in such a...subtle, unintimidating way.

But enough about that.

“Quentin,” she called out to her client, who straightened upon hearing his name.  “We have to reschedule - but don’t worry, this is good for us.  They’ve already shown their cards, so we’ll have an even better case when we come back.  I’ll let you know when I have the date.”

“Guess it can’t be helped…” he mumbled while standing and straightening his cuffs.

“You heard the judge,” she pointed out before motioning for the paralegals to collect the case files.  “I don’t think anyone wants to spend the next few hours listening to him cough up a lung.”

“Well, you’re right about that,” Quentin replied with a soft chuckle.  “I’ll wait for your message then.”

After giving him a nod, Weiss waved the two assistants after her and gladly left the courtroom behind.  Ruby was gone by the time she walked into the hall, which was just as well with her.  The last thing she wanted was another reminder of what happened, which still burned too hot for her liking.  Making her way out of the courthouse, however, her mind refused to let it go.

“Excuse me,” she snapped at one of the patrol officers before brushing past.  Her annoyance only grew when she returned to the police station, and a scowl settled on her lips as she strode past Ruby’s empty lab.  The girl was probably off telling everyone how Weiss had essentially thrown in the towel rather than risk another embarrassment.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Weiss made it outside and slipped into the car waiting to take her back to the office.  Only then did she close her eyes and let out her frustration in a long sigh.

Judge Werner’s illness ended up working in her favor.  By the time the rescheduled hearing rolled around, she would have a new strategy in place.  In the meantime, the department wouldn’t ambush her again - she would make sure of that.

Just thinking about Ruby’s surprise arrival today was enough to make Weiss scoff while leaving her car and passing through the sliding glass doors of her workplace.  Without so much as a glance at any of her colleagues, she headed straight to her office.

She had other cases to work on, but she needed to get these thoughts about Ruby out of her system first.  So, after shutting the door behind her, she went over to her desk and sat down with a sigh.

Fundamentally, it bothered her that the police department wasted Ruby’s abilities.  Here was someone capable of inventing brand new technologies at the drop of a hat, but they tasked her with basic queries?  Someone of her caliber should be tackling the biggest challenges facing society.  Her technological know-how could be used for...anything, really.  She could prevent crime, for all Weiss knew.

What a waste.  And Weiss hated waste, but that was the public sector in general.  Wasteful, inefficient, and inept.

Honestly, Weiss didn’t understand why Ruby stayed.  Even though she was highly compensated for a public employee, common knowledge since public salaries were available online, she would command ten times as much in the private sector.  Not only that, but she would only work on the most important cases for some of the most important people in the world.

If Ruby left the police department, she would be the most highly sought-after commodity in the past hundred years.  She would instantly become the most valuable asset of whatever company she joined.  The rich and famous would beg to work with whichever firm employed her.  They would pay exorbitant fees to have their cases handled by the best the world had to offer.

Imagining what that scenario would look like, Weiss tapped her fingers on her desk and watched Jeffrey - the newly-minted partner - stroll through the office with a cup of coffee in his hand and a permanent smirk on his lips.

His courtroom record sucked.  His ability to carry an argument was nonexistent.  He was, overall, smarmy and useless.  But his family owned one of the largest shipping conglomerates in the Vale.  They had plenty of money to throw around, so dropping six or seven figures to buy their son’s success meant nothing.  He was named partner because of a blank check written to the firm, whose wealthy senior partners salivated at the thought of becoming even wealthier.

It wasn’t even a question which of them was the better attorney - Weiss could wipe the floor with him in five minutes flat.  What mattered was how much immediate value they created.  He, through his family, was an instant boost to the bottom line.  She, with her stellar record, would prove more valuable in the long run, but few were smart enough to plan that far ahead.  Even fewer could think past a transfer with so many zeroes.

She couldn’t throw around money like Jeff could, but maybe she had another option - an option that cost time but not money.

With the idea still forming in her mind, she stood up and made her way to Damon’s office.  It didn’t look like he had much to do, as usual, but she still knocked and waited for his wave before opening the door.

“Weiss,” he greeted her.  “What can I help with?”

“I have something to talk to you about.”  After shutting the door behind her, she walked over and stood in front of his desk.  “It’s about Ruby Rose.”

“I heard she’s been giving you some trouble.”

“That’s not it,” Weiss replied with a shake of her head.  “If she left the department, what would you pay her?”

Everyone understood Ruby’s value.  She was the closest thing their industry had to a celebrity - a tech guru capable of seemingly anything.  That knowledge alone was enough to put a smile on Damon’s lips while he worked through the same scenarios that led Weiss here.

The money.  The fame.  The success.

The money.

“Whatever she wanted.”

Exactly as Weiss suspected.

“I’m going to convince her to leave the department.”  When he actually laughed at the comment, she shot him a look that quieted him in a heartbeat.  “I’ll convince her to leave,” she reiterated.  “And when I do, you’ll name me senior partner.”

It was a hard bargain, but he considered it for only a few seconds before chuckling to himself.

“Weiss,” he said while standing up.  “If you bring us Ruby Rose, I’ll give you my office too.”

After gesturing around the massive corner office he’d had for decades now, he leveled her with a serious gaze.

“But that will be harder than you think.  We’ve recruited her before, and we’ve offered her everything - nothing works.”

Weiss had heard the stories - failure upon failure to pry Ruby away from the police - but she knew that she was more convincing than anyone who’d made this attempt before.  Where they failed, she would succeed, just as she had in every other aspect of her life.

“That won’t stop me from trying.”

This time, Damon smiled and tilted his chin down in a small nod.

“Then good luck.  If you convince her to leave, you’re more than worthy of being a senior partner.”

Weiss was already more than worthy of being a senior partner, but she didn’t say that.  Instead, she nodded and left his office to return to her own.

The department probably thought it was funny to throw Ruby in her path at every opportunity, but they wouldn’t find it so funny when she stole their shining star right out from under their noses.  In one fell swoop, the police would lose their greatest advantage, and she would leapfrog her colleagues in seniority.

All she needed was a plan that no one had tried before, meaning she had to be smarter than anyone who’d tried this before.

Which shouldn’t be an issue at all.