Sarah couldn't stop moving, a trail of vape smoke following her as she paced back and forth in the same spot. She had that familiar look of mild exasperation and annoyance that everyone in the office recognized."You really shouldn't be smoking that," Derek suggested, his tone carrying that polished yet slightly condescending air. "It'll give you popcorn lung."Sarah shot him a look, the kind that could silence a room. "Just saying," Derek added, raising his hands in mock surrender, his expression as unruffled as ever."Ugh, where is this guy?" Sarah asked, tapping her foot while glancing at her watch. She was a firm believer in striking while the iron was hot, and said iron was cooling off. Quick."Relax," Derek confided, "he's on his way."As if on cue, Carl buzzed the intercom from the front desk."You guys have got to come see this," Carl's voice crackled through the intercom. "Duke Wes has entered the building."Sarah's pacing halted abruptly, her eyes widening with anticipation. She exchanged a quick glance with Derek, who raised an eyebrow, his eyes shifting side to side as he processed Carl's words before answering, "Why, exactly, do we have to go see this?"Carl responded with a giggle. "You'll see."Duke Wes stood out in the waiting room, drawing curious glances from the few staffers around him. Dressed in a dark green vest that had seen better days, his outfit was completed with a faded grey shirt and worn jeans that almost blended with his tanned skin. Perched atop his head was a wide-brimmed, weathered hat—the kind you'd expect to see on an old-fashioned archaeologist—while feathered earrings dangled. Round wire-rimmed glasses sat slightly askew on his nose, adding to his ambiguous appearance, while his beard, though neatly trimmed, still seemed somewhat wild.Duke seemed oblivious to the stares. Or maybe he didn't care. He was busy reviewing footage on his tablet, mentally preparing for their meeting."Is this the guy?" Sarah asked as they approached, her tone a mix of skepticism and curiosity as she adjusted her glasses.Derek gave a small, approving nod, though his expression was unreadable. "Indeed. Mr. Wes, I presume."Duke Wes looked up from his tablet, a wide smile spreading across his face."Ms. Newsum, Mr. Johnson," he greeted, his voice a bit more hoarse than Sarah would've imagined. "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me, guys. Let me tell you, what I have to show you will be worth your time."Derek raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sarah for reassurance. She returned a subtle nod, her confidence unwavering."Let's get to it, Mr. Wes. We're eager to see what you've got," Derek finally said, his tone firm but courteous.Duke Wes nodded confidently and began to turn the tablet toward the pair, which Sarah and Derek started to watch with a mix of intrigue and skepticism, before Carl stopped him."How about in the conference room, guys?" Carl suggested sarcastically."Right," Derek finger snapped in agreement before gesturing, "This way. So, Mr. Wes, that accent... are you from Hawai'i?""What? Hawai'i? No. But I get that a lot.""Oh, I can't imagine why," Sarah heard as their voices trailed down the hall. She started to follow, but was held back by Carl, whose massive arm reached over and grabbed her dainty shoulder."You have got to let me sit in on that meeting," Carl said, his eyes wide with anticipation."We'll see," Sarah replied, trying to maintain her posture at the sudden shift of weight, but Carl's enthusiasm was persistent."C'mon, I totally backed you up there!" Carl insisted."Facial expressions isn't really backing me up," Sarah rebutted, looking around for an excuse. "Also, who's going to watch the front?"Carl rolled his eyes. "There's only us in here," he retorted.She hadn't noticed that it was a particularly slow day in the office and realized they really needed to get more clients in here before Mr. Goldstein starts cracking skulls. "Alright, you can join us through the intercom. But no interruptions, got it?""Silent as a mouse," Carl said, "now go get that money."Sarah shook her head with a confident scowl, which Carl appropriately told her to not do because it made her look constipated, before following Derek into the conference room."...so did you spend some time out with the Natives, perhaps?" Sarah could hear Derek ask through the door while Duke was chuckling."Not exactly," Duke replied as Sarah entered, his voice still carrying that mysterious hoarseness. "I've traveled extensively, yes, if that's what you're asking."Sarah and Derek exchanged an impressed look before sitting down across from Duke."Alright, Mr. Wes," Sarah began, her tone all business. "Let's see what you've got.""Ah, not so fast, Newsum," Derek interjected smoothly, raising a hand. "Mr. Wes has a question for us before we get into all that."Sarah blinked, a bit thrown off. "Huh?"Duke Wes leaned back slightly, a knowing smile on his face. "Before we dive into the evidence, I need to know something important—just so we're not wasting each other's time."Sarah was perplexed, but when she looked over at Derek, he returned a sort of hey, it's-your-client kind of look. "Sure, what's your question, Dukie—Mr. Wes. Duke Wes.""Do you believe in the supernatural, Ms. Newsum? Mr. Johnson?"Sarah blinked, taken aback by the question. "I mean, when you say supernatural what do you mean...?""What I mean is, do you believe in ghosts?""Well, I mean, if by definition...-"Derek, ever the composed lawyer, leaned forward with a small, indulgent smile. "What my colleague is trying to say is, we approach things with a healthy dose of skepticism and an open mind. But we're lawyers, we operate on presentable evidence—we're not exactly the myth busters."Duke's smile widened. "I agree."Sarah raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Oh?""Belief isn't something that can be handed to you on a silver platter," Duke started, his hoarse voice taking on a more serious tone. "It's something you experience. Something that shakes your understanding of reality." Sarah exchanged a glance with Derek. "Alright, Mr. Wes. Yes. I do believe in ghosts."Duke looked over at Derek, who let out a resigned sigh. "Yes, Mr. Wes, to some degree I believe in ghosts."Duke nodded, satisfied, before pulling out a manila folder from a satchel and sliding it toward Sarah and Derek."I was under the impression we were going to be watching some videos," Derek said as he gingerly opened the folder before shuffling through the many documents."We are," Duke corrected, "But before that, are you familiar with the Elliot Scott case?"Sarah quirked her eyebrow while Derek's shot up in curiosity."Now that's a case I haven't heard of in a while," Derek responded, perusing each document intently before passing them to Sarah, who clearly had no idea who he was."Who's that?" Sarah questioned, who skimmed both sides of each document that Derek passed her (despite being printed one-sided)."C'mon, Newsum it's a popular case study, Elliot Scott. A black man from Louisiana who was accused of the kidnapping and disappearance of a white woman in Louisiana," Derek started, his eyes still intently reading the paperwork. "He was found guilty, despite maintaining his innocence, but before he could be taken to jail he was..-""Lynched," Duke finished, which widened Sarah's eyes. "Jim Crow. Justice, they claimed.... But there was no evidence against him."Duke looked them both in the eyes. "He was innocent but found guilty solely based on his skin color."As Sarah gasped while Derek's face contorted in a mix of shock and disbelief. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Wes, don't get wrong I do believe that Elliot Scott was innocent, but was that ever proven?""It was."Sarah and Derek exchanged a look."Carl, can you fact-check that for us, please?" Sarah asked, knowing that he was eavesdropping on the other end the whole time."Already on it," Carl responded immediately through the intercom. "Yup, here it is... Elliot Scott. Posthumously exonerated in 2009, for the kidnapping and disappearance of Mary-Louise Tipton. Three years ago."Duke raised his eyebrows with a smirk in a told-you-so manner. "Wouldn't have been possible without Avery.""Hold on, whoa, time out," Sarah started, making a T with her hands. "Let's rewind a bit... tib a dniwer s'tel-""Stop that, Sarah," Carl said through the intercom."Okay. No, seriously," Sarah continued, using her hands to emphasize her points. "Before Elliot Scott, Louisiana, whatever. How were you... how do I say this, why are you—""What my colleague is trying to say through her obvious stroke is," Derek interjected, "What is your relationship with Avery Kim? I mean, word has spread among the legal circuit that his videographer was trying to get someone to retain him but—""Yeah, laughed out of every meeting," Duke answered with a hoarse chuckle. "Not going to stop trying, though.""I know," Sarah replied with sympathy. "And that's admirable, but why?""How did you get to working with Avery, is what Newsum is trying to say," Derek corrected.Duke simply smirked, blowing air out his nose. "Oh that's a long story.""We have time," Sarah promptly answered, despite Derek's grimace."Okay," Duke started, his eyes momentarily distant as if he was looking at something far away. "Where to begin..."