Hey all, feel free to check out this trailer I made for the novel.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko7ajQUMBCY
A reminder that I will be uploading 5-7 times per week and sometimes more on weekends.
Here is a recap of Chapter 8:
Chapter 8 gets off to a real rip-roaring start. Uriel Zander, one of those rare defense attorneys who have never lost even one case, sallies into the courthouse to defend his old law school friend Daniel Reiss on a second-degree murder charge. This is very personal for Uriel, and the stakes have just gone sky high. Daniel sits nervously at the defense table while, opposite him, prosecutor Ellen Price circles predator-like in her effort to prove intent and deny the defendant bail. Presiding is Judge Lenore Mitchell, an aura about her that brooks no nonsense. Price is cold and surgical in his assertions that Daniel is both a flight risk and a danger to society; for this reason alone, the charge of murder calls for no bail pending hearing. She stares programmatically at Uriel, who does not budge an inch, then proceeds laboriously through each of her said points and refutes them.
He refers to Daniel as a law-abiding man who had gotten into a fight, not anywhere near premeditated murder. He speculates that Daniel has the right to bail for the family as well as preparation for an upcoming trial.
Judge Mitchell held the balance, with an impassive look on her face.
It was then that the silence was dully heavy. At last, she has her verdict: $500,000 bail, but with strict conditions: no travel and a GPS tracker clamped on Daniel's ankle. Across the room, an uneasy sigh of relief ruffles. The battle had just begun. Outside, Daniel is thanking her in a voice that makes him a little more fearful. And then, Uriel un relentlessly informs him of the necessity to follow to the letter all the bail conditions set before him. "One step at a time," he warns; the tone unyielding. As he stepped into his office, Uriel felt some easement of his discomfort. There is something fishy in the prosecution seeking second-degree murder against manslaughter.
But one bad feeling he won't run from reasons to chase it down: interviews, forensic reports, every possible angle. The fate of Daniel concerns the balance, and Uriel is ready to fight for his friend. The chapter ends with an SMS to Karen-her support represents silent strength. Uriel's resolve hardens: he is fighting to win, but also to save a life, and he won't back down.