In Defense of Charlotte

IN DEFENSE OF CHARLOTTE JOE CARGILE Copyright © 2023 by Joe Cargile All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Severn River Publishing www.SevernRiverBooks.com This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. ISBN: 978-1-64875-356-5 (Paperback) CONTENTS Also by Joe Cargile Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Also by Joe Cargile About the Author ALSO BY JOE CARGILE Blake County Legal Thrillers Legacy on Trial In Defense of Charlotte The Wiregrass Witness To find out more about Joe Cargile and his books, visit severnriverbooks.com/authors/joe-cargile 1 Lawton Crane walked through the door to his classroom at ten minutes after eleven—late by his standards. The entrance of the first-year law professor stifled the hum of conversation in the room. He made his way to the lectern and offered a nod to the roughly seventy-five students seated before him. Most waited with their laptops open, looking down on him from one of the six elevated rows. He stepped to the center of the room. “My apologies for being late this morning.” The mass of young faces stared back at him, silent. They only knew the Crane of the present—the fraud of circumstance. “I am going to allow myself to remain in the classroom on this one occasion. After all, it is the last day of the course.” A grin crept into Lawton Crane’s face as his comment spurred a few laughs throughout the room. Jokes were a rarity in the rookie professor’s classroom, and he appreciated the charitable reaction to his lame attempt at humor. He was a forty-one-year-old, recently divorced attorney that was still recovering from a hard-charging career in private practice. Though Crane had yet to cement his reputation among the students of Georgetown, he understood funny was not the odds-on favorite for his defining character trait. A fact that would have disappointed a younger, more carefree version of himself. The practice of law changed people, though, and Crane was no exception. After fifteen years of grappling with demanding partners, judges, and opposing counsel, the business of suing others had created a machine of a man. One that worshipped a harsh, big-law environment ruled by the clock. A world where only the most dogged and determined survived. For that reason, when Crane made his foray into academia, he decided to bring with him a rigorous attendance policy. One intended to prepare his young students for the world that awaited them. On the first day of the course, he announced his policy proudly. It was simple. Arrive early or do not come at all. As Crane looked down at the watch on his wrist, he almost chuckled to himself. He’d honored his inflexible attendance policy throughout the entire semester, sometimes kicking students out of his classroom when they arrived only seconds late through the door. The first offenders attempted to justify their tardiness, but Crane refused to hear argument on the subject. Now, as Crane stood at the head of the class, he knew exactly what the twentysomethings seated before him were thinking: There will always be someone above the law. “We have a guest speaker that will be joining us in a few minutes,” he said, after a short pause. “I expect you will find his message to be intriguing, maybe even inspiring. We shall see.” The professor’s announcement changed the plan for the day and brought on whispers throughout the classroom. A young man with the last name Gilroy raised his hand. Crane pointed in the direction of his student. “What about the review for the final exam?” Gilroy asked, eager to take the first arrows for his classmates. “The syllabus specifically outlined today’s lecture as the final exam review day.” Crane nodded as he listened. He’d expected at least one dissenter in the group. “The material for the final review will be posted on the student portal,” Crane replied. “It will be accessible to you all this afternoon. If you have attended my classes, like we all know you have, Mr. Gilroy, then you’ll have all the information that may appear on my final exam.” Crane scanned the surprised faces of his students for any other questions. Though he’d never tell them, he too had been surprised that morning when the phone call came in from the guest speaker’s office. Gilroy’s hand rose again. “The syllabus stated that we would have an in-person review of the course before the end of the semester. My study schedule is centered around today’s review.” All watched as the professor stepped out from behind the lectern. He ran a hand through his thick hair in a disarming manner, slowly walking along the front row of the class as if it were the edge of a jury box. Lawton Crane had once been a talented litigator with a firm of heavy hitters on Louisiana Avenue. He’d spent fifteen years there as a mercenary, ripping witnesses and opposing parties to pieces for a handsome rate per hour. The muscle memory developed through countless depositions, hearings, and trials had not left him. Though he missed little about his prior life,