3
If this had been a holovid drama, Stephanie’s testimony with its reminder that there was recorded evidence of Stormy’s capacity for carefully planned malice would have been the turning point in the trial. However, since this was real life, the trial stretched for several more days. At one point, Stephen Ford managed to unnerve Jorge Prakel by insinuating that Jorge, not Stormy, was the guilty party, so that Jorge’s testimony began to look unreliable. However, the counsel for the prosecution was not only skilled, she had the weight of facts on her side, including, but not exclusively, the images from Stephanie’s uni-link.
The jury didn’t rush, but the judge’s instructions were clear, and when they came in and delivered their verdict that Erina Wether was guilty of premeditated murder, the judge did not hesitate to pass sentence.
Listening to the formula that stated that Erina Wether, having been found guilty of murder in the first degree and was sentenced to “hang by the neck until dead,” Stephanie felt unexpectedly queasy. It wasn’t that she regretted the part she and Karl had played, or that she hadn’t understood what the end result would be if Stormy was found guilty. The formal words—as well as the expression of shock and panic that coursed over Stormy’s face when she heard them and finally realized she wasn’t going to get away with it—made it all real.
There was something different about looking for evidence, hoping it would be enough for a conviction, being part of laying out a plan of attack. There was something “hot” about that, like a chase or a fight. The law was not hot. The law was very, very cold.
And maybe, Stephanie thought, that coldness is what we want, what we need to stay civilized. I’ve seen for myself what acting from heat, from temper, does. In the end, no matter how good it feels at the time, it’s worse to act in the heat of the moment.
So, even though she accepted the gentle pressure of Karl’s shoulder against hers in a sort of invisible hug, Stephanie sat straight and tall, listening with stern attention as the words were spoken that would turn a living woman who she’d once actually liked into a soon to be corpse.
If I stay in the SFS, it’s likely I’m going to sit in a lot more courtrooms, give a lot more testimony. The charge won’t always be murder, thank goodness, but I’ll always need to accept that in the end, I’m responsible to the legal code, not just to myself. There’s no room for “better to ask forgiveness than permission” if I stay a law officer. I must always remember that I can only act within what the law permits.
When Stormy was led from the courtroom, Stephanie forced herself to watch. When she and Karl made their own exit, wordlessly heading off to collect Lionheart and Survivor, Stephanie felt as if she was suddenly a lot older than sixteen going on seventeen.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t feel glad to have Lionheart there, patting her softly with his remaining true-hand, and buzzing a reassuring purr.
* * *
“What do you two think about taking a holiday before we go back to Sphinx?” Marjorie Harrington asked over breakfast the day after the verdict. She spoke with a sort of forced brightness, perfectly aware that Stephanie and Karl—even the treecats—were definitely subdued now that sentence had been passed. So much of their energy these last several months had been devoted to the case, and now it was over.
“By ‘holiday,’” Marjorie went on, “I mean a real one. Our jaunt to Gryphon was supposed to be educational, as well as fun, sure, but it turned into rather more than any of us expected.”
“We’ve been away from Sphinx quite a while,” Karl began. “I don’t know how Chief Shelton would feel about my taking more time off.”
Richard cut in before Karl could get any further. “When I queried Chief Shelton, he said you’re due back leave, because you ended up working much of your scheduled time off, even given our extending our stay on Gryphon.”
“But my parents—” Karl began again, but this time Marjorie was the one to cut in.
“I’ve been in touch with your mother,” she said. “All along, I mean, but especially over the last few days. Evelina was actually the one who first suggested that you needed to take some downtime. She was disturbed by how drawn you looked on the news vids. To quote, she said she knows ‘perfectly well that as soon as Karl’s been home for two days, he’ll find himself drifting over to SFS headquarters, trying to catch up on what he missed. Probably the only way to make him rest is to keep him off planet.’”
Marjorie did a fair imitation of the slightly scolding tone Evelina Zivonik frequently adopted to hide her genuine affection for her large brood, which ranged from fully grown Karl to little Lev, who was nearly three.
“Well, I might stay away from headquarters as much as three days,” Karl replied, laughing. “Or even four. Got to get over jet lag, then there’s adjusting to the higher gravity on Sphinx. So, she and Dad really wouldn’t mind if I took a holiday here?”
“I think they’d both be relieved,” Marjorie said. “They miss you, absolutely, but after this long, they’d rather get you back rested and relaxed.”
“I’ve been looking forward to seeing our friends back home,” Stephanie put in, “even more since we had the chance to visit with Trudy and Nosey. Seeing them reminded me how much I missed everybody. But…I hate to say it, but you’re right. Karl looks terrible. He really needs a break.”
“Have you looked in the mirror recently, squirt?” Karl said, reaching over to knuckle her gently on top of her head. “You’re too young to have circles like that under your eyes.”
“Then you like the idea?” Marjorie asked. “Of a holiday? A real holiday?”
“Mom,” Stephanie said, “you and Dad are the best. What do you have in mind? My only thought is that I’d really like to get out of the city.”
“Then you should like this,” Richard said. “A friend’s offered us use of his holiday place right on Jason Bay. He showed me images of what he calls a ‘cottage’ and what I’d call a really nice split-level house. It’s right on the beach, and has a boathouse with a few small craft we can use. Even better, it’s not so far from civilization that you can’t meet up with some of the friends you made when you were taking classes here, if you get tired of swimming and sunbathing and paddling about.”
Stephanie, thinking of the long hours in the dry sterility of the courthouse, grinned ear to ear. “I don’t think I could get tired of that. I love swimming in lighter gravity.”
“Then let’s consider it settled,” Richard said. “We’ll do some shopping for food—”
“And beachwear,” Marjorie added.
“We have swimsuits,” Stephanie reminded her. “We packed them for Gryphon.”
“Practical suits,” Marjorie sniffed. “I want one that will make me feel like I’m on holiday, not collecting specimens. And we’ll need sunscreen, and shorts and sleeveless tops, and—”
Richard rolled his eyes. “Go shopping, but we head out for the cottage tomorrow morning. If we time things right, we should be in the water well before noon.”