The Royal Contract

But he had no time to think about that as he walked inside the precinct and inquired about his new case. He had to check on Ken’s friend and see what he would deal with in this situation. So he could determine whether he should help this man or let him rot in jail.

He might be running a pro bono firm, but he chose the people he helped. He only defended those deprived of their right because of their limitations in hiring a good representation. However, he must believe their innocence.

The last thing he wanted was to defend a criminal who would only end up in the street again, doing bad things.

“Adam, are you sure you want to defend this man?” His friend asked as he told him about the case.

“I wish to look at it.” He told his friend and contact inside the police force. He would not let his friend’s prejudgment cloud his take on the case.

“Suit yourself.” His friend said, but not without a warning tone that said he might be making a mistake. However, he was not like his friend. He wanted to give the man a fair chance to prove his innocence.

The detective checked his database about the record of the man and the case filed against him. He turned to him, moving the computer screen to show him the report.

“It said here that he burglarized a convenience store, threw a rock on the glass window, and entered to steal cash and some items.” His detective friend told him the summary of the report.

.....

He closely checked the details, including the date and time of the incident and the other pertinent facts of the case, including a witness that put him on the crime scene.

“Did the witness already identify him through a lineup?” He asked, wondering if the police had solid evidence against him. “What about fingerprints and proof that he perpetrated the criminal act?”

Sometimes the police could overlook all these other minor things, believing they captured the suspect and had him in custody. They just wanted to close the case as soon as possible.

It was the same with the District Attorney’s office. With hundreds of backlog cases, they could barely handle their clients. Therefore, they could not afford to use all their resources and time on one case alone.

Therefore, many of them just fell through the cracks and were forgotten. Some became cold cases, and others waited for years before getting a fair trial. It would be the case for this accused if the police could not provide enough proof to convict.

“It was not conclusive.” The detective said. “But the witness said it was dark, but he said there was another witness in the scene, and we are still looking for her.”

“Inconclusive...” He did not like the sound of that. “It means you are holding him in custody when you have no proof to keep him inside.” He concluded.

He guessed this would be an easy case after all.

He discussed the situation with his friend a bit more. After talking to the accused, he finally took his case and filed a complaint. Then he demanded his client’s release since they had insufficient evidence to hold him.

“Why are you helping me again?” The man said, looking confused.

“Your friend hired me.” He casually said as he escorted him out of the police station. “Come on. Ken is waiting for you at my office.”

“Are they going to arrest me again? I am telling you I did not do it.” He appealed to him, looking genuinely innocent.

“No, unless they found concrete proof that you rob the store.” He told him. Nevertheless, if he said that he did not do it, maybe he did not.

As the law said, everyone was innocent unless proven otherwise. So far, he did not see any indication that he was lying. Besides, not all people on the street were criminals. Sometimes, they were just unfortunate.

“Ok.” The man seemed convinced by his answer as he calmed down and rode quietly in his car.

In a few more minutes, they were walking into his office door. But before they could even enter the room, a little man was already running toward them.

“Neil, I am so glad that you are ok.” The boy said as he hugged the bigger man.

“Thanks, Ken, for helping me get out of there.” The man returned the affection that the boy gave him.

It would seem that they were not just friends. He saw them as two strangers who formed a bond and made a family. Sometimes, blood was not thicker than water. Not in the true sense of the word.

“I am just glad that you are out again.” The boy said as he finally let go of his friend and turned to him.

“I guessed Serena was right about you. Thanks.” The boy smiled at him in approval. “So, how much do I owe you? I don’t have much, but if this is not enough, I can pay you when I earn a little extra.”

Ken moved closer to him, handing him a few rolled bills in his hand. He could see one, five, and twenty bills in them, believing it must be his savings.

“Don’t worry about it?” He declined the payment since he did not do this for that. “It is on the house.” He told him, pushing the money back to the boy’s side.

“Thanks again.” The boy said as he looked at him and then at his friend. “But if you need anything from us, don’t hesitate to ask.” The boy said, acting like he was too old for his age.

“I will take note of that.” He acknowledged the boy’s offer. “If you need my services again, don’t have second thoughts about looking for me.” He took out his card with his name and number and gave it to the boy.

Then, the man and the boy walked out of his office.

He could not help but understand why Serena felt drawn to the boy. He was intelligent, witty, and had a good sense of humor. He wondered why he did not end up in a good family.

But a boy like that would not trust just anybody. He must have a past that made him that way. But he would look into him once in a while. He would hate to lose such a young man in their vicious system.

“You have a few more clients waiting for you outside. Should I send them in?” His assistant asked.

“Give me a few minutes to prepare,” Adam told her as he moved toward his desk to check on the papers waiting for him. This situation was the downside of having a low budget for operation. He could not hire more people to help.

Suddenly, the proposal Evan presented yesterday became more appealing, making him think he had made the right decision. Their firm would provide him with the resources he required to fund his pro bono cases.

With that funding, he could hire more people and accept more cases. But in return, he had to work with high-profile clients again. Of course, the money had to come from somewhere.

“Will the end justify the means?” He asked himself again. But this time, at least, he had a purpose unlike before.

And Evan told him that they tried their best to screen their clients. But, of course, he could not guarantee that all of them were the upstanding citizen of the society. He guessed that should be good enough for now.

Maybe he should consider calling himself Robin Hood. He would take from the rich and give to the poor. That was the only way he could live with himself for agreeing to work for David and Evan.

“Can you send in my next client?” He shouted through the door as he set aside his other pending cases.

He admitted it was hard to do background checks on his client’s cases without a regular investigator.

He could not investigate himself when he had to handle several cases simultaneously. It was just impossible. He guessed that would be the benefit of working for Evan. He could finally use their unlimited resources.

“I am sorry to bother you, but I need to cut into the line.” A familiar voice reached his ears as he hastily looked up from his desk. “But I promise not to take much of your time.”

It was her. What was she doing here?

“So, this is your office.” She stated as she moved further into the room, stopping only when she was just a few feet away from his desk.

“Yes,” Adam finally answered, getting over his surprise to see her. “How did you know about my place?”

“You would not want to know.” She said with a silly grin on her face. “Anyway, I just want to check in on you. And I guess, maybe invite you for dinner tonight if you are free.” She said, looking slightly hesitant, or was it embarrassed? He could not tell.

“You could have just called or texted.” He responded, slightly feeling awkward that she drove to his office to see him. At least, that was his understanding.

“I could. Maybe I should have thought of that.” She admitted. “But I am here now. I don’t want to wait for you in the bar, hoping you will show up.” She finished as she waited for his answer.

He guessed that was forward enough for him to understand, loud and clear, that she was here for him and nothing else. Was she asking him out on a date?

“So, are you free tonight for dinner?” She asked again.

He guessed that was his answer. But how would he deal with this one? Was he also willing to go through with her highly unusual proposal?