Seven Days Grace (A Grace Rose Novel Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

pair of lawyers. Mr Foster looked at the judge and the jury.
    ‘ Excuse me , Your Honour. May I approach the bench? ’ he asked.
    ‘ You better come , too , Mr Bell ,’ the judge said as he motioned to the prosecutor. When the two barristers arrived at his desk , he spoke in a low tone. ‘ What is it , Mr Foster? ’
    The judge listened to the defendant ’ s lawyer. The courtroom was silent and their mumbled voices made it impossible to hear what was being said.
    ‘ I see. I think we better talk about this in my chambers ,’ he said to the men standing at his bench. Then the judge addressed the jurors and the court. ‘ There ’ ll be a brief recess while we convene in my chambers. Please remain seated. ’
    It was less than five minutes before the three men who had been in the voir dire returned to court. People waited as the judge and the lawyers returned to their respective stations. Grace could hear her own breathing as they waited for the judge to speak.
    ‘ A matter has been brought to the attention of the bench which will require this case to be adjourned. The date for recommencing the hearing will be two weeks from today at ten in the morning. I believe it will be the fifteenth of the month. ’ The judge banged his gavel. ‘ Court adjourned. ’
    ‘ All rise ,’ the bailiff said.
    The courtroom erupted. The moment de Silva and his lawyer exited the building and gathered on the forecourt , photographers and cameramen rushed to take photos of them and de Silva family. Journalists from television , radio and print scrambled to obtain the prime spot for capturing the quote that would set their story apart from the others. Microphones and recorders were shoved under the noses of Mr de Silva and his lawyer. Questions were thrown at them in quick succession. Journalists were also yelling out questions in the hope Mr Foster would enlighten them.
    ‘ Why has the case been adjourned? ’ ‘ What happened in the judge ’ s chambers? ’ ‘ How did you get an adjournment? ’ ‘ Will this change the way you defend Mr de Silva when court resumes? ’
    All the eager media heard was a serious , ‘ No comment ,’ from Mr Foster.
    ‘ What happened in the voir dire? ’ another journalist called out.
    ‘ You ’ ll have to wait until the trial recommences ,’ Mr Foster said.
    Grace had expected a guilty verdict. Her gut instinct had failed her this time. She checked for The Star ’ s photographer and saw he was in the throng determined to capture the emotion on de Silva ’ s and his lawyer ’ s faces. She had her phone recorder on and close to the action.
    Eventually , Grace escaped the crowd , rang Nick at the paper and told him the news. With no verdict and no idea what had occurred in the voir dire , she knew the story would not be worthy of the front page.
     
    Amidst the frenzy of people gathering on the forecourt , he was thankful it was easy to slip the phone back in her bag as soon as she exited the doors. Immediately , he saw her retrieve her phone and make a call. He could almost sense the heat on his fingertips. Playing with this level of fire was dangerous. He consoled himself that this was like any job , this was work and it had to be done. He had to get over it. He had to force his intense emotions for her down deep and ignore them though it wasn ’ t easy. He longed to drink her in , to saviour the sight of her. He wished his actions didn ’ t make him feel sick.

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    ‘ He y , lon g time no see ,’ Grace said to the barista at her favourite café.
    ‘ I t ’ s great to see you again , pretty lady. ’
    ‘ JJ , you ’ re such a sweet talker. How ’ s your lovely dovely? ’ An expression they ’ d used over the years when asking about the special someone in each other ’ s lives. JJ ’ s had turned out to be the one.
    ‘ Fabulous. Ain ’ t love grand? ’
    ‘ I wouldn ’ t know , now would I? However , I do know I desperately need a cappuccino and a chicken salad sandwich ,