Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (2012 Watty Winner)

Pressure Pushing Down on Me

"Ash, I got that interview with that cop for you, but she can't do it til Friday afternoon." Jackson tells me coming into my office.

"Why the hell so long?" I ask and he shrugs.

"She said it was the only day she had available." He tells me and I stand up from my desk.

"What about the ballistics on that bullet, that come back yet?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"Billings is working hard on it though, lab is backed up twenty something odd cases." He tells me and I sigh.

"We have less than a week before the trial starts and I'm all over the place right now, Jack." I tell him gathering up my files and stuffing them in my briefcase. I have to be to court in less than thirty and I pray L.A traffic allows it.

"You'll get it together." He smiles reassuringly. "You always do." He adds. I can't help but smile.

"Thanks, Jack." I say and kiss him on the cheek. I'm seriously gonna be late.

–

"Being late isn't your thing, Ashley. You finally giving up?" Scott asks as I hurriedly make my way towards the courtroom where we're interviewing the final fifteen jurors. I push the wrinkles out of my suit with my left hand and grip my briefcase tighter with my right.

"Let's just do this." I tell him, once I reach the door he's standing in front of.

"By all means." He smiles and steps aside, holding his arm out, gesturing for me to go in.
I can already tell this is gonna be a long day.

–

"We finally have all the jurors selected." I tell Spencer and she nods.

"So what now?"

"Jackson and I are gathering evidence still to strengthen our case, but that's pretty much it until the trial." I tell her and she gives me somber yet relieved look.

"How you holding up in here?" I ask and she smiles a bit.

"As good as I can be." She says with a shrug.

"Good." I return the smile. We both grow quiet.

"Did you find out anymore information on that number you asked me about last week?" She asks and I shake my head.

"No. But um..." I trail off trying to figure out the right way to tell her this. I don't want to give it away that Kyla is the one that told me because that's not on me to do. That's between them. "It turns out that uh..." I pause and look at her.

"Just tell me, Ashley." She says. I sigh and just decide to spit it out.

"We believe that your husband was in fact cheating." I tell her and nod. She shakes her head and smiles knowingly.

"I guess I knew all along." She shrugs and lifts her head to find my eyes. "Do you know with who?"

"We haven't..." I shake my head. "Not yet." I settle on. "Spencer I need to discuss the trial with you." I tell her and she nods. "It starts next week and the media is all over this. You can't speak to anyone apart from me. Not your family, not your friends, no one." I stress to her.

"Why?" She says with confusion laced in her voice.

"The more times you tell your story the more construed it'll become. I don't want the media to know anything about what we're discussing here." I tell her and she nods in understanding. I know that she's been talking to Kyla about the case because how else would Kyla know we were investigating Aiden having a mistress? "Promise me?" I say raising a brow.