The timing of all this couldn’t be more perfect because once I was provided with the details of our meeting with Judge Malloy, I realized it was literally the day before Sadie’s birthday. And before I knew it, the day of our meeting had finally arrived. It was hard not to feel giddy inside, knowing that the beginning of the end was near. We kept everything hush-hush to the best of our abilities, and Judge Malloy even offered to meet us after hours so the courthouse would be devoid of any souls aside from the janitorial staff.
Hunter and Kenzie were already standing in the hall outside the judge’s chambers as they awaited the rest of our party to arrive, and a short while later, Jorge strolled in, followed by Leon shortly after that. “Everyone appears to be present. Shall we?” Hunter sounded off as he knocked on the judge's chamber door.
“Enter!” A very stern yet welcoming voice greeted us as Hunter pushed open the door, and we all filed inside one by one. “Please, have a seat,” the judge said. Leon and I sat in the guest seats in front of his desk while Kenzie sat on his couch. Hunter stood off to the side while Jorge opted to remain by the door.
“Uncle, I mean, Your Honor. Here are the files that I promised you,” Hunter began by handing a stack of papers about a foot tall to the judge. Judge Malloy regarded me silently and briefly smiled before he began sorting through everything. Little by little, I could see the creases in his forehead deepen, and his eyes would dart back and forth with muted anger burning within them. It felt like a lifetime had passed as we all waited with bated breath, but he had finally gone through the stack of evidence presented to him.
“Counselor Malloy, this is quite the case you brought to me.”
“Your Honor, we also have video and audio files on this thumb drive for your listening and viewing pleasures,” Hunter said, his voice sounding almost menacing as he handed the drive to the judge.
“I don’t think that will be necessary as there is plenty of crucial evidence in these files you’ve provided me.” Hunter took back the drive and smiled, fully aware that the physical evidence was more than enough. “First and foremost, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for what you’re going through, Annika. I know your family very well, and when Hunter here told me it was you he was representing without your family’s knowledge, I had to admit that it piqued my interest. Tell me, why haven’t you involved your family in this? They obviously have plenty of resources to assist you.”
“Your Honor, I chose to marry District Attorney Jeffrey Hollands despite my family’s protest and against my better judgment. Additionally, I wanted to prove to everyone that I don’t need the Silverton family name to get the justice I deserve. Did I make a mistake by not listening to my family and marrying him? Yes, I admit that wholeheartedly. However, this is my battle, not theirs. Furthermore, if they found that this … woman was trying to have me killed, they wouldn’t rest until she was dead, and I don’t want that. I’m sure you know my family well enough to know they could make anyone disappear without ever getting their hands dirty. And that goes beyond issuing a death sentence; they would destroy the Galloways without so much as batting an eyelash, and I don’t want to give them the satisfaction of exacting revenge on my behalf. As I said, this is my battle, not theirs.”
“I see. Well, that’s very commendable of you. And the fact that you’ve done everything legally up to this point is astounding, especially given your background, Mr. Von Doren,” the judge said as he shifted his gaze toward Leon.
“Your Honor, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” Leon responded.
“Likewise. Due to my position in the Supreme Court, I am regrettably unable to get publicly involved; however, I am more than willing to oversee your cases from the shadows and have already consulted the judge with the appropriate jurisdiction. Judge Trainor even volunteered to be on standby should the need arise for immediate action. In light of the circumstantial evidence behind the evidence tampering with your previous divorce hearing, she will file the appeal on your behalf and will preside over your case since a district attorney is involved in this matter. It sickens me that someone with such prestige is so perverse. He thinks he’s above the law and assumes that he can get away with it just for some piece of ass.”
“Pfft!” Everyone sputtered and lost our composure when we heard the words coming out of the older man barely suppressing a smile at our reaction. We all regained our bearings quickly enough except for Kenzie, who continued to practically wheeze with laughter over on the couch, lightening the atmosphere. Judge Malloy only shook his head at her. She was his great-niece, so of course, he wouldn’t scold her over it.
“Annika, I have also arranged for your case to be handled by Judge Trainor under my direct supervision.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“This case is quite a doozy, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been a part of something so salacious. This will allow me to pull the strings for all three cases simultaneously. We’ll start with your divorce. I will have Judge Trainor sign the affidavit to prevent D.A. Hollands from claiming half of your assets. Since you and Hunter took the necessary steps to ensure nothing is 100% in your name, your soon-to-be ex-husband will not be entitled to any of it. She will also sign the TRO that prevents him from coming within 1000 feet of you once you’ve presented him with the divorce agreement. That being said, we will have to proceed with a hearing, unfortunately. Even though your family is part of my financial backers, I am not above the law, and we must do things accordingly. We need to COA.”
“COA?” We all looked at him.
“Cover our asses.” Our mouths collectively formed into the shape of an O, and we nodded in agreement. Though I wasn’t happy with that particular outcome, I had no choice but to accept it.
“Mr. Von Doren, we will follow with your appeal hearing so that we can kill two birds with one stone by trying D.A Hollands for evidence tampering while simultaneously trying Sadie Galloway for perjury and attempted homicide.” We all nodded in affirmation as we celebrated our tiny victory. Everything was going according to plan. The judge was on our side, bringing immeasurable relief to everyone in the room. As Judge Trainor was signing off on the necessary documents and having them notarized, I noticed Judge Malloy regarding me with a smirk on his face.
“Your Honor, is there something wrong?” I asked him as he continued to focus his attention on me.
“Annika, I hope that when all of this is over, you will put in a good word with your parents for me,” he said slyly and smirked again. I smiled and shook my head.
“Of course, Your Honor. I’m sure my parents would gladly fund your next campaign, given how much assistance you’re providing me. Well, I should say, us,” I replied and gestured to everyone else in the room, including Jorge, as he did most of the heavy labor for us. So, it was only acceptable to give him credit where it was due. As soon as everything was completed, Hunter made sure that I received the original copies so Jeff wouldn’t be able to dispute them once I served him at Sadie’s birthday party the following night.