Grant of Immunity (31 page)
Authors: Garret Holms
D
aniel Hart had been very
apprehensive. He’d been anxious about returning to work. Between the trial and his time in the hospital, it had been almost seven months since he’d worked as a judge. All his life, he’d lived under the shadow of Sarah Collins’s death. It made him a loner, afraid to get too close to anyone. At first, Hart had wondered whether it would be appropriate for him to return. Would the publicity surrounding him be bad for the court? But then an amazing thing happened. Over the weeks, a steady stream of judges and other colleagues came to visit him—to congratulate and encourage him. At the annual seminar meeting of the judges assigned to the criminal division, Hart received a standing ovation.
And the best news, he’d been overwhelmingly reelected at the June 4 primary. But he couldn’t help feeling sorry for Doris after all she’d been through with Babbage. Poor woman.
Things had gone well for Fitzgerald. After he recovered, he was fully reinstated and even received a commendation. And a promotion. He was now Lieutenant Fitzgerald. As for Sean, he’d decided to leave the Public Defender’s Office and join the District Attorney’s Office, saying he felt a closer tie to victims than to defendants, especially since his experience with the Hart trial.
Today, Hart was nervous about Amanda. He’d invited her for dinner and had spent the entire day preparing the meal. A linen cloth covered his dining-room table, which he’d set with his grandmother’s best china and silver. He’d told her that tonight’s dinner was to say thank you for all she’d done for him, and to help him celebrate his reelection. But there was more.
Amanda had visited him every day when he was in the hospital. After he’d been discharged, she regularly came by his house with an armful of groceries, sometimes making dinner. For him, it became an important routine when she’d spend one or two evenings a week after work visiting. She’d chat about herself, her day, or anything else. He was surprised at how much they laughed, despite what they had both been through. For some reason, they never ran out of things to say to each other or to laugh about.
Amanda arrived exactly on time, as always.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’d love one.” He went into the kitchen, where he poured two glasses of the cabernet the grocer had recommended and returned handing her one glass. They sat next to each other on the couch.
“The food smells wonderful,” Amanda said. They clinked glasses. After sipping her wine, she said, “Congratulations, Daniel. I’m so happy you were reelected. No one deserves to be reelected more than you. And you are the best.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were soft and her breath sweet. He inhaled, savoring the fresh clean smell of her hair.
He took her hands in his. “Thank you,” he said. “You saved my life, you know.”
“Nonsense. The trial wasn’t even close. I never even considered it possible that we could lose.”
He was still holding her hands. “I’m not just talking about the trial,” he said, looking into her eyes.
Amanda leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth.
It was the sweetest kiss of his life,
he thought.
G
rant of Immunity
came about as a result of a writing workshop I participated in a few years ago. It was there that I met writer/actor Meg Tilly, who inspired and encouraged me and helped me believe that writing a novel was, indeed, something I could do.
I owe much to three professional novelists and gifted writing teachers: the late Bill Relling; the incomparable Jim Frey; and, most of all, UCLA Writing Program instructor, Lynn Hightower, who taught me how to craft my words into a cohesive tale.
Thank you as well to the talented and extraordinary workshop leader Nancy Bacal, and to instructors Reyna Grande and Leslie Schwartz, also of the UCLA Writing Program.
I am grateful to those who have been in my writing groups: April Bosshard, Don Calame (Meg’s spouse), James Fant, and Derek Rogers. Their insights, critiques, and comments assisted and guided me through the process of writing and rewriting this story.
Many thanks to all those writers who read my evolving manuscript and offered advice. Specifically, authors Brett Battles, Cara Black, Margo Blair, Sharon Dahl, Eloise Freeman, Katherine Forrest, Richard Jordan, Bridget Kinsella, Ken Kuta, David McCune, Tony Mohr, Brian Perry, Michelle Rosenblatt, Sheldon Siegel, Corie Skolnick, and Elizabeth White.
I extend my gratitude to readers of successive drafts: Judy Abrams, Elizabeth Baron, Tamara Beard, Matthew Bennett, Ralph Bennett, Sharon Bennett, Aviva Bobb, Larry Crispo, Angelica Dahl, Babbett Goss, Lori Livicich, Kathy Mader, Suzy Miller, Ellen Musgrave, Judy Pieper, Lori Resnick-Fleishman, Lisa Ruston, Bill Speer, and Lisa Stanislawski.
Finally, my thanks to Eleanor Gasparik, who patiently and thoroughly, copyedited the novel you are now reading.
G
arret Holms is
a judge and a criminal trial expert with more than fifteen years of on-the-job experience. He has worked all aspects of the justice system, from superior court judge to defense attorney to criminal prosecutor. Holms has tried every type of criminal case imaginable, including special circumstances homicide, sexual assault, police corruption, and gangland murder. Garret Holms knows the justice system as only an insider can, and he brings that expertise to his prose, creating one of the most truthful, accurate, and tension-filled suspense novels ever written.
