Page 4 of After Anna

Mom. Maggie’s heart melted again. “Bye, honey.”

I have thoughts of harming my baby.

Maggie ended the call, jumped to her feet, and cheered. “Noah!” she yelled, running for the back door.

Chapter Three

Noah, After

TRIAL, DAY 9

Noah waited alone in the bull pen, a secured detention area of room-like cells on the bottom floor of the courthouse. The jury had been deliberating for two days, and it was eating him alive. Thomas had assumed the deliberations would take a day at most and hung with him from time to time, which Noah appreciated, not knowing how much longer he’d be in civilized company. Maybe not for the rest of his life. If he got convicted, he wasn’t going back to the smooth time at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He’d be doing hard time in a maximum-security facility like Graterford. Assuming he didn’t get the death penalty.

Noah tried not to think about that now. He had to be hopeful. He didn’t know which way the jury would go. They could find him innocent. It happened. People walked every day. He couldn’t control what the jury did, so he was trying to get toa place of acceptance,a favorite phrase from the overworked MSW at the jail, who did med checks and ran group therapy sessions. Noah had been given acoping toolkitto help him come to aplace of acceptance. Problem was, the tools weren’t working now.

Suddenly the door opened, and a deputy admitted Thomas, filling the small room with his massive frame. He was six-foot-five and built like the linebacker he used to be at Cheney, and his presenceand personality commanded attention in any courtroom. Right now his big features—round eyes, large nose, and oversized grin—were alive with animation, and he clapped his meaty hands together. “Great news, dude!”

“What?” Noah shifted on the metal bench, bolted to the wall.

“Lovely Linda is very nervous. Ask me why. Answer? Because Icrushedthat closing.” Thomas grinned broadly, his chest expanding, and he opened his arms to reveal a wingspan that strained the seams of his tailored charcoal suit.

“What’s up?” Noah felt a tingle of hope. Lovely Linda was what Thomas called the Assistant District Attorney, Linda Swain-Pettit. Thomas had nicknames for everybody in the courtroom, including the jurors.

“She’s worried the jury’s been out this long. She wants to make a deal.”

“No deal. I said already.” Noah didn’t know what he’d expected. The cavalry?

“No, this time, you’ll listen. I got her to sweeten the pot.” Thomas sat down next to him. His grin vanished, and he turned to Noah, his eyes narrowing with intensity, like a microscope focusing.

“No deal.”

“Wait.” Thomas held up his palm. “You’re charged with murder of the first degree. You’re looking at life without, or death. That’s possible.”

“I know that.” Noah had gotten used to the lingo.Life withoutmeant life without possibility of parole, or LWOP.

“But if you plead guilty to third-degree murder, she’s offering twenty years.”

“No.”

Thomas’s eyes flared in disbelief. “Noah. I got her down from forty years, the max.”

“No.” Noah didn’t even have to think about it. He knew how he felt.

“Noah, you’re not listening. Sure, I gave a great closing, but don’t lose your damn mind. The fact that they’re still out doesn’t meanthey’re going your way. Maybe somebody doesn’t want to go back to work. It’s snowing, maybe somebody doesn’t want to go home and shovel. You don’t know. You can’t risk it. Take the deal.”

“No.”

“She destroyed you on the stand. It was like watching a major-league hitter swing at your head. I couldn’t believe you even stood up after that. I wanted to send you astretcher.”

“Still, no.” Noah had underestimated how hard it would be to be cross-examined by an experienced prosecutor. He’d thought he could just tell his story.

“It’s like you have a death wish. Do you have a death wish, Noah?”

“No,” Noah answered, but the truth was yes, or at least, maybe.

“Noah.” Thomas took a deep breath, inflating his barrel chest, trying to calm himself down. “I’mbeggingyou to take this deal.”

“I can’t.”