Free Incriminating Evidence by Rachel Dylan

this court.”
    Zach wanted to go hide in a corner somewhere.
    The judge cleared her throat. “Given the highly unusual circumstances, we’re going to take an extended recess. We’ll resume the trial first thing in the morning so the situation here can be fully sorted out.” The judge glared directly at him, and he felt as if he were back in elementary school being scolded by a teacher.
    Brodie walked over to him. “We’ve got a new safe house ready for Jessica. And once we get back there, you and I need to have a talk.”
    * * *
    Jessica sat at the new location in a state of shock. She’d asked for a little time alone to try to pull herself together. She couldn’t believe that Zach had mistaken a makeup compact for a gun. And while she said she needed time alone, what she was really trying to do was give him some privacy to talk to Brodie.
    She was worried what the repercussions would be for him. Yeah, he’d made a mistake, but she’d much rather he be overly aggressive than too complacent. The entire experience was surreal. One minute she’d been getting ready to give the most important opening statement of her life, and the next she was being tackled to the ground.
    How would the trial be impacted by all of this? Would they just go back to business as usual tomorrow? And what would happen to Zach? He’d done what he thought was best to protect her, and she was going to fight for him.
    She planned on getting some answers as she walked into the kitchen and found Zach and Brodie at the table.
    “Hey, guys,” she said as she took a seat.
    “How are you feeling?” Brodie asked.
    “I’m fine. I was a little rattled, but once all the facts came out, I realized that there was nothing to be worried about.” She eyed Zach warily. “And what’s going on here?”
    “I take full responsibility for my mistake,” Zach said. “I owe you an apology.”
    “Apology for what? You did what you thought was best under the circumstances.”
    “I reacted quickly based on instincts, but in this case they were completely wrong.”
    “What is the reporter saying?”
    “That she was innocently pulling out her makeup compact from her purse,” Brodie said. He frowned and looked at her. “This doesn’t make the FBI look so good.”
    The next question was even more important to her. “Where does this leave us with the trial?”
    “We will go back to court tomorrow and resume where we left off—you’ll do your opening statement, and we’ll proceed from there. I’m going to have a private meeting with the judge first thing in the morning to try to smooth things over with her. The last thing I want is for her to think that I was being reckless—it was just the opposite.”
    “Well, you would think that the judge would be appreciative of how alert you were.” Her heart hurt for Zach. This was going to be something he wasn’t going to just get over in a few hours. This could have a lasting impact on him.
    Brodie looked at her. “Are you okay to go back in the morning and resume the trial?”
    “Are you kidding me?” she asked. “Of course I want to continue. We can’t let them think that this will in any way impact the resolve of the prosecutor’s office. Simon Hernandez must face a jury for his crimes, and I intend to be the person prosecuting him.” If anything, these latest events made her more determined to push forward strongly. Yes, she knew they had to keep their guard up, but she refused to let fear dictate how she would live her life.
    “I’m going to get out of here. You have extra security outside and, of course, Zach. So you will be secure,” Brodie said.
    “Thank you.”
    Brodie left, and now it was just her and Zach inside the safe house.
    “You have a lot you want to say,” Zach said.
    “You’re right. I don’t want you to beat yourself up over this. No one is perfect. I imagine that other FBI agents in your position would have acted the same way. You were just doing your job.”
    He shook