Free The Archangel Drones by Joe Nobody Page A

populated.
    Even those firms who budgeted for the more expensive, box-shaped ads seemed to specialize in one form of crime, such as DUI or illegal narcotics. Gabe struggled to identify those legal eagles who were best able and willing to assist them. He quickly noticed that no listings advertised, “Did a cop beat the shit out of your kid? Well, then call us.”
    Still, Sandy managed to write down a page full of options. Gabe began dialing.
    Many of the listed numbers connected to answering services, promising a return call as soon as so-and-so was available. A few more were answered by receptionists, but an actual lawyer wasn’t able to take a call at that moment.
    When Gabe finally reached a real attorney on the line, the man seemed disinterested. “What is he charged with, Mr. Chase?”
    “We don’t know. We’re at the hospital, and they haven’t booked him yet, so there’s no way to know the charges.”
    “I see. What exactly was he doing when arrested?”
    “Driving his car. According to his girlfriend, he wasn’t speeding or breaking any laws. There are even witnesses that saw the police beating the hell out of Jacob.”
    “Mr. Chase, I speak with parents every day who swear their child would never break a law. To be honest, I’ve never had a single case where that ended up being accurate. I’ll be happy to represent your son, as I work with the prosecutor all the time, and we can normally plead the charges down to something acceptable. I require a $5,000 retainer and a signed letter of representation before we get started. Would you like to make an appointment?”
    Three hours later, after talking to a handful of lawyers, Gabe was ready to explode.
    His frustrations were many, but none seemed more egregious than the fact that every, single attorney assumed Jacob was guilty and had to be proven innocent. “That’s not the way I thought it was supposed to be,” he informed Sandy. “I’ve always believed we lived under a system that presumed innocence. Clearly, that’s not the case.”
    “Maybe they’re all so jaded they don’t believe that anymore,” she responded, shaking her head. “It seems like everybody but us thinks Jacob’s arrest and injuries are par for the course, run of the mill, and business as usual. What has this world come to?”
    Before Gabe could respond, he noticed two police officers strolling through the reception area, one of them carrying a large metallic case. He was approaching the lawmen when he heard one of them ask the attending nurse where they could find one Jacob Chase.
    “We’re here to do an off-site processing,” announced the officer. “Our understanding is that the suspect is going to be incapacitated for some time.”
    Gabe didn’t know what to do and halted his approach. The nurse finally found Jacob’s location, giving the two cops directions to his room.
    Turning to tell Sandy what he had just heard, Gabe again was interrupted by the ringing of his cell. He recognized Chip’s number.
    “Have you found a lawyer yet?”
    “No, we’ve been working for hours on just that, and let me tell you, it’s about as frustrating a thing as I’ve ever seen.”
    Chip’s tone sounded like he was a man on a mission. “My brother-in-law is a civil attorney, but he knows some of the better criminal people. Here, write down this number, and give Adam Barlow a call. I signed up with him just a few minutes ago.”
    “Thanks, Chip. You don’t know what this means to us.”
    Then the caller’s voice became sad, almost as if he were reliving the incident. “I can’t get the visions of those cops beating the crap out of Jacob to go away. What they did just wasn’t right. I also got a replacement cell phone this afternoon. I can show you the video now.”
    Gabe didn’t believe he heard the last statement correctly. “The what?”
    “I took video of those guys kicking the shit out of Jacob. That’s why I was arrested. The big cop wanted my phone, and I wouldn’t