Sometimes leaving a fight was the correct decision. Sometimes protecting a client meant accepting that another lawyer could serve them better. But this was different. The conflict itself had been created to force that choice. Before Maya could answer, her phone rang.
Judge Price's clerk was calling. The judge had reviewed the competing filings and would not decide the disqualification motion on the written record alone. She was ordering an evidentiary hearing. The issues would include the reliability of Mercer's report, the circumstances surrounding the body camera interruption, the source of the courthouse security alert, communications relevant to the expected transfer, and the provenance of the sealed charcoal case. Judge Price would also determine whether the case could be opened under judicial supervision.
When the call ended, Denise looked at Maya. Well, Maya set the phone down. They wanted the motion decided before discovery. Lena understood. Price wants testimony.
Yes. Under oath? Yes. Denise sat back. Good.
Maya did not smile, but she no longer mentioned replacement council. The night before the hearing, the three women worked from the main conference room after everyone else had left. Dinner came from a neighborhood deli. Denise had a turkey sandwich and coffee. Lena ate soup while reviewing metadata exhibits.
Maya worked through witness outlines with half a sandwich untouched beside her legal pad. Denise rubbed her eyes. You ever wish we had chosen something quieter for a living? Lena kept typing. Every tax season, Denise laughed despite herself.
Even Maya smiled briefly. Then the room became quiet again. The police report sat beside the body camera logs. Keane's advisory sat beside the private investigator's email. Photographs of the sealed case were arranged next to Simon Vale's statement.
Maya looked at the materials together. They built everything around keeping this out of a courtroom. Lena stopped typing. Maya rested her hand on the photograph of the charcoal case. So, let's put all of it in one.
The following morning, every person who had written a version of what happened outside the courthouse would have to defend that version under oath. The evidentiary hearing began in Judge Eleanor Price's courtroom with the sealed charcoal case resting on a separate evidence table near the clerk. The security seal remained intact and no one from either legal team had touched it since the morning of the detention. Maya sat between Denise and Lena at council table. Harold Bennett sat behind them.
Across the aisle, Adrien Voss arranged his papers without looking in their direction. Judge Price entered, waited for everyone to sit, then looked toward both sides. This court is not here to decide whose reputation matters more. She said, "We are here to determine what happened, why it happened, and whether those events affect council's ability to continue representing Mr. Bennett. " She glanced at the sealed case.
The contents will remain unopened until the court determines whether sufficient provenance and chain of custody have been established. Vos stood first. Your honor, this case does not require a conspiracy theory. It requires a straightforward examination of professional conflict. He walked to the lectern.
Miss Williams and her partners accepted a sealed container from an unknown source. The container was believed to contain Apex Meridian corporate material. When a police officer attempted to investigate, a dispute occurred. The attorneys were detained. A formal report was issued and their own conduct became part of the controversy surrounding evidence in the Bennett litigation.
He paused. They are now council witnesses and interested participants in the same set of events. Maya wrote nothing. She had expected the argument. Voss continued, "The question is not whether these attorneys are respected.
They clearly are. The question is whether any lawyer should remain in a case after becoming personally involved in a dispute over potentially contested evidence. Judge Price looked at him. You are asking for disqualification before the court determines whether the police report accurately describes the encounter. We believe the report is supported by Sergeant Mercer's testimony.
Then call him. Mercer walked to the witness stand and took the oath. Voss approached him calmly. Sergeant, why were you at the courthouse that morning? I had been assigned to assist with a security concern involving a possible unauthorized transfer of corporate records connected to pending litigation.
Did you know who would be carrying the material? I had basic identifying information. Did you know what was the case? No. What did you do when you saw the delivery?
I approached the three individuals and asked them to place the container on the ground. Did they immediately comply? No. Mercer looked toward Maya. They questioned the order repeatedly.
Did that interfere with your ability to secure the container? Yes. Did you believe their conduct was obstructing the investigation? Yes. Why?
Because instead of following instructions, they kept challenging my authority and delaying the security process. Voss moved to the body camera issue. Was your camera functioning when the encounter began? Yes. Did it stop recording?
Yes. Did you intentionally turn it off to conceal misconduct? No. What happened? I believe I may have hit the control accidentally while adjusting the unit.
Voss nodded. Did the camera issue change what you personally observed? No. Did anyone order you to falsify a report? No.
Did anyone order you to handcuff Miss Williams, Miss Carter, or Miss Brooks? No. Voss returned to his table. No further questions. Judge Price looked at Maya.
Miss Williams. Maya stood and approached the witness stand with a thin folder in her hand. She did not begin with the handcuffs. Sergeant Mercer, before you approached us, you knew a sealed case would be delivered. Yes.
You knew the case was expected to be connected to Apex Meridian potentially. You knew three women would be involved. I had descriptions. And you were assigned to the courthouse before the delivery occurred. Yes.
Maya opened the folder. You testified that you approached because you observed the delivery. I observed it and acted on information I already had. So the delivery itself did not create your suspicion. It confirmed the information I had received.
Maya nodded. That information came before you saw anyone commit an offense? Mercer shifted slightly. It was a security matter. That was not my question.
Before you approached us, had you seen any of the three of us commit an offense? No. Had anyone reported that we possessed a weapon? No. Contraband?
No. A dangerous substance? No. Had courthouse security asked you to detain us? Not specifically.