Life (52 page)

office just as the CO announced the end of the visitation. Maybe

I should have hugged him, whispered words of encouragement,

but I felt that it was important for me to keep our relationship

strictly business. But once again, a nod of the head, a shrug would

have to suffice. I took my son out of his arms, and marched out

of the door to the sound of my heels on the cold linoleum floor.

If knew then what I was getting myself into, I would have never

taken the case, United States of America versus Life Thugstin.

*****

260

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

“
A New Beginning”

–
Hope –

The next day I was at my new office. The movers arrived around

10:30 in the morning, with the used furniture that I bought from

Goodwill.

It was one of them hectic days, hot and sweaty. Of course, my

air conditioner was not working, and there wasn’t enough space in

my cramped office for all of these huge men to be maneuvering

around me. Someone bumped into me and I turned around to see

a handsome guy in a Federal Express uniform. He smiled and

began to apologize for accidentally touching me from behind. I

shrugged it off because one of the movers mistakenly pushed him

into me.

“
You know who Hope Evans is?”

“
That’s me.” I signed my name on the dotted line. He passed

me an envelope marked American Yacht Association. I opened it

and there was a check for one million dollars in my name. I sat

down on a box and heard something break. The guy in the uni-

form looked at me like I was crazy.

*****

The next morning, bright and early, I arrived at the Federal

Building downtown. I went inside the clerk’s office and filed a

motion that I would be representing Life Thugstin. At the time I

thought I was fully aware of the repercussions of what I was doing.

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The only real bright spot was the judge would be relieved to learn

that Life was trying to hire a lawyer. Whenever a defendant repre-

sents himself, it’s always a sure debacle, and I was sure the

Honorable Judge Statford was not about to let that happen in his

courtroom. The major hurdle now was my ex-boss down at the

United States Prosecution’s Office, David Scandels. If he decided

to file a motion citing conflict of interest, more than likely I would

be thrown off the case. This was too much to bear. Maybe I was

stressing, but for the last few weeks I had been feeling ill, could

hardly eat and didn’t get much rest. Not to mention the nervous

breakdown I had in the parking lot a few weeks ago.

At last, I arrived home. Crowds of media were camped out in

my front yard. I had to honk my horn just to enter my driveway.

“
What the ....” Microphones were thrust into my face as I exit-

ed my car. Too many cameras and too many faces. A sea of people

surrounded me, instantly I thought about my hair, my makeup.

This was the last thing I needed.

How did they find out so fast?

I

wondered.

“
Ms. Evans, will you be defending Life Thugstin?”

“
No comment,” I responded, as I attempted to trudge

through the herd of media.

“
Ms. Evans, with your prior experience with the prosecutor’s

office, what made you want to switch sides and go against your old

office?”

“
No comment.”

“
Ms. Evans, you’re young, barely in your mid 20s with hardly

enough experience to go up against your old boss, David Scandels.

What kind of defense do you plan to use?” a repor ter asked.

I ignored him and stepped over a thick television cable cord.

I saw a repor ter standing in my garden. Cordially, like every day I

was used to coming home finding a herd of anxious reporters

standing in my yard, I said with a straight face, “I will be more

than happy to talk with you guys, but until something breaks and

I am assigned the case it would be inappropriate and unprofes-

sional for me to discuss the case with you.” I then pointed to the

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reporter standing in my garden, he was short and round like

maybe doughnuts were his first love. “Sir, if you don’t posses a

degree in agriculture I suggest you get off my Magnolias before I

have you arrested for plant homicide.” The reporters roared with

laughter as the he stepped out of the garden like a fat kid that just

got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I couldn’t help but grin

at his antics as blue skies and camera lights flashed, bathing my

body. I finally managed to make it inside my home. Shutting the

door, I just leaned against it. Lord, I was so tired. I knew I need-

ed a check-up and I promised myself as soon as I got caught up on

everything I was going to see a doctor.

The phone rang, eyes bulging I stared at it as if it were a time

bomb.

Reporters.

I thought. I placed my briefcase on the couch

and removed my shoes. On stocking feet I padded over to the

phone.

“
Hello?”

“
Hope?”

“
This is she. May I help you?” I said recognizing the harsh

tone of the voice instantly.

“
This is Mr. Scandels, your former employer. What’s this

about you taking the Thugstin case?” There was a pause, my heart

skipped a beat, it felt like the wind was sucked out of me. For the

life of me, I did not know why this white man intimidated me so

much.

“
Yes, it’s true,” I heard my voice respond timidly as I gripped

the phone

with both hands balancing my fortitude. Yet from somewhere

in the back of my mind a voice said,

Hope you have spent your

whole life preparing for this, the little Black girl from the Pork and

Beans Projects. You’re a fighter, fight back

!

“
Hope, I suggest you withdraw from this case if you know

what’s good for you!” Scandels threatened. Silence, as I grasped the

phone so tight it felt like I could have crushed it.

“
David, I have no intention of withdrawing from the case.”

“
David?” Scandels repeated, not believing I would have the

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gall to call him by his first name the way that he has always done

me.

“
I can have you removed from the case. As you are aware of,

this is a matter of conflict of interest –”

“
Whose interest, yours or the court?” I asked, raising my

voice.

“
You are not familiar with the logistics of federal law, but I’m

known for

my shrewd courtroom skills.”

“
All I know is that in our last conversation, before I left your

office, you threatened to blackball me, so if that is any indication

of your courtroom skills, you’re not playing fair, you’re taking me

back four hundred years,” I said sarcastically. I heard the harsh rus-

tle of air through his nostrils as he breathed his rage into the

phone. Apparently I had struck a nerve. I was trying to play on his

psyche, to bait him, use a strong dose of psychology.

“
Are you implying that I’d rather blackball you than face you

in cour t?” he shouted. I took the phone away from my ear.

“
I’m only stating the facts as to how you related them to me,

David,” I said feeling my confidence building as I realized I might

have found a hole in his armor. My rival, a man. His weakness, his

ego. A smar t woman has always been able to exploit that to her

advantage.

“
I’ll tell you what Ms. Evans,” Scandels said calmer, with more

threat in his voice.

For the first time ever he addressed me by my last name. “I’ll

look forward to seeing you in cour t and making you the laughing

stock of the town.”

“
Mr. Scandels, the feeling is mutual.”

He slammed the phone down. I beamed with pride as I turned

and peeked out the curtains. The reporters were gathering their

gear to leave, thank God.

*****

After ward I called my girl Nandi Shakur. She was now Dr.

Shakur, a professor and pioneer in the study of socioeconomics. I

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called in a debt of friendship and asked her to be one of my expert

witnesses. She told me that she had been following the case in the

news. For the first time in my life she let me do all of the talking.

She had no choice. Now I was a professional and this was my field,

criminal law. This case, this trial, was larger than life, bigger than

the both of us. I told her about one of a kind strategy that had

never been used before. I was going to build a defense on what I

was calling a Social-Economic crime, meaning that oppression

and environment, along with the fact that drugs were placed in

the Black community, were factors that had to be taken into con-

sideration. Nandi agreed to help me.

*****

265

Chapter Ninteen

Chapter Ninteen

“
Time To Get Ready for Trial”

–
Hope –

“
Hope! Hell naw! Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?”

“
Just hear me out.”

“
I’ve heard enough. I ain’t pleading guilty to nuttin’.”

“
Five hundred grams of powder or less carries a sentence of

five years, but due to your past criminal history they’re going to

add a few more years. The government is asking for a life sen-

tence,” I shouted, grabbing his arm. Our eyes locked like in a

mental standoff. He pulled his arm away from me. I watched as he

caressed the neat crop of waves in his head with his hand, eyes

downcast. A week prior to my visit Judge Statford granted me per-

mission to take the case. The only catch was I was only given three

weeks to prepare for trial. A week had already passed and I was still

trying to prepare a defense that even I had doubts about. And Life

Thugstin was stubborn as hell, just like the rest of the brothas

caught up in the system. They just did not understand the real

dynamics of law.

I opened his folder and passed him a copy of his indictment,

along with the discovery, a thick folder with all the evidence the

government intended to use against him, including all the wit-

nesses.

“
You’re charged with CCE, Continuing Criminal Enterprise.

In order for the government to prove its case against you, the gov-

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ernment must prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that you took

part in a continuing series of violations in which you,” I pointed

a finger at him for emphasis and was surprised to see that I had his