and this is his clumsy attempt to stop the bleeding."
"The evidence says otherwise. They found a ledger in an informant's apartment linking you to
payoffs."
Sylvia let out a dry, humorless laugh. "A ledger. How convenient. Let me guess, an informant who
is currently facing significant time and was offered a sweetheart deal to manufacture a story?"
Reynolds bristled. "You'll have your chance to argue that in court. In the meantime, your lawyer is
here."
The captain signaled to an officer, who unlocked the cell door. Sylvia stepped out, smoothing the
front of her robe. She was led to a small, windowless interrogation room where a man was already
waiting. It was Marcus Hayes, one of the city's top defense attorneys and a long-time friend.
Marcus stood up, his face a mix of outrage and concern. "Sylvia. Good God, they actually did it."
They sat down at the dented metal table. "It's a power play, Marcus. They want me discredited and
removed from the bench before the judicial review board looks into the complaints I filed against
the 12th Precinct."
"I know," Marcus said, pulling a stack of papers from his briefcase. "I managed to get a copy of the
warrant and the supporting affidavit. It's thin, Sylvia. Incredibly thin. But it's enough to cause a
media circus. The press is already camped outside."
"Let them camp," Sylvia said, leaning forward. "Show me the warrant. Let's see what fictions
Detective Miller has spun."
The affidavit read like a bad crime novel. According to Detective Miller's sworn statement, a known
drug trafficker named 'Little T' had provided a handwritten ledger detailing protection payments
made to various city officials, with 'S. Vance' receiving weekly installments in exchange for
favorable rulings.
"This is laughable," Sylvia said, tapping the paper. "They didn't even try to make it sophisticated. 'S.
Vance'? Really?"
"It doesn't have to be sophisticated to secure an arrest warrant from a rubber-stamp judge," Marcus