pointed out. "They rely on the shock value. A sitting judge arrested in her courtroom makes
headlines. The retraction months later barely makes page ten."
"We need to attack the foundation," Sylvia instructed, her legal mind shifting into high gear,
compartmentalizing the personal humiliation. "We need the informant's full jacket. I want every
deal Miller has ever made with him. Furthermore, look at the timeline of the alleged payments."
Marcus traced his finger down the page. "Payments are listed on the 14th and 28th of last month."
"I was at a judicial conference in Seattle from the 12th to the 16th, and on the 28th, I was delivering
a keynote address at the state university—a heavily documented, public event," Sylvia said, a small,
triumphant smile touching her lips. "They rushed this. They didn't check their dates."
"That destroys the credibility of the ledger," Marcus agreed, taking rapid notes. "But we need more.
If we just prove the dates are wrong, they'll say the informant was mistaken about the days. We
need to prove malicious intent by Miller."
Sylvia nodded. "The signature on the warrant. Judge Aris. He's lazy, but he's not suicidal. If he
knew the affidavit was entirely fabricated, he wouldn't have signed it, knowing it targeted a
colleague. Miller must have buried the lead or misrepresented the target."
Marcus pulled up a digitized copy of the warrant on his tablet and zoomed in on the top section.
"Look at this. The original application lists the target as 'Jane Doe, alias S. Vance, suspected
associate of the defendant.' He presented it as a street-level associate, not a sitting judge. He slipped
it into a stack of routine search warrants."
"Fraud upon the court," Sylvia said softly. Her eyes hardened. "He lied to a judge to get a warrant to
arrest a judge. When Aris finds out he was played, he's going to be furious."
"I'll file an emergency motion to quash the warrant and demand an immediate evidentiary hearing,"
Marcus said, packing his briefcases. "We are going to tear this apart in the light of day. They wanted
a spectacle? We'll give them one."
Sylvia stood up, the heavy fabric of her robe settling around her. She was no longer just a victim of
a corrupt system; she was its greatest threat. "Get me out of here, Marcus. I have a court to run."