Code Name: Camelot (Noah Wolf #1)(11)
“Lieutenant Mathers, I appreciate that. But do yourself a favor, and wait until Congressman Gibson retires.”
The members of the court returned after only twenty-four minutes of deliberations, and their foreman stood to read the verdict. Noah was convicted on all counts, just as he had told her he would be.
“Sergeant Noah Foster,” intoned the presiding officer, as Noah stood to hear the official pronouncement of the verdict. “The members of this court have found you guilty of multiple counts of murder and sedition. This court will now move to the sentencing phase, unless the defendant is in need of a recess.”
Noah kept his eyes on the eyes of the judge. “I don’t need a recess, Sir,” he said. “I’d like to proceed.”
Mathers leaned over and whispered into his ear. “Foster, are you sure? We can take a break, reconvene tomorrow.”
Noah shook his head. “All that would do is give me one more day to second-guess what we could’ve done. Let’s just get this over with. There’s actually a lot of books I want to read before I die, so the sooner I get started, the better the chance I’ll get to finish at least some of them.”
Mathers looked up at the judge. “Defense is ready to proceed, Sir,” she said.
Just like the court-martial itself, the sentencing phase was a farce. The presiding officer listened to statements about Foster’s character from his commanding officer and several of the men who had already testified against him, painting him as a dangerous and psychotic individual. When it was her turn, she put Foster back on the stand and let him talk about his childhood, the things that had happened to him. She asked him about his psychological problems, and was quickly shut down by the judge. By the time she finished, she was standing before the presiding officer with tears streaming down her cheeks.
And then it was time. “Sergeant Noah Foster,” the judge said, “you have been convicted of murder and sedition, both of which are eligible for the death penalty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and this court has heard testimony from a number of your peers and superiors that makes me wonder how you ever managed to get into the Army in the first place. Men like you are not fit for military service, and it amazes me that it took so long for your flaws to become visible. It is therefore the order of this court that you shall be taken forthwith and transported back to the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, there to be executed by lethal injection at such time as may be ordered by the Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America.”
There was no outburst. Foster stood silent as the sentence was pronounced, and the only sound in the room came from the soft sobbing of his defense attorney. He turned to her.
“Lieutenant,” he said, “I want to thank you for all you’ve done, and all you tried to do. What’s our next step?”
“I’ll begin work on the first appeal immediately,” she said. “Then we’ll keep at it until we either get your sentence commuted, get your conviction overturned or—or we exhaust all possibilities. The way this usually works, they’ll have you shipped back to the states within the next couple of weeks. They’ll fly me back for each appeal hearing, so you’ll see me again.”
“Good, I’d like that. Looks like my ride is here,” he said, indicating the two MPs who stood by the door waiting to take him back to his cell. “Try not to let this get you down, Lieutenant. Believe me when I tell you that I can see how hard you tried. Like I told you before, it’s time you go and find someone you can save, and put all your effort into them.”
He held his hands out for the MPs, and they put the cuffs and shackles back on him before leading him out the door. Mathers was alone in the courtroom, and for just a moment, she simply sat down at the defense table and let her tears flow.
Five minutes later, she walked out of the room with her head held high.
Things moved quite a bit faster than Mathers had expected, and Noah was shipped back to the states less than a week later. She had spent as much time with him as she could, in preparation for the appeal, but there were still numerous points she needed to discuss with him. She stormed into her commanding officer’s office once again.
“At ease, Lieutenant,” Captain Willis said. “You want to tell me what this is all about?”
“It’s Sergeant Foster,” she said. “I’m working on his first appeal, but I went over to the stockade this morning and they said he’s been sent off to Leavenworth already. What’s going on?”
Willis leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face. “Lieutenant Mathers, didn’t we already have this conversation? Your client got the attention of some high-profile political power, remember? Don’t expect the government to drag its feet on this case.”
“He still has a right to his appeal,” she said. “How am I supposed to properly prepare for the appeal, when I didn’t get enough time to sit down with him and get all the information I need?”
Willis looked her in the eye and let out a sigh. “Look, Abby, I know how frustrating this is, and especially for someone young and idealistic like you. You’ve just got to accept that you’ve done the best you can do, and learn to live with it. If you still need to communicate with the Sergeant on his appeal, there’s an email set up that you can use, and he’ll be taken to a special computer where he can read your emails and reply to them.”