Night Road

The small, squat brick building had big windows and a bright blue door that read: Scot Jacobs, Attorney at Law.

Lexi followed Eva into the office. The main room held a big oak desk, three plastic chairs, and a framed black-and-white photograph of driftwood on a beach. A tired-looking older woman with black horn-rimmed glasses sat behind the desk.

“You must be Alexa,” the receptionist said. “I’m Bea. ”

“Hi, Bea. This is my Aunt Eva. ”

“You both can go in now. ”

“You ready for this?” Eva whispered to Lexi.

Lexi shook her head.

“Me either. ” They walked down a narrow hallway, past a conference-type room.

At the back office, a youngish man sat behind a big glass desk. At their approach, he rose. In a crumpled blue suit and overwashed pink shirt, he looked like the kind of attorney they could afford, and of course they couldn’t really afford him. His hair was unstylishly long, a little tousled, and he needed a shave, but his brown eyes were kind and compassionate.

“Hello,” Lexi said, moving forward to shake his plump, slightly damp hand.

Lexi sat down in one of the two upholstered chairs that faced the desk. Beside her, Eva put her purse on the floor and sat down in the other chair. “Thank you for agreeing to see us,” her aunt said.

Mr. Jacobs steepled his pale fingers and studied Lexi. “You’re in a bad spot, Miss Baill. Your accident has sparked a firestorm around here. The regional MADD organization is fired up. They want an example made of you. ”

“What does that mean?” Lexi asked.

“They think that if you go to prison, kids will get the message. And a lot of people want to see this message go out to kids. ”

“Prison? Prison?” Lexi said, feeling the floor drop out from under her.

“But she’s a kid,” Eva said.

“Actually, she’s eighteen. That makes her an adult, and she was legally intoxicated at the time of the accident. Of course, at her age, point zero is the legal limit. ”

“They send girls to prison for an accident like this?” Eva asked.

“When alcohol is involved, they can. They can also go for probation and community service. There are a lot of potential outcomes here, and a lot of choices along the way. That’s what I’m for: to help guide and defend Lexi. ”

“So what should I do?” Lexi said quietly. She was shaken to her core by the whole idea of this. She’d seen what happened as an accident. It was a crime, though. Now she saw how much more she had to face, and it terrified her.

“We fight. ”

“Fight? But I did it. I drove drunk. ”

“It wasn’t your car, and you were the least intoxicated of the three,” Scot said. “It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out what happened. You thought you were the safest among you to drive. And jurors tend to drink. They’ll know a thing like this can happen to anyone. I’ll need to hire an investigator, but you’ll definitely plead not guilty. Last year I defended a man who killed two people in a similar situation, and I got him acquitted. It’s not over till it’s over. ”

Acquitted. Not guilty. How could Lexi ever face Zach in court and say she wasn’t guilty? How could she face anyone on the island and say that? “But she’s dead. I can’t pretend I didn’t do anything wrong. ”

“Prison isn’t the answer, Lexi. Believe me. ” He collated some papers on his desk, thumped them into a packet. “Here’s the plan. You’re going to speak to high school kids and share your story. I’ll set something up for you. It’ll look good if you take responsibility for your actions. Show the community and the media that you can send a message to other teens without going to prison. ” He gave her a sad smile. “I know your whole story, Lexi. People will respond to what you’ve been through. ”

“What do you mean?”

He opened a file and looked at it. “Your mother, Lorena Baill, was first arrested in 1986, when you were three months old. You lived with seven foster families in your first fourteen years. Every time your mom got out of rehab or jail, she came back for you. The courts kept giving her chances. ” He looked up. “You’ve had a hard life, Lexi. And you were with your mom when she overdosed. ”

Lexi swallowed hard. It was a memory she tried never to remember. “Yes. ”

“Jurors will have sympathy for you. Trust me to take care of you. Okay?”

“How much do you cost?” Aunt Eva asked.