Baton Smith: A Fictional Narrative

Shaking his head, he looked back at the mirror to give himself a final once-over. Focus was key today, and he could not allow his memories to distract him. Today was all about the families that had been wronged by Baton Smith. Arthur had given his all to this case for more than a year, sacrificed and lost sleep. It was time to see justice served.

He grabbed his laptop bag and headed for the front door. On the entryway table sat a travel mug and a couple of homemade banana peanut butter oat muffins wrapped in plastic. There was a note next to the on-the-go breakfast that read: Best of luck today, Arthur. You’ve got this.

Smiling, Arthur grabbed the food. Tristan was a great guy, and Arthur had the support of his friends. Regardless of the
Arthur had been born and bred to be a lawyer, but he still felt privileged when he took his seat at the head of the plaintiff’s table in the courtroom.

To his left sat Elena, poised and prepared, dressed in a navy power suit, with her hair swept up into a neat and professional
Daegal answered the questions well enough, but when pushed during the cross-examination prep, he started to sweat and squirm. His eyes would dart around the room, and even though the kid had done nothing wrong, he looked guilty. Arthur hoped that to the jury, Daegel would like a young man who was eager to do the right thing, but was simply nervous about being in the spotlight.

Arthur glanced up as the jury members took their seats. Next, the plaintiffs associated with the lawsuit filed into the galley, followed by onlookers, which meant Judge Valdis would enter at any moment. She was fair, but firm and kept strict order in her courtroom, which Arthur appreciated. She did not tolerate showboating or grandstanding.

Arthur’s father would not be present. Uther had handed over the reins of this case to Arthur and walked away, preferring to focus instead on drumming up more business and concentrating on Uther Pendragon and Associates’ balance sheet. Arthur had seen the balance sheet. The firm was as far into the black as one could hope, but if Uther’s endeavors kept him out of Arthur’s way, that was fine by Arthur. His father hadn’t even bothered to wish him well this