Day one 2017, 1782

The only sound to be heard was a clang as a fork landed on a plate. It was clear that no one knew what to make of the news. Tulip opened and closed her moth, she just couldn’t believe it. There was no way that it could be possible. Misty would never. Just what could have made them think she was involved in running something like that? An illegal religion meant idols, but she would never. And Magic just how? Where would she even have found such trash. It just. It can’t.

Martha was the one to break the silence. “What, but that can’t be right. Just how could she have been there? There has to be something more to it. Murders? As in planed? She would never. And an illegal religion? Just would she have the knowledge to set up such a operation? It is just not believable.”

Yuma coughed, she should leave but they needed to be talked down a bit. Her Father wasn’t the one to say it. Hearing it from him would make them to angry to listen to him later. “All involved in a crime will be charged for any deaths that occur as a result of it. That is likely why there are murder charges. It wasn’t intended, and so they could well be reduced but the law says they must be brought. Now forgive me, but you need to talk this over and I don’t feel it is right for me to hear more of it then I have. Therefore I am going to go upstairs for a bit. Tulip I am sorry, I don’t know what I can say. I just hope that there is some explanation made.” True they wouldn’t be going over the evidence, but she would hear enough theories on the streets, she didn’t need to hear it here. She was to maintain an impression of neutrality, she couldn’t express any thoughts of guilt or innocence, for all there had not yet been an official notice of her place on the panel.

Tulip nodded. “Yes, of course. I forgot that when I heard murders, but that is a relief. Still I just can’t. I don’t think she even knew how to fire a gun. She was offended when I asked if she wanted to come to the range, but that was years ago when we were learning. I know it is just what the evidence led to happen, not the full story, yet it is just too much. I just can’t.” She was overwhelmed still, but starting to come around, starting to remember the charges were made at the highest leaves, but would likely be reduced. Still it was a scandal, and there was no good outcome. “Just how?”

Yuma stood up, her mother nodded a bit and her father said. “That is something we would all like answered. It is a mess, and is going to get bigger before it is sorted out, I fear. Go on Yuma, but there is no harm in talking over the charges. It is just the evidence that is presented that you are barred from talking about outside of the Jury. The charges are going to be a main topic for some time, so I don’t want you to think you need to stay out of it. It has to be just as upsetting to you. You might not have been as close to Misty, but you did grow up with her.”

Yuma nodded a bit, she knew that but she also knew she couldn’t sit here and listen to them. She could already see them trying to find a away to pin it on the minor religions, on the folks from the poor neighborhoods. Her telling them that they had it wrong would just make things worse. They had enough to deal with as it was. “I understand that, but I know they have a lot of questions and I don’t want you to feel the need to shade the answers any. It is a hard thing to understand, and I just think it is best that I am not here right now.” That was as close as she dared come to saying she was worried about getting into a fight over their theories, and to judge by her Mother’s face, she at least knew it. “I am just going to go work on my papers. Given this I need to get as much done now as I can, for I am going to be busy with the trials, being the trainee I will be the one doing any research needed.” That might just help a bit, and if not the fact that she wasn’t on the family computer might give Tulip something else to think about for a bit. With that she made her way up to her room and lost herself in her work until her cell made her jump. It took her a bit to find it under the papers, that is once she realized what it was making the noise. “Hello, sorry I had this thing buried.”

Joe laughed. “So that is why you didn’t answer the texts. I was hoping you were free to join the online study group for Staler’s class. We were talking on the boards about the last quiz and decided we needed to make a room and go over it with as many people as we can get. Have you had time to look yours over yet? I sent you a link to the room, in your chat inbox.”

Yuma said. “No, I haven’t yet, I was surprised that I had a seventy, but have been getting some papers finished and forgot about it. I needed to hide for a bit and the papers were good for that. The charges will be announced, or have been, I haven’t been online, but will go now. And get my quiz out, I do want to check my answers and see if I can find out why it is graded much lower than the last one. It was a seventy, which is quite a fall from the eighty I had last time, and I was thought I did better on this one.”

Joe said. “I have been tied up in the chat rooms and haven’t heard anything, but maybe I had best check my messages. I take it they are bad?”

Yuma said. “It starts at murder, and goes to pretending to perform magic, including some charges of child abuse, well corruption, but still. Yes it is bad and is going to get worse as the evidence comes out. I will be in the consultant chair, as a trainee, but still Father has arranged for me to stay at the Courthouse once they start. Likely it will end up with sequester orders for the juries, but at this time it hasn’t been decided.” She shook her head. “If your phone hasn’t been going off they must have not announced them yet, as I bet you would have heard. I do hope that Tulip will be a bit more settled and so able to help the others. This is going to rattle everyone. I fear what this is going to but the poorer areas though. I fear a lot are going to be placing the blame on them, not caring there is nothing tying them to any of it.”

Joe said. “Yes, I had best check my messages just in case, now I’m not sure I turned my ringer on  after classes. See you in the chat room, if you are not there I will call the house your sister and get her to check on you.”

Yuma laughed. “I am logged into the chat, but am going to go get a something to drink before getting in the room. I have been sitting here for an hour, now that I see the time, so I need to move a bit. I won’t if I get in there first. I will talk to you in a bit. Trust me she is confused enough, without you adding to it. I do wonder that she hasn’t asked, but likely will after I print my paper. That should give her something else to think about, so might help.” He laughed and hung up, letting her do so. That done she checked the messages, there was just two from him, one asking her where she was, the other telling her to get on chat as soon as she saw it. She laughed and stood up, wonder if she was brave enough to tell her uncle of the last one. It might be just the thing, should she need to distract him. She stood up and realized she really had been still too long, for all it seemed like she had just sat down. Not only did she need to move but she was very thirst now that she was noticing it. Might be best to bring something back with her, who knew how late they would be. Of course she would have to go get her paper from the printer at some point just to take a break.

She got down stairs and Tulip looked up from the computer she was at. “There you are. I was wondering, you said you were going to work on your papers, but you weren’t here. I suppose you want it now.” She was frowning a bit. “I was hoping to get the planning done, the charges are likely going to be announced and then everyone is going to be talking of them for the rest of the night. It is petty but we will need the Harvest dance after this. It will be good to give people something else to talk about.”

Yuma said. “I am glad you are able to get some done. This is going to cause a lot of anger, and I fear a number are going to be casting blame on those that were not involved. Anything that gets people to think of something else will help defuse the anger before it becomes ugly. So no it is not silly or disrespectful in the least.”

Tulip nodded. “We went over it after the first bit, and worked it out. It was a bit tense, but all agreed that it wasn’t right to cancel the dance. Now the carnival is going be canceled this year as that was always Misty’s big event and so it just wouldn’t be right, but she had nothing to do with the dance so it should help. Just what were you so wrapped up in? I thought you said you were going to get your paper finished.”