Whitmore’s face drained of color in a way that no mention of federal statute had achieved. “That is irrelevant and inappropriate,” he snapped, but the edge in his voice had dulled.
“Is it?” Eliza asked softly, and from her briefcase she withdrew a set of documents, copies of campaign finance records she had obtained weeks earlier when the contractor’s confidence in court had seemed strangely assured. She handed them not to Keller but to the clerk, who hesitated before passing them to the judge.
The room felt smaller suddenly, the air heavier.
“I requested a continuance last month when my medical treatment conflicted with the initial hearing date,” Eliza continued, her gaze unwavering, “and your chambers denied it within an hour, citing a need for expediency, yet you granted three continuances to the defendant’s counsel in the preceding weeks. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I’ve been underestimated before.”
Keller’s expression shifted from controlled indignation to something colder, more strategic. Whitmore scanned the documents, his jaw tightening.
“Campaign contributions are public and lawful.”
“Undoubtedly,” Keller replied, “but failing to recuse oneself when a significant donor appears before the bench is not merely unseemly; it is an ethical violation.”
The silence that followed was not the stunned quiet of earlier but the anticipatory hush of consequence.
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