The Empty Jury Seat

It was Tessa’s first trial as a junior clerk. She arrived early, placed fourteen name cards in the jury box, and checked the list twice: twelve jurors, two alternates. At nine, Judge Mercer entered and Tessa called each number. Eleven of the twelve jurors answered. Seat Nine remained empty. “The first alternate will take Seat Nine,” the judge said. Before moving the name card, Tessa checked the attendance system. Juror Nine’s badge had passed courthouse security at 8:12.

During the break, Tessa asked Juror Six who had been sitting in Seat Nine. “Mr. Bell. Gray suit, red tie.” Juror Ten frowned. “No. Her name was Anna. She lent me a pen.” The others remembered different faces, but each insisted Seat Nine had been occupied during jury selection. Tessa opened the selection record. Juror Nine had answered every question. The transcript marked each reply as inaudible. The name field was blank. Judge Mercer closed the file. “Seat the alternate and stop asking. This trial begins today.”