"That is an assumption, Michael," his lawyer said. "You have no guarantee that anyone will intervene, and you cannot build your entire expectation around the possibility that somebody will influence the court. I can challenge the prosecution's case where there are proper grounds, and I can present the relevant circumstances on your behalf, but I cannot promise you a particular sentence."
Michael was not ready to abandon his belief. He had spent too many years watching influence change outcomes to accept that it had become useless now. If those people had been serious about protecting themselves, they would understand that keeping him from exposing them was in their interests as well. He did not need them to get him acquitted; he only needed them to ensure that his punishment was not as severe as it might otherwise have been.
