Cassandra became a national hero when she defended Notoe of the Forest People against a false murder charge when no other barrister would take the case. She did this by invoking a little known section in the Malinda Criminal Code: Section 12.c.3, which was originally intended to permit a friend or relative to assume the debt and legal consequences of crimes such as stealing a goat. When Notoe refused to leave the sanctuary of the Forest People's Reserve of the Ancients, Cassandra invoked it in the capital murder trial, in effect becoming Notoe's legal proxy. It was a risky move, especially with a ruthless and ambitious prosecutor and a public demanding a conviction and death penalty. If she had lost the case, and the death penalty had been imposed, she could have faced execution for a crime everyone knew she did not commit. But Cassandra knew that Notoe was innocent, too. And she could not in conscience let him be railroaded. Her defense was ingenious, but it was Henry the Honey Badger's testimony in court that saved the day.
In "The Lion's Share," Cassandra's popularity draws the attention of two unstable men. One sees her as part of a conspiracy led by Elon Musk to repopulate the earth with Martian cyborgs. The other plans to use her in his own repopulation plan. Both had generous encouragement from a cadaverously thin man with translucent skin.
Her husband, Major Riley, is out of the country on a training mission. But as everyone knows, Cassandra is no pushover. And she has protective eyes watching over her and the baby growing in her womb. Henry has become a serious operator in the executive protection business and is her bodyguard. Danger Dan Coetzee and Doctor Patti the Stewardess are also on watch. Both in their sixties, neither had ever married or had children, but their love for Cassandra led them to... Well, you'll just have to read the book.
