Theodore Boone the accomplice by John Grisham chapter one Boy Scout Troop 1440 was dismissed by Major Ludwig promptly at 5 pm on Tuesday afternoon and the boys hustled outside to their bikes as always Theodore Boone lingered for a moment to say goodbye to the major then he stepped into the cool evening with plans to head downtown to his parents Law Firm at the bike rack he saw Woody Lambert one of his good friends and noticed once again that he wasn't smiling Woody never smiled these days and th
at in itself would not have been noticeable except that in place of a smile or a grin or any sign that life was normal or even okay Woody was going about his business with a sad sour expression as if life was beating him up as he carried burdens and problems too heavy for a 13 year old boy Theo had known him since the fourth grade when the Lamberts moved to strattonburg their home was unstable his mother was on her second or third husband and the current one was often away on the job his real fa
ther had disappeared years ago his older brother Tony had been arrested once and was gaining a bad reputation Theo suspected that the Lamberts were having serious problems and that was why Woody seemed so unhappy Theo said let's go to goffs and get a frozen yogurt my treat Woody immediately shook his head no even frown no thanks he never had spare change and he was too proud to allow Theo or anyone else to treat Theo had known this for a long time and felt like a jerk for offering to pay you oka
y Theo asked I'm fine what he said as he climbed onto his bike see you later call me if you need me Theo said and watched him ride away Woody did not respond home was the last place Woody wanted to go though he suspected the house would be empty his mother was working two part-time jobs and on Tuesday she waited tables at a diner near the college her husband Woody's stepfather worked in construction and made good money at times but the jobs were sporadic currently he was out of town two hours aw
ay and Woody hadn't seen him in a month Tony was a sophomore at strattonburg high but was in the process of dropping out or flunking out or getting kicked out for bad grades and low attendance Tony's attitude was so lousy he didn't care how he left the school Woody parked his bike under the carport walked through the unlocked door to the kitchen yelled for Tony heard nothing and was pleased no one was there he was spending a lot of time alone and it wasn't all that bad he had choices options he
could play video games watch television do his homework or plug in his electric guitar and practice for an hour or so of the four homework of course ranked last his grades were slipping and his teachers were asking questions but no one at home seemed to care there was rarely anyone at home Theo parked his bike outside the rear door of Boone and Boone the converted old House's parents had owned since long before he was born he entered through the door stepped into his own little office and was im
mediately met by judge his faithful dog who had been waiting for hours judge spent his days at the office doing nothing of importance except sleeping and begging for food he moved quietly around the place napping on one small dog palate for an hour or so before easing along to another he had at least four beds three downstairs and one up but his favorite was the soft one located under Theo's desk each afternoon in anticipation of his best friend returning from school judge went to Theo's office
and waited Theo rubbed his head chatted with him for a moment then the two of them went to say hello Vince the paralegal had left for the day and his door was closed Dorothy the real estate secretary was hard at work but stopped for a second to inquire as to how Theo's day had gone the door to his mother's large office was closed a clear indication that she was meeting with a client she was a divorce lawyer most of her clients were women and when they met behind closed doors things were usually
tense Theo did not even think about knocking he had no plans to be a divorce lawyer at the age of 13 he had already decided that he would become either a great courtroom and lawyer the best in the state with big important trials or a great judge who presided over those trials and was known for his wisdom and fairness most of his friends were dreaming of careers as professional athletes or computer Geniuses or brain surgeons or perhaps even a rock star to but not Theo he loved the law and longed
for the day when he was a fully grown man with dark suits and a fine leather briefcase however according to his parents he must first finish the eighth grade then suffer through high school college and law school at least 12 more years of education awaited him and he was not looking forward to the ordeal at times he was already tired the front room of Boone and Boone was ruled by Elsa Miller the firm's long time receptionist secretary paralegal advisor referee and occasionally in the past Theo's
babysitter Elsa did it all and she did it with an enthusiasm that Theo often found tiresome at the sight of him she bounced up from her desk grabbed him hugged him pinched both cheeks all the while asking how his day had gone it was the daily routine and it rarely changed just another boring day in school Theo said as he tried to wiggle out of her embrace you always say that how was scouts Elsa knew his schedule better than he did he had an appointment with a doctor or dentist Elsa had it marke
d on her calendar a science project due Elsa reminded him a scouting trip to the lake Elsa was on it she looked him up and down to make sure his shirt matched his pants another irksome habit and said your mother is with a client but your father is free right now his father was always free and alone Woods Boone was a real estate lawyer who smoked a pipe and because of the smoke no one else in the firm ventured upstairs near his office better hop on your homework Elsa said as she retreated to her
desk every school day of his life at least three people his parents and Elsa reminded him to do his homework and the irritating part of it was that Theo always did his homework no one had to remind him not once in his student life had he failed to do his homework yet he was constantly being reminded to get it done at times he wanted to snap at them all three of them but that would cause more trouble than it was worth and it wouldn't help matters part of being a good kid was learning to overlook
the shortcomings of adults they like to repeat things especially his father and especially in those little commands that were supposed to make Theo a better person brush your teeth comb your hair eat your vegetables ride carefully and watch for traffic do your homework the list seemed endless so instead of arguing he said yes ma'am and walked to the stairs judge was at his heels and they headed up making as much noise as possible his father was known to nap in the late afternoon and Theo being a
good kid did not want to embarrass him by barging in mid-snore but Mr Boone was wide awake and lost in the usual pile of papers on his desk a thick Rich Aroma of Pipe smoke hung in the air which Theo had never found to be unpleasant well hello Theo his father said looking up as if surprised the same greeting virtually every afternoon hey Pop Theo said as he fell into a soft leather chair across the desk are you busy busy Mr Boone repeated as he waved his arms at the mountain of paperwork as if
he had far too many clients never too busy for you how was school boring as always but Scouts was fun we're headed to the lake in two weeks I know the major invited me to take along but not this time they'd had this conversation at least three times already Dad I'm worried about something let's hear it it's Woody he's acting strange like he's worried all the time his grades are not good and the teachers are watching him pretty close trouble at home you think probably his big brother Tony is hang
ing out with some bad kids skipping school staying out late stuff like that and he has a lot of influence over Woody their mom works a couple of part-time jobs and is not home much his stepfather works out of town and Woody doesn't like the guy anyway we're going camping in two weeks and Woody says he's not going says he needs to do some yard work around the house the truth is is that he probably doesn't have the money to make the trip he's always broke these days I'm really worried about him do
es he have many friends you know what he did he's a popular guy who gets a lot of respect because he's the toughest kid in class if there's a fight would he either starts it or finish it or breaks it up Nobody messes with him and he sort of likes his tough guy role it looks like Woody is headed down the wrong road at least in my opinion I wish there was some way we could help him you can be his friend and talk to him Theo he's always liked you be a positive influence encourage him to study and d
o his homework talk about what it'll be like when you guys go off to high school next year the sports the girls the football games the field trips all the fun stuff you'll be involved in I guess I don't suppose there's anything you and Mom could do I'll talk to her and we'll think about it but it's usually a bad idea to get involved with somebody else's kid we've got our hands full raising you he laughed but Theo wasn't in the mood for humor thanks Dad I better get busy with the homework sure Th
eo and I'll discuss it with your mother the Owen judge went downstairs to his little office judge curled up on his bed and immediately went to sleep completely unworried about anything Theo envied him the life of a dog sleeping eating occasionally chasing squirrels and rabbits no troubles at all chapter 2. it was after dark when Woody heard the kitchen door slam he was in the den watching television bored Tony bounced in with a big smile and said hey kid what are you doing nothing where have you
been hanging out any word from Mom no she works until 10 on Tuesdays Tony fell onto the sofa and kicked off his sneakers what are you watching Clint Eastwood an old western watch the weirdest stuff have you had dinner there's nothing to eat I've already checked look I gotta deliver some pizzas tonight why don't you come with me and we'll grab one on the Run pizza sounded like a good idea though they ate a lot of them Tony worked a few hours a week delivering for a popular pizza joint called San
tos and he usually managed to grab a few leftover slices for himself and Woody often he managed to steal an entire Supreme all right Woody said without moving Tony bounced off the sofa went to his room and returned seconds later wearing his red Santos Polo and matching Red Cap Woody turned off the television and the lights and they left the house Tony drove a small Toyota pickup with a million miles on it a hand-me-down from their stepfather it wasn't much of a ride and the girls weren't too imp
ressed with it but for the time being it was all they had 10 minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall and Tony parked as far away from Santos as possible keep down he says he got out I know I know what he said as he slid low in the seat Santos had a no writer's policy and the boss was strict about it while making deliveries any driver caught with a passenger would be fired on the spot Tony disappeared into the restaurant and Woody began the waiting peeking out the window he
watched college students spill out of their cars and enter Santos cute girls cool guys nice cars Woody wondered if he would ever make it to College he was having doubts though at the age of 13 he really wasn't too concerned about it in his game only Theo and perhaps one or two others had their Futures planned Woody was leaning toward a career as a fireman and he wasn't sure if College was necessary his phone pinged with a text from his mother have you seen Tony what are you having for dinner Wo
ody responded we are fine Pizza you good okay but may work until 11. okay with that sure homework done of course she asked about his homework only because she was expected to the truth was Daisy was too tired to monitor her son's progress in school she knew Tony was skipping a lot because the school called her and they were fighting about it but Tony was winning because his mother simply didn't have the energy to keep up with him things were not going well with her current husband she's worrying
a lot and losing sleep Daisy was always tired and frazzled and Woody was concerned with her earnings from two part-time jobs plus what little her husband kicked in the family was barely staying afloat how was Woody supposed to dream of college it was easy for someone like Theo with two parents who were lawyers and seemed to be happily married plus Theo was an only child he had been Woody's loyal friend for many years and would always be but at times Woody secretly admitted to himself that he wa
s envious at Theo Tony walked out with the bright red magnetic Santos sign and affixed it to the top of the Toyota should be only a few minutes he said and went back inside Woody said nothing 10 minutes later Tony was back with four large pizza boxes which he placed on the bench seat between them they smell delicious and Woody was suddenly starving when they were on the street Tony said open the top one and let's have dinner sausage and mushrooms would he opened the box handed a slice to Tony an
d took one for himself they ain't in silence as Tony zipped through narrow streets around the college driving as always much too fast the first stop was a rundown duplex with cars scattered in the front yard Tony checked the address parked in the street and hustled to the front door with a large pizza it was back in seconds and grumbling kit gave me a buck a 12 Pizza in Mr Big Spender tipped me only a buck college kids they sped away and stopped two blocks over at another student dump another on
e dollar tip but they were having fun cutting through the Maze of streets around Stratton College listening to loud music on the radio eating dinner and griping about how cheap the students were when the last pizza was delivered Tony raced back to Santos for another load the restaurant was packed and the delivery phone rang non-stop it was dinner time and the students were hungry they squealed tires and took off again with a rack of warm pizzas between them Tuesdays were normally slow but Santos
was shrewdly offering a two-for-one special and business was brisk for two hours Tony and Woody wheeled around the Western section of strattonburg delivering mostly to students but to some nicer homes as well when things slowed down around nine Tony had collected 27 dollars in tips and was proud of himself he gave Woody a five dollar bill and said he would give his mother a 10 but would he doubted that stopped for gas at a convenience store on the edge of town someone called Tony's name and a f
riend named Garth walked over as he left the store Tony was pumping gas and Theo couldn't hear all of their conversation but he did hear Garcia let's go cruising got some beer in a tank full of gas Garth drove a muscled up green Mustang with wide wheels and loud mufflers and he was known to speed around town he wasn't a bad kid in fact he was quite popular and dated one of the cutest girls Woody had ever seen but there was something about Garth that Woody didn't like he had the look of a guy who
might break bad at any minute and do something stupid he was 18 a year older than Tony but still too young to buy beer and the fact that he had something was a bad sign Tony finished pumping and parked the truck beside the store you going with us he asked Woody what am I supposed to do walk home let's go we'll just cruise around for a while and get home before Mom smart voice and Woody's head said no do not get in the car with Garth and Tony and cruise around the college while drinking beer not
hing good could happen and the not so smart boy said oh go ahead it's harmless fun how many 13 year olds get to hang out with their older guys are you coming with us Tony snapped at him but it was more than a question it was a challenge what Tony was really asking was are you going to chicken out and go home and wait for Mommy Woody didn't Flinch didn't hesitate I'm coming he said and Shrugged as if he could run with the big dudes any night of the week he crawled into the back seat of the Mustan
g his Garth gunned the engine the car roared and fishtailed out of the parking lot give me a beer Garth said over his shoulder as he darted through traffic Woody saw a six pack of cans on the seat next to him he pulled off two and handed them to Tony who said you can have one it was another challenge Garth was watching in the rear view mirror and asked how old are you Woody 13. ever had a beer sure we've had a few together Tony said sneak them from the fridge when no one's home there was one mas
sive gigantic problem in the car with them Woody could feel it almost touch it as if it were seated next to him and he came very close to Simply blurting it out just to clear his conscience Tony was on probation four months earlier he had been arrested for possession of pot which it was bad enough but he had also been charged with intent to sell he got an incredibly lucky break when the two narcotics officers who nailed him collapsed one was fired for stealing drugs the other fled town and had n
ot been seen the evidence disappeared along with the policeman and for a few weeks Tony was the luckiest kid in strattonburg he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of underage possession and got off light with six months probation he spent only one night in jail and considered the entire episode a joke it did not phase him and he continued slipping through the cracks at school if he got caught with a beer it would be a violation of his probation and he would likely spend a few nights in Th
e Slammer but Tony wasn't worried about anything these days he was 17 going to school when he pleased and enjoying the life of a future High School Dropout I had my first beer when I was 10 years old Garth said proudly my crazy uncle gave it to me he's in prison you know go ahead Willie help yourself the truth was Woody had tasted beer a few times always in an effort to be cool in front of Tony but he couldn't stand the taste of it after years of watching beer commercials in which young and beau
tiful and athletic people lived the good life with a cold beer in hand he was shocked at how awful it tasted he had mentioned this to Tony who promised him that with enough practice he would grow to enjoy it Garth still glancing back said come on kid pop a top Woody pulled off a beer popped it took a sip and tried to look as if he really enjoyed it but wanted to spit it out he managed to choke it down without frown then gritted his teeth and took another swallow then another The Taste did not im
prove I think he likes it Garth said between gulps if you only knew what he said to himself Tony and Garth enjoyed their drinks far more than Woody and within minutes were tossing back their empties and demanding more Woody handed them their seconds and took another sip he began to get lightheaded and this helped with the bad taste he finally finished his first can and popped the top to a second attaboy Garth said without turning around they turned into a parking lot around a large mall and circ
led it until they approached a Cineplex there's his car Tony said as if he really didn't want to meet whoever owned the car it was parked with several others all jacked up muscle cars all with tough guys leaning on the fenders and smoking cigarettes Garth parked close by and turned off his ignition let's get it over with stay here Tony said to what he has he got out no problem what he thought he watched Garth and Tony approached the other guys say hello shake hands in a variety of ways and light
up their own cigarettes nobody was holding a beer or a drink a police car eased by not far away the boys waved the cops waved back everybody was behaving Woody kept low in the back seat barely peeking through the window the boys laughed and battered back and forth then the conversation grew serious both Garth and Tony reached into their pockets took out money and handed it over to a bearded guy who looked a few years older he gave them nothing in return Woody doubted that neither his brother no
r Garth would be stupid enough to buy pot in such an open area that was patrolled by the police there were probably cameras everywhere still the transaction whatever it was had the look of something Shady when they returned to the car Woody asked who's that guy with a beard Garth started the car and began to ease away Tony said nothing Woody asked again who's that guy with the beard Tony said an old friend but it was obvious the guy was not an old friend and Tony just wanted his little brother t
o shut up no one spoke for a few minutes as Garth drove along Main Street going nowhere in particular finally he said I need some more beer the six-pack was gone each had consumed two cans I'm broke you got any cash left Garth asked Tony no gave it all to him what what he asked how can you be broke you had over 20 bucks a while ago Tony turned around and glared at his little brother that guy back there is a friend of ours he's a bookie at the college handles bets on football games we owed him so
me money no big deal sometimes you win sometimes you lose how about loaning me that five bucks I just gave you think so Woody wanted to say something about the gambling which of course was also against the law and would be another violation of Tony's probation forget it gar said we're not taking money from a kid he braked hard and pulled into a shopping center all the stores were closed but a well-lit ATM machine was waiting Garth Park left the engine running walked to the machine looked around
nervously as if robbing a bank and began punching numbers he punched and punched without success he stopped away returned the car said I guess my mom's Frozen my account again I really want a beer they sped away with the Mustang burning rubber the convenience store was on the edge of town on a two-lane road with little traffic the parking lot was gravel and the front windows were covered with thick bars two pumps offered gasoline but there were no other customers at that moment Garth parked and
said I know this guy be right back what's he doing what he asked almost in a whisper don't worry about Garth he knows everybody they waited but not long Garth soon appeared making a quick exit and holding an entire case of canned beer he yanked open his door tossed the beer into Woody's lap jumped in and shifted gears the Mustang roared away from the store spreading gravel all over the place beer please Garth said obviously proud of himself Woody pulled off two cans and handed them to the front
he was finished for the night how'd you get the beer he asked when the store was out of sight just told the guy I was thirsty he would borrow some beer Garth popped the top and slugged his beer come on Tony said the guy gives you credit car smacked his lips and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand he reached into his left Jean's pocket and pulled out something it was a black pistol shiny in the darkness this is instant credit All Over Town Garth said with a laugh he turned around quickly ai
med it at Woody's face and pulled the trigger a blast of warm water hit Woody in the eyes his heart had stopped in a split second and his mouth opened in horror Garth roared with laughter as he turned his attention back to the highway Tony was not amused and yell what are you doing you robbed that guy no of course not car said still laughing you can't rob somebody with a water pistol I just borrowed some beer and some of his cash and I'll go back tomorrow and pay the guy you took cash Tony yelle
d again in disbelief Woody was too stunned to think water was still dripping into his mouth and he was in shock from being shot but he quickly began to realize that the situation was a lot more serious than Garth was letting on you're crazy Tony said you can't stick a gun in a guy's face I don't care what kind of gun it is it's not a gun it's a water pistol and a very nice one at that just having a little fun how much cash did you take not much all he had he emptied the drawer I'd say a couple h
undred look Garth we're going home Tony said angrily take us back to my truck you got that I'm on probation remember a stupid trick like that will bring in the cops and I'm headed to jail I don't care what kind of gun you use take us back to my truck what you're a drink Tony don't freak out on me you're crazy come on Tony don't go checking on me it's not being chicken it's being stupid I don't want the beer and I'm telling you right now we're getting out of here all right all right you will cave
it back there Woody Tony asked sure Woody barely managed to say he wanted to inform his older brother that he thought he was an idiot for getting in carth's car to begin with but he bit his tongue and avoided more trouble they were back in the city near the college and the highway had widened into a Boulevard they stopped at a red light and a police car eased alongside them to garth's left his window was down from the back seat Woody heard the words he would never forget a cop said loudly stop
right there kid suddenly there were blue lights everywhere chapter three a thick cop kept growling shut up kid shut up kid but Garth kept talking over his shoulder he was on the hood of his car face down hands cuffed behind him feet off the ground Tony was standing behind the Mustang also handcuffed quietly answering questions from two policemen there seemed to be a dozen of them Milling about poking through garth's car huddling with one another listening to their phones radio squawked and a hun
dred blue lights lit up the intersection traffic was blocked in several lanes and a uniformed officer pointed this way in that a crowd was gathering on a sidewalk everyone curious to know what terrible crime had been committed by the three young hoodlums in the back seat of a patrol car Woody sat alone and felt very small his hands were cuffed behind his back they were snug on his wrists and quite uncomfortable but at the moment he figured that a little pain from the handcuffs was not his bigges
t problem the cops had yanked him out of the car and at first shoved him around the usual routine but when they realized he was just a kid they relaxed and searched him they took his cell phone slapped the cuffs on him and put him in the back seat where he had a decent view of the action Garth wanted to resist and explain and make it all go away but the more he talked the rougher the cops became Tony seemed too frightened to argue with the police the crowd continued to gather and Woody tried to
slide lower he watched as Tony was led to another patrol car and placed in the rear seat then Garth was removed from the hood of his car and sort of dragged to yet another patrol car and shoved in talking away the whole time with the three suspects secured the police waved over a tow truck with its yellow and orange lights blinking wildly to Woody it seemed like a little too much muscle and Manpower just for three stupid kids drinking beer still he knew he was in trouble two policemen got in the
front seat and slammed the doors you okay kid one asked yes sir Woody answered quickly everything had been yes sir and no sir since the moment he'd seen the blue lights we gotta take you to the police station son the driver said as he drove away from the scene the Mustang's front tires were off the ground and the tow truck driver was pulling levers yes sir Woody said I guess we should call my mom we'll call it from the station we got her number from your brother I don't suppose you guys could j
ust take me home could you both laughed short little humorous grunts that quickly passed a comedian the driver said Woody said I mean you know it's just a little beer a little beer the cop in the passenger seat repeated he turned around and glared at Woody and crawled son we're talking about armed robbery a sharp pain hit Woody deep in the gut he tried to say something he wasn't sure what but his throat suddenly clamped shut and his mouth was dry he managed to breathe and felt sweat under his ar
ms was this a joke he wanted to ask but it was obvious that it was not were they really charging him with armed robbery surely not he and Tony had never left the car at the convenience store how can you pull an armed robbery with a water pistol it was only a water pistol right Woody's shirt was still wet he had the proof he breathed deep and said it was only a water pistol that's not when he told the guy at the store the driver said my shirt is still wet what he said and he realized how stupid h
e sounded just shut up kid the other cop said and he did and he bit his lips to keep from crying at the police station Woody was led through a side door and into a large reception area where other cops and clerks stopped and gawked at him as if he'd committed a murder there was no sign of either Tony or Garth Woody was taken to a room where his handcuffs were removed a Gruff angry sergeant in a tight uniform growled stand over there kid this is your mug shot Woody backed against a wall stared at
a camera and for a split second thought of all the bad mug shots of famous people he'd seen online don't smile kid the cop said I'm not smiling Woody said he had not smiled in days on three one two three the camera clicked the sergeant looked at a screen and said beautiful make your mom proud sit over there Woody went to a chair and did as he was told the sergeant took a step over looked down with a frown and said so they say you've been drinking beer right yes sir how much two cans gee I've ne
ver heard that before every drunk who comes in here says he had just two drinks how old are you 13. I need to check your blood alcohol level we use a machine called a breathalyzer ever heard of it no sir first I need you to agree to it understand not really you need to sign this consent form which allows us to use a breathalyzer to measure how much alcohol is in your system follow me yes sir sign right here the sergeant handed down a clipboard with a pen Woody signed his name by a large x his ha
nd was shaking so wildly he couldn't read his own name should I ask my mom about this he asked as he handed the clipboard back your mom's not here is she no and I'd like to call her but those other policemen took my phone standard procedure the sergeant said as he rolled over a cart with a breathalyzer he flipped a switch glanced at a small monitor then shoved a small tube in Woody's face now stick this in your mouth and blow as hard as you can what he did is instructed he blew a second time the
n a third and when the sergeant was finally satisfied he grabbed the tube and hid another switch how'd I do would he ask Breathing heavily as his heart pounded away great kid .06 not legally drunk but enough to nail you for underage drinking now stand up and turn around what he got to his feet and the sergeant slapped the handcuffs onto his wrists he was led from the room and down a hallway where the two detectives were waiting the sergeant said he's all yours .06 the detectives took him down so
me stairs to a small windowless room where he was told to sit in a chair and say nothing then just left him there he had not seen Tony or Garth since they had driven away from the street he waited and waited and had no idea of the time he wanted to call his mother because she would be worried and he really needed her at that awful moment there was no one to help him thirteen-year-old kid locked away in the basement of the police station and no one to help Tony was in a similar room two doors dow
n though neither knew where his brother was at that moment Garth was also in the basement just down the hall two detectives in plain clothes walked into garth's room closed the door and pulled chairs up to the narrow table the first one said you're 18 years old so we're treating you like an adult you ever been arrested before Garth knew it was all a misunderstanding and his father would have it cleared up by Sunrise so he had nothing to worry about a couple of times he said without concern but n
ot that serious youth court stuff the saint Youth Court son this is the real thing we need to ask you some questions okay but don't you have to Read Me My Rights like they always do on television sure you have the right to remain silent anything you say can be used against you in court and you have the right to an attorney understand don't I get a phone call I really want to call my dad later where did you get that pistol a pistol the second detective pulled up a clear plastic bag and laid it on
the table he said looks just like a nine millimeter Ruger could have fooled me certainly fooled the guy at the convenience store where'd you get it the first detective asked again kid gave it to me it's his what you think I go around shooting water pistols it's the kids Woodies sure not mine Garth believed that if he and Tony stuck together and blamed it all on Woody a 13 year old kid then they could walk away free as birds and nothing much would happen to Woody anyway it was just a little fun
and games and his father would handle it soon enough who planned the robbery the second detective asked I really want to talk to my dad he'll get a lawyer if that's okay whose idea was it to rob the convenience store no one's you see it really wasn't a robbery because it was just a water pistol it was sort of a joke you know this is all one big misunderstanding and my dad and his lawyer will clear up everything you guys need to relax a little so it was your idea look you said I could remain sile
nt right and that I can have a lawyer okay I want to call my dad and he'll bring in a lawyer how much money did you take I'm not talking anymore the detectives finally left the room they chatted briefly in the hallway then entered the room where young Woody was waiting terrified by now I sat down both scowling as if they were about to interrogate a serial killer and the first one said we've talked to your brother Tony and your pal Garth both of them swear that the pistol belongs to you what he f
elt like he'd been hit in the head with a brick what he managed to say in shock his jaw dropped and his eyes watered and he looked at the first detective in total disbelief why would Tony say something like that why would both of them lie to the police and try to pin the blame on him you heard me kid the first detective said your buddies are saying it's your gun it's just a water pistol the guy at the store didn't think so under our law it's armed robbery 20 plus years for your two buddies off t
o the juvenile joint for you but if you tell us the truth we'll lean on the judge to cut you some slack know what I mean not really we know the judge he knows us if you tell us everything we can put in a good word with him and you'll get off light what do you want to know would he asked slowly something told him not to say too much to the police but then he was terrified at the moment and wanted to help whose gun is it Garth Tony and I never saw it until we came back to the car we didn't go into
the store look at the security cameras we had no idea what Garth was doing he just wanted some beer and so he drove to the store told us to wait for a minute went inside came back with a case of beer and after we were driving away he pulled out the pistol and laughed about robbing the guy that's what happened I swear Tony and I knew nothing how long have you guys been drinking beer I don't know Tony and I delivered pizza then bumped into Garth I knew it was a mistake to go cruising with him he
had some beer and really wanted me to drink some I can't stand this stuff but I was trying to you know be cool like the big guys Woody's voice cracked and his lips quivered the detectives exchanged looks the first one said cool like the big guys we see it all the time that'll get you some jail time chapter four Daisy Lambert turned into her driveway at 11 15 and she immediately noticed that Tony's little blue truck was not parked where it was supposed to be it wasn't there the house was complete
ly dark not a single light in any window the boys always waited for her to get home from work before they went to bed for a moment she sat in her car and prayed that nothing was wrong then got out inside the house she found nothing not a note not a sign of either son she'd called and texted both of them driving home neither responded but that was not that unusual often late at night the boys ignored their phones she turned on lights called them again and fixed a pot of coffee is probably going t
o be a long night she called her husband who was two hours away with his work crew woke him up and told him the boys were not home they were not his boys but rather his stepsons and there was nothing he could do at that moment he suggested she called the police the minutes passed slowly and Daisy sat in the den with a cup of coffee and watched the front yard she prayed that any minute the little blue truck would arrive and her boys would be safe she wanted to see headlights it was midnight now a
nd there was no traffic on their Narrow Street at the edge of strattonburg the next lights would be her boys she just knew it at midnight she called the police station but no one there had ever heard of the Lambert boys she tried to sit in the den again but was too anxious she poured another cup and went for a drive around town looking for Tony's Truck looking for red and blue lights at the scene of some terrible car wreck looking for any sign of them and waiting for her phone to ring she stoppe
d by Santos but it was closed after roaming through the empty streets for an hour she saw two police cars in the parking lot of a motel their lights were on their engines running the policemen sharing some late night gossip she parked nearby and nervously approached the two cars she asked for their help she explained her situation and in tears asked if they could do anything the policeman said sure and called the dispatcher on his radio within minutes word came back that the Lambert boys were in
custody and charged with armed robbery when Daisy arrived at the city jail she found her way to the night desk where the dispatcher was drinking coffee while waiting on 9-1-1 calls and radio reports from the patrol cars a night clerk sat at a nearby table and asked what she wanted she identified herself and said that her two sons were in jail and she was there to take them home the night clerk frowned and asked her to have a seat across the room in a row of old plastic chairs there was no one e
lse around at that hour she sat down and began chewing her nails a nervous habit that kept her from crying though she had cried all the way to the station armed robbery there must be some mistake random thoughts race through her mind and she couldn't control them none were good smoking pot drinking beer driving while drunk fighting maybe shoplifting or petty theft these were the small crimes that she might have expected sure they were bad enough but a lot of kids got in trouble for them and most
survived but armed robbery to her knowledge Tony did not own a gun he was only 17. her husband the boy's stepfather was not a hunter it did not keep rifles in the house he owned Two Pistols that she knew of one he kept hidden in their closet for self-defense and the other one he kept in the glove box in his truck the boys had never touched either weapon how would Tony get a gun then why would he use it to Rob someone and why would he involve his little brother thought of Woody sitting in a jail
cell broke her heart again and she began to cry as softly as possible a jolly old Deputy sat down beside her he had a mass of gray hair that scattered in all directions and plump rosy cheeks and if he switched uniforms he could have easily passed for Santa Claus now now it's not that bad he said the boys are safe Daisy wiped her nose and asked how do you know I'm the Jailer and I'm in charge of all inmates including the juveniles Randolph's my name and your Mrs Lambert Randolph glanced at his c
lipboard I am where are they now we keep the kids in a separate Wing they're in a Cell together with no one else when can I get them out well not tonight they'll go before a judge in the morning and he'll set their bail do you understand bail yes I've been through this before not long ago Tony was arrested and I had to put up some money for his bail fortunately it wasn't very much and we got him out but I'm broke now how much is his bail armed robbery is pretty serious so I'd expect it to be hig
h what kind of armed robbery can you tell me what they did this is insane I don't know the facts ma'am just what's in the report here were three of them your boys and a kid named Garth Tucker looks like he was the driver all I know is that they supposedly robbed a convenience store on the western edge of town convenience store yes you know one of those little grocery stores with gas pumps out front stays open late at night I know what a convenience store is why would they rob a convenience store
oh I don't know maybe it was convenient Randolph chuckle that is cleverness Daisy glared at him as if he were an idiot sorry he said look Mrs Lambert you can't do anything right now so it's best to go home and get some rest rest I won't sleep a wink can I at least see them but he's only 13. sorry ma'am but we have rules regarding visitation trust me though both boys are safe and by the way they're good boys I've talked to them I guess I should say thanks but that doesn't quite feel right after
all they're charged with armed robbery and underage drinking of course anything else not that I know of why didn't they call me they both had phones well I'm not sure about that the phones were confiscated when they were arrested standard procedure Randolph flipped through his paperwork don't know why they were not allowed to call home somebody else must have screwed up screwed up these are my kids were talking about where are their phones now in custody they can't have phones in their cells ano
ther rule I have rules around here and none of them seem to be working it's pretty rotten that you don't allow a 13 year old boy to call his mother when he's being thrown in jail you're right I agree I'll speak to my supervisor sorry about that you're sorry that somebody else screwed up this is insane why can't I talk to them now because it's almost two in the morning lights out at midnight back there I'm sorry ma'am but at least your boys are safe safe forgive me but things don't seem too safe
right now I understand ma'am why don't you leave and come back in a few hours you can see them then I'll just sit here okay if I go home I'll just walk the floors is it okay to stay here and read magazines until sunrise sure would you like some coffee she managed to smile and said yes that would be nice thank you cell had three walls of concrete and one of metal bars bunk beds were attached to the rear wall Tony arrived first and claimed the bottom bunk Woody climbed onto the top one all lights
went out at midnight when everyone was supposed to go to sleep however in the darkness it seemed like everyone wanted to talk there was laughter in the distance some yelling as Woody was walked down the hall he glanced into the other cells all appeared to be juveniles though a couple looked as mean as any veteran criminal in one cell a boy of no more than 10 Sat by himself Tony denied pinning the ownership of the pistol on Woody indeed Tony had not even been interviewed by the police nor had he
seen any sign of Garth whispering in the darkness the brothers agreed to stick together and stick to the truth why would they not tell the truth Garth was a who'd pulled a stupid stunt he honestly thought he could stick a gun in someone's face demand cash and beer make his getaway and laugh everything off as a joke as the minutes became ours the laughter and yelling died down slowly the conversation did too at some point during the awful night Woody realized Tony was asleep chapter 5. Mr Mount c
alled his homeroom to order when the bell rang at 8 45 of his 16 students 15 were present Woody was not which Theo had noticed immediately it wasn't that unusual no one was missing more school these days than Woody the class went through the usual morning routine of discussing the day's activities science projects were due the debate team had a match in one week band practice soccer practice rehearsals for the 8th grade play as always the mood was light as Mr Mount believed in starting each day
on an encouraging note he would see them again during third period for his government class when the bell rang for first period the boys grabbed their backpacks and hustled into the hallway Mr Mount asked Theo to hang back for a moment when they were alone he said Gravely look Theo Woody's mother stopped by the school earlier and informed Mrs Gladwell that Woody got arrested last night Theo's mouth fell open arrested yes he's in jail and doing court this morning Mrs Gladwell wants you to hurry d
own to Youth Court and see what's going on your excused for the morning he had a Theo a slip of paper Theo took off he was at once thrilled to be free from classes but also terrified by the news he left his backpack at the office braced out the front door hopped on his bike and 10 minutes later wheeled to a stop in front of the courthouse as he was entering the main door officer Stu peckinpaw a truant cop and the terror of all skipping students stabbed him and said well hello Theo why aren't you
in school Theo handed him the slip of paper and said official business officer peckinpaw examined the pass as if reading an important document he handed it back and said okay but I better not see you on the streets after lunch yes sir Theo ducked inside and bounded up the stairs he knew every inch of the courthouse and knew exactly where to find Woody juvenile matters were handled in a small cramped courtroom on the second floor where judge Frank Pendergast had presided for many years at the do
or Theo took a deep breath and stepped inside because Youth Court was private and all hearings were conducted without juries the courtroom was small with only two roads for spectators even animal Court down in the basement had more room Theo saw Daisy Lambert sitting in the front row and went straight to her judge Pendergrast was not on the bench bill of trench the ancient courtroom Deputy nodded at Theo what's going on Theo whispered to Mrs Lambert she smiled but her eyes were red and she looke
d exhausted she was obviously glad to see Theo I don't know Theo she said in a soft voice Woody and Tony got arrested last night for armed robbery they wouldn't let me see them it's so awful armed robbery Theo repeated you gotta be kidding but what happened I don't know they wouldn't tell me much they whispered for a long time as other worried parents drifted in bailiff trench eased over to inform them that judge Pendergrast was running a bit late which was not unusual at 10 o'clock a door opene
d behind the bench and judge Pendergrast appeared in his black robe he assumed his position glassed around the room and said I apologize for being late I got almost no sleep last night because every dog on the street was barking and howling he noticed Theo sitting in the front row and said well hello Theo good to see you as always what brings you here without standing things were quite relaxed in Youth Court Theo said my friend Woody Lambert is on the docket oh I see well let's bring him in bale
of trench opened the side door Woody and Tony were escorted in by a policeman Who removed their handcuffs both boys looked at their mother and shook their heads Daisy fought back tears bailiff trench herded the boys to a spot directly in front of the bench they looked up at his honor who looked down at them with a frown and said okay this is a first appearance for Mr Tony Lambert age 17 and Mr Woodrow Lambert age 13 both charged with armed robbery along with Mr Garth Tucker who was 18 and thus
will be dealt with over in Circuit Court he looked at Daisy and asked can I assume you're their mother yes sir Daisy said wiping her eyes these are very serious charges and I don't see an attorney prison other than of course Mr Theodore Boone who's a pretty good lawyer but a bit too young to be admitted to the bar do you plan to hire a lawyer Mrs uh Mrs Lambert Daisy Lambert she said I can't afford a lawyer okay without a lawyer I'm not going to ask these boys any questions right now the public
defender's office will provide lawyers for them and that will be done today if possible given the seriousness of these charges I'm not going to proceed until they have lawyers without thinking and without hesitating Theo stood and said your honor if I may do you mind if I say something judge Pendergrass glared down over the top of the reading glasses perched halfway down his nose why aren't you in school Theo he asked I have a pass signed by Mrs Gladwell judge can I say that I know this family v
ery well what is one of my best friends we're in the same grade same class same Boy Scout Troop we've been close friends for years just like you I don't know what happened last night but I can promise you that Woody and Tony Lambert had nothing to do with an armed robbery right now they are innocent until proven guilty that's the way our system works write your honor where are you going with this Theo they have the right to bail to get out of jail while everything is sorted out frankly at least
in my opinion they don't need to post bail because bail just makes sure they will show up in court when they are supposed to I can promise you that Tony and Woody will always show up in court you want me to just release them yes sir why not they're not criminals they're not guilty I can assure you of that do you know the facts Theo not really but I know these two guys especially Woody I'm sorry Theo but it's too early for that let's wait until they have lawyers and then we can discuss the issue
of bail you may sit down Theo sat down slowly and bubble thanks judge Pendergrass continued let's get all the paperwork straight and let me talk to the prosecutor and police in the meantime the public defender's office will get involved and we'll meet back here as soon as possible bailiff please take these two back to the jail until further orders Theo and Daisy watched the officer slap the Cuffs back onto the wrists of Woody and Tony as they left Woody turned and said over his shoulder thanks T
heo when they were gone Daisy began sobbing quietly nice job Theo judge Pendergrass said but from now on let's wait until you pass the bar exam and get a license to practice law okay yes sir and thanks judge you're excused and I suggest you find your way back to school real soon yes sir Theo and Daisy quickly left the courtroom and found a seat on a bench in the hallway Theo glanced around to make sure no one was listening and asked do you know where the jail is are you kidding I just spent the
night there I wish I'd never seen the place okay let's get over there and try to meet with them thanks Theo along with the judges and lawyers Theo knew most of the policemen in stratenberg he arrived at the station first and went straight to the desk of a captain named Rick Pruitt Theo's mother had handled an adoption for kept and Pruitt and Theo knew him well the captain was plowing through a stack of paperwork and was surprised to see his young friend well hello Theo should you be in school I'
m excused until noon important business my friend got arrested last night and he's back there in the jail his mother has not been allowed to see him or his brother and I need your help what's his name Pruitt asked as he picked up the daily arrest sheet Lambert Woody and Tony Lambert armed robbery yes sir but it's a big misunderstanding at least I think so we just need to see him me and his mother an underage drinking not so sure about that but judge Pendergrass wouldn't set a bail this morning s
o they're still locked up we just want to visit them and see what's going on Pruitt frowned at Theo for a second then stood and said follow me they went down a hallway then down the stairs to the jail the waiting room was filling up with relatives checking on other inmates Pruitt pointed to some chairs and said have a seat Theo sat down and within minutes Daisy arrived in a whisper Theo explained what was going on a few minutes later Pruitt returned and said wait here it'll take a few minutes th
anks Captain Theo said and Pruitt disappeared they waited half an hour before a Jailer called Daisy's name Sheen Theo followed him to a holding room where he unlocked the door and waved them in Woody and Tony were seated at a table without handcuffs and when they saw their mother both jumped to their feet the Jailer closed the door and waited outside after a round of hugs and tears all four pulled chairs around a table Woody and Tony told their story chapter 6. when Theo had heard enough he deci
ded to leave the family alone and run a quick mission on his bike he raced back to the courthouse and went to the office of the public defender on the third floor the head PD was a lawyer named Don Montgomery but everybody called him Monk to the other lawyers judges policemen and Courthouse clerks he was simply Monk Theo had seen him in the courtroom on several occasions and no one used his real name it was guess Monk and no Monk and your turn monk of course when juries were present and things w
ere more formal he became Mr Montgomery but that was rare on one occasion the Boone family had bumped into him and his wife in a restaurant and both of Theo's parents addressed him as Monk he had a difficult job one that few lawyers envied his office represented men and women charged with serious crimes but not enough money to hire lawyers and since the Supreme Court had ruled that every defendant is entitled to a lawyer Stratton County had created longer fourth year was born the office of the p
ublic defender Monk's operation was always swamped with too many clients and not enough staff to serve them every year monk asked the county for more money and it seemed at least a Theo that he was never satisfied with the support he received according to Woods Boone Theo's father most PD offices in the country were run on thin budgets politicians gave them a low priority because they didn't like to spend money on criminal defendants Theo hesitated before going inside he paused and sent a text t
o Mr mount found Woody he's still in jail charges seemed silly but still serious be back soon a secretary sat behind an old desk that was covered with stacks of files metal cabinets lined the walls she was typing and paused long enough to frown at him and without a smile she said yes hello I'm Theodore Boone and I'm looking for Mr Montgomery why aren't you in school I'm excused for a few hours you see my friend got arrested last night and his case will be assigned to this office it's a youth cou
rt matter and I'd like to see Mr Montgomery he's in a big trial in the main courtroom judge Gantry Youth Court matters are handled by Rodney wall Theo did not know that lawyer okay could I please see Mr wall he hasn't come in yet when Mighty come in I don't know I'm not in charge of his schedule look son I'm very busy you can check back later she returned to her keyboard and resumed typing Theo backed away and left the office he walked down to the second floor and went to the office of Judge Hen
ry Gantry the senior circuit court judge and a pal of Theos when he was dreaming which seemed like several hours each day Thea wanted to be a respected courtroom judge like Henry Gantry a man of great fairness and wisdom judge gantry's secretary was Mrs Hardy a sweet lady who was always happy to see him unlike The Woman Upstairs in Monk's office Theo Mrs Hardy said as he interrupted her work to what do we owe this honor I need to see the judge of course and shouldn't you be in school everyone se
ems to think so I'm excused by the principle you see one of my friends got arrested last night and I'm trying to help him how old is he only 13. I know it's a youth court matter but I still need to see the judge well he's tied up right now we're in the middle of a big trial and he's meeting with the lawyers what kind of trial Mrs Hardy glanced around as if someone else might be listening as if the trial were a big secret it's a drug case some men from out in the county were caught manufacturing
drugs as Mr Monk defending the guys how'd you know I just left his office I don't suppose I could watch the trial could I I'm excused from school until noon that's up to you Theo the courtroom is open to the public but if judge Gantry sees you he might not like it good point thanks Mrs Hardy Theo walked to the door but stopped when he thought of something else say Mrs Hardy when does Judge Gantry set bail for new defendants for guys who have just been arrested usually it's the first thing he doe
s in the morning doesn't take long A guy got arrested last night for armed robbery named Garth Tucker 18 years old have you seen his paperwork without looking for a file she said sure judge Gantry set his bail at fifty thousand dollars fifty thousand dollars yes it's a serious crime of course it is but bail wouldn't be that high for a juvenile would it oh I don't know Theo bail is usually lower for juveniles but that's another Court yes ma'am thanks see you later get to school Mr Tucker had arri
ved at the jail at 8 am after a sleepless night and his lawyers was not far behind when the Jailer received the confirmation that Bill had been set a bail bondsman was quickly called and hustled over from his shabby office across the street the arrangements was typical for a ten percent fee the bondsman produced a written guarantee that Garth would remain in the county and show up for court when required Mr Tucker wrote a check for five thousand dollars and left the jail with his son they went t
o the city pound paid another 250 dollars and Garth drove his Mustang home an hour later after a shower and change of clothes he was at school bragging about his big adventure by then Woody and Tony were back in their cell playing checkers the only game available and killing time Daisy was at work cutting hair in a salon Thea was watching the clock and trying to keep out of sight if one more adult mentioned school he might explode at 11 30 he swallowed hard and re-entered the PD's office certain
that The Grouchy secretary would yell at him she did not she quietly informed him that attorney Rodney wall had called and was investigating a case over in masseyville a small town half an hour away it wasn't sure when he would make it to the courthouse if at all the office had only three lawyers monk Rodney wall and a guy named oodle who was assisting monk in the drug trial so there were no lawyers left behind in the office and no one for Theo to plead with defeated he said thanks to the secre
tary and rode back to school during lunch he met with Mr Mount and Mrs Gladwell and explained the situation the charges against Woody and Tony would probably be reduced or dismissed at least the armed robbery but they would stay in jail until their lawyer could convince judge Pendergrass to set a reasonable bail it's pretty outrageous Theo said but it's not that unusual Mr mouth said our juvenile system is overloaded and there are Never Enough lawyers and counselors It's Not Unusual for kids to
get chewed up by the system Woody will be lucky if he doesn't spend time in Attention Center which are not good places but he didn't do anything Theo said he's an accomplice to a crime Mr Mount said he had once been a lawyer and gave up that profession to teach can you explain that Mrs Gladwell asked it's the law everywhere Mr Mount said pretty basic stuff really three guys are together one has a gun he goes in pulls the gun grabs the loot or whatever and all three make their getaway the two who
waited in the car will always be charged with being accomplices to the robbery and will face the same punishment that's not right Theo said well not in this case but Woody is in serious trouble I doubt if he'll get off free on this one it's pretty heavy stuff Theo with a water pistol I'm assuming the guy who got robbed didn't know it was just a water pistol I'll bet his story is that he thought it was a real gun that's all that matters what a stupid move do you know this guy Garth Tucker Mrs Gl
adwell asked Theo I don't know him but I've heard of him he's one of Tony's friends though Tony claims that they didn't hang out that much hold me and his mother that he has never liked Garth said he always thought the guy was trouble Woody thinks Garth was probably drunker than they realized he must not be very smart Mr mouth said and what he was drinking too Mrs Gladwell asked he had a couple of beers does he do this a lot Theo didn't know how much beer wood Woody was drinking and that didn't
matter at the moment he wasn't about to squeal on his buddy I don't think so he said I've never seen him do it but he and Tony are alone a good bit their stepfather works out of town and their mother has two of her three jobs things are not going to will around their house that poor kid she said sitting in jail with no one to help him chapter 7. Theo suffered through the afternoon watching the clocks in his classroom and thinking of nothing but Woody in jail when the final bell rang he sprinted
to the small Auditorium where the debate team was gathering for a practice session Mr Mountain coached them Theo was the captain but he was in no mood to practice he whispered to Mr mouth that he had an idea to help Woody and needed to skip the session I'm going straight to my mom and insists that she go to court to see the judge he said but she doesn't work in Youth Court Mr mouth said quietly I know but I can beg her for a favor and it's getting late in the day if we don't do something fast Wo
ody will spend another night in jail take off Mr Mount said and Theo disappeared ten minutes later he slid to a stop in the gravel lot behind Boon and Boone he burst through the rear door and into the small room he called his office judge was nowhere in sight Vince the paralegal and Dorothy the real estate secretary were not in their offices the door to his mother's office was closed which of course meant she was meeting with a client Theo walked to Elsa's desk and braced himself for the daily r
itual of hugs and questions but she was on the phone and couldn't grab him she smiled indicated that the call might take some time and sort of waved him off judge arouse from his Slumbers and stumbled forth for a good head scratching but Theo was too busy he bounded up the stairs to confront his father but Woods Boon was gone too at times the place was packed with meetings everywhere and clients waiting in chairs at other times it was deserted Theo with judge close behind went downstairs where E
lsa was hanging up I need to see my mother right now he demanded Elsa could tell he was in no mood for small talk she's with a client what's going on Theo gave her the quick version of Woody's troubles and ended with I want my mom to go to youth court right now and help Woody well your mother is with a client who's having a bad day all of her clients had bad days almost all were women struggling through divorces most of them arrived stressed and left in tears Theo had learned to avoid the front
section of the firm when his mother was with a client he had actually heard them in her office crying I'm not going to interrupt them Elsa said somewhat sternly she was the sweetest person Theo knew but he also knew that when she dug in she was not going to budge then I'm going in there no you're not I suggest you wait until four o'clock when the meeting is over Theo retreated to his office with his dog and unpacked his backpack homework was out of the question he opened his laptop found garth's
Facebook page and quickly learned that the kid was out of jail and laughing about his arrest theofumed some more as the minutes dragged by four o'clock came and went without a word he eased the front and hid in the large conference room waiting for his mother's door to open when it finally did A well-dressed woman stepped out wiping her eyes and left without a word Theo rushed in and said Mom Woody got arrested last night and he's in jail you gotta help him Mrs Boone calmly closed the door and
pointed to a leather sofa Theo sat down and took a deep breath of all the many things he admired about his mother her coolness under pressure was the most impressive Marcella Boone was never rattled she spent long hours every day dealing with extremely anxious clients and demanding judges and tough lawyers on the other side and she rarely lost her cool and when her only child was trouble she found the time to listen Theo told her everything he knew about Woody's big adventure she too was stunned
and worried about him and Tony you've been concerned about Woody she said sure and things are worse now why can't you go over to Youth Court and Ask Judge Pendergrass to set bail you know him don't you of course I do Theo but I don't represent Woody as you know I don't handle criminal matters he's not a criminal mom no he's not but he's in the middle of a criminal mess and for the time being he will be processed through Youth Court look Mom it's not unusual for one lawyer to handle one hearing
and then another to take over the case for the latter stuff right I suppose she said but she knew he was right then let's go see judge Pendergrass ask him to set bail as low as possible and get Woody out then tomorrow or the next day the public defender will take over and defend Woody Mrs Boone glanced away and Theo knew he was onto something she stood walked to her desk picked up the phone punched some numbers looking at Theo she said yes this is Marcella Boone attorney and I'm looking for judg
e Pendergrast I need to speak to him she listened glanced at her watch and asked what time will he be in tomorrow she listened nodded please ask him to call me in the morning she hung up and said he's gone for the day Theo said it's barely 4 30. how can the guy leave so early that means Woody and Tony have to spend another night in jail this is ridiculous judges have heavy dockets and then some days are lighter if there's nothing to do they often leave a bit early judge Pendergrast is a hard wor
ker Theo dropped his head and shoulders and gave up Elsa tapped on the door as she opened it and said your 4 30 appointment is here thank you Mrs Boone said we'll discuss this later Theo now go do your homework dinner was a soggy sandwich on stale white bread a banana a thin marshmallow pie and a carton of warm apple juice Woody and Tony devoured it while complaining to each other about it but they were hungry lunch had been a cold pasta concoction they had had trouble choking Down breakfast was
hours away a television hung from the ceiling at the end of the hallway but they could not see it not that they really wanted to game shows were at full volume and the noise was oddly comforting the noise reminded them that life somewhere was normal the hours passed slowly the television was turned off a guard walked through and announced that lights would go out in 30 minutes two more guards appeared with a new prisoner an older boy who looked well beyond 18 years they stopped at the door unlo
cked it and shoved them inside with Tony and Woody the cell had two bunk beds no more when the guards left the new guy said I'm jock and you're I'm Tony this is my kid brother Woody there was no effort to shake hands jock had the look of a kid with an attitude a tough dude who had seen several jails from the inside he looked at the bunks and said I'll take the top one if that's okay that's mine Woody said first come first served oh really and who's making the rules around here the guards Tony sa
id don't see any guards right now look I'll make this real simple for you two brothers if you want to start some crap let's get it over with I'll take on the two of you right now and I promise you that within 30 seconds you'll both be on the floor fitting blood and missing teeth is that what you want he suddenly shoved Tony hard and he banged into a concrete wall there was little doubt that jock had been in many more street fights than the Lambert boys he was lean and hard with thick arms one of
which had a tattoo on it he also reeked of alcohol and his eyes were red and sort of crazed looking Tony showed him both palms and said fighting won't solve any problems around here smart boy jock said he stepped onto the bottom bunk and vaulted onto the top one where he stretched out and closed his eyes Tony and Woody looked at each other and Shrugged in defeat losing a bunk was better than losing some teeth and jocks seemed eager to throw punches they settled down into the bottom bunk Tony on
one end Woody on the other and tried to make themselves comfortable it would be a long night chapter 8. Feud didn't sleep much either he dozed off from time to time but could not stop thinking about Woody behind bars at midnight he suddenly thought of something else that bothered him he went online checked the local newspaper and saw one paragraph story about the armed robbery an 18 year old named Garth Tucker had been arrested for robbing Carl's grocery a convenience store on the western edge
of town two miners were also involved but their names were withheld as was the custom Tucker was free on bond so the stupid kid who'd pulled the gun was resting comfortably at home with his family while Woody and Tony were still locked up what was fair about that as he stewed and mumbled to himself Theo found garth's Facebook page and saw a staged photo of him holding his wrist together with what appeared to be handcuffs beside the photo Garth wrote gel ain't so bad but the food's lousy it's all
a big misunderstanding and will soon be cleared up according to my lawyer Theo turned off his laptop and tried to close his eyes he eventually drifted off woke up again went to the bathroom spoke to judge under his bed and tried to go back to sleep at Sunrise he showered and dressed quickly and hustled downstairs he was at the kitchen table pretending to review his homework when his father appeared every morning Mr Boone Rose early made the coffee and left to have breakfast with his friends at
a downtown Diner when he saw Theo he said well good morning Theo did not respond he was angry with his parents and that they had argued over last night's dinner as always they had busy plans for the morning and neither wanted to get involved with Woody's case Theo did not understand why they or at least one of them could not go to youth court and insist that Woody and Tony be released immediately they had tried to explain that they were not criminal lawyers and did not work in Youth Court but Th
eo didn't buy it if Theo wasn't speaking then neither was Mr Boone he made the coffee fetched the newspaper out of the driveway found his briefcase which he brought home every night but rarely touched port a cup and left without a word Theo fumed and watched the clock there were clocks in every room of their home clear proof that they were busy people with organized lives normally Mrs Boone skipped breakfast and instead sipped coffee in the den while flipping through the newspaper but she was ru
nning late Theo could hear her moving about upstairs he waited judge began whimpering because he wanted breakfast so Theo fixed him a bowl of cereal with milk the same meal Theo had every morning at eight Mrs Boone appeared dressed for work she wore a pretty maroon dress black heels and jewelry one look at Theo knew she was ready for court she always dressed fashionably but there were times when she looked a bit sharper she poured a cup of coffee and sat across the table from Theo she said I'll
meet you in youth court at nine you call Daisy Lambert and I'll call Mrs Gladwell and tell her what's going on Theo exhaled smiled and said thanks Mom he hurriedly grabbed the bowls and put them in the sink he rubbed judge's head said goodbye and sprinted from the kitchen with his backpack the small courtroom was filled with people when judge Pendergrast assumed the bench and said good morning for the second straight morning he looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes and fatigue all ov
er his face he even yawned as he glanced around the courtroom an important hearing was scheduled for nine o'clock and Theo was worried that the Lambert boys would be ignored until later however his mother had made a phone call and chatted with a judge he peered over his reading glasses and said Mrs Boone I believe you have a matter before the court Marcella Boone stood and everybody looked at her Theo had seen her in court on several occasions though she would not allow him to sit through her di
vorce trials the testimony was often too rough for a 13 year old he admired her greatly and knew she could handle herself in front of any judge yes your honor thank you and I would like to enter an appearance as the attorney of record for the sole purpose of getting bail set for Tony and Woody Lambert so you're their lawyer sort of I know the family and I'm just pinch-hitting until the public defender's office can take over where's the public defender good question I am told that his office has
yet to talk to the Lambert boys I assume the PD is very busy as always well I was informed by Mrs Lambert yesterday that she could not afford a lawyer I'm here pro bono judge as a friend of the family and just for the purposes of getting bail set we're trying to get the boys out of jail the PD will take over from there judge Pendergrass yawned again and Shrugged as if he didn't really approve of her involvement but no judge in the state would tell Marcella Boone that she didn't belong in a court
room he said very well I'll note your appearance are the boys here no sir they're still in jail their presence is not necessary it's just a bail hearing your honor judge Pendergrass shuffled some papers and read something each is charged with armed robbery what type of bail are you requesting personal ID your honor the Lamberts have lived here for many years and there's no reason to believe that Woody and Tony will not appear in court when they are supposed to they pose no risk of flight or disa
ppearance they're both students and good boys this is all a misunderstanding anyway nothing can be gained by forcing Mrs Lambert to spend money she doesn't have his honor frowned and said I see here that Tony Lambert is on probation from an earlier violation this year this could complicate matters let's deal with it later your honor the goal right now is to get them out so they can meet with their attorney and find a solution judge Pendergrast was shaking his head their co-defendant Mr Garth Tuc
ker posted bail of fifty thousand dollars this is a serious crime Mrs Boone he's an adult and apparently his family has the money I'm not concerned with Mr Tucker my clients are minors and deserve to be released from jail there's no good reason for keeping them locked up Theo was sitting next to Daisy Lambert in the front row he managed to keep a frown on his face but wanted to say go get a mom judge Pendergrass said but for a serious charge like this Mrs Boone I cannot simply release them on th
eir personal IDs I've never done that and until we know the facts of this case I cannot assume that these boys are as innocent as you think they are without yielding an inch Mrs Boone said I assure you they'll show up in court when they are supposed to that sounds good but I've heard it before and since you will not be their lawyer after today I'm not sure how you can guarantee anything the family has little resources your honor any type of bail will be a hardship indeed any bail at all will sim
ply keep the boys in jail they are innocent until proven guilty I realized that does the family own a home or any other real estate Mrs Boone exhaled in frustration and said rather sternly know your honor the family rents their home Mrs Lambert Works two jobs one is a part-time hair stylist the other is a waitress in a restaurant her husband the boy's stepfather Works in construction and right now he's on a job two hours away his involvement with the boys is limited the family is barely getting
by and any amount of bail is nothing but a hardship for armed robbery I cannot set a bail below ten thousand dollars for each that's twenty thousand dollars your honor I can do the math bail bondsmen typically charge ten percent for the bond that's two thousand dollars just to get them out that's unfair your honor judge Pendergrass glared at her obviously irritated nothing I do is unfair Mrs Boone I realize you do not work in criminal law and I assure you that a ten thousand dollar bail for arme
d robbery is not unfair and is definitely on the low side these boys got themselves in trouble don't lay me for it pretense moment the lawyer and the judge stared at each other but it was obvious who was in charge Mrs Boone finally smiled and said so be it your honor thank you for your time you're welcome now I have a scheduled hearing and need to move on you are excused in other words would you kindly leave my courtroom at this time Theo followed his mother and Daisy Lambert into the hallway wh
ere they huddled in a corner Daisy was wiping tears and Mrs Boone was trying to control her frustration Theo had almost 400 dollars in his savings account and was already thinking of ways to get more what about your husband Mrs Boone asked which one the current one Daisy shook her head he won't help we talked last night had a big fight he says he's not coming home for a while and will not help the boys they've never been close what about their father he's around but he won't see much of them I'l
l ask him he might pitch in something but I doubted he's not working much these days you do that and we'll talk later I need to get to the office and you Theo need to get to school Daisy wiped her face and said thanks Marcella you'll never know how much I appreciate this I'm not sure I helped the situation Daisy thank you for being there and thank you Theo Theo said I can't believe Woody is sitting in jail halfway to school and pedaling as slowly as possible Theo remembered that he was officiall
y excused from class neither Mr Mount nor Mrs Gladwell nor anyone else at school would know how long things took in court so he had a bright idea he turned around and sprinted to the jail where he found his pal Captain Rick Pruitt carrying his backpack he explained that he needed to meet with Woody and discuss their homework he implied that he had been sent by their teacher to help his friend keep current with their lessons Pruitt was skeptical and suggested that he should call the school and ch
eck out the story Theo said that would be fine but he doubted Mrs Gladwell would answer the phone because she was tied up in assembly to Theo's horror Pruitt picked up the phone and called the school he asked to speak to Mrs Gladwell then said good morning this is Captain Pruitt at the police department your student Theodore Boone is in my office and needs to visit with Woody Lambert to do some homework was this authorized by anyone at the school Theo thought about bolting but tried to remain ca
lm Pruitt listened and listened then smiled he said thanks and hung up he pointed at Theo and said if you're not in school in 10 minutes I'm calling your mother Theo saluden said yes sir and ran from the office chapter 9. he has thought it highly unlikely that Captain Pruitt would follow up on his threat to call Mrs Boone it was a good bluff and it worked because Theo was headed to school but the closer he got the slower he peddled second period was geometry with Mrs Garmin and it was his least
favorite subject after a few loops and swings through the leafy neighborhoods around Stratton College he eventually arrived at school at precisely 10 40 when the bell rang for morning break he checked in at the front office went to his locker said hello to April finnmore his favorite friend girl which was something altogether different from a real girlfriend and drifted through the crowded hallway to Mr mouth's classroom where government his favorite subject would start at 11 o'clock Mr Mount wa
s waiting he said softly look Theo some of the guys are asking about Woody what if you explained what's going on Theo glanced around obviously uncertain he glanced at his feet and said well sure but I don't know how much I can say it's a youth court matter and those cases are not public I know did the judge set bail yes 10 000 for each Woody's mother doesn't have the money so they'll just stay in jail that's ridiculous let's talk about this in class without going into the details of the armed ro
bbery okay sure when the class was seated Mr Mount began with it's clear that Woody is absent today and missed yesterday some of you have asked about him and well to be honest about the situation Woody is in jail along with his brother Tony Theo has been to court twice trying to help and he knows more about what's going on Theo as captain of the debate team Theo had overcome his fear of speaking in public most of his classmates said nod Mr Mount always said that most people especially kids but e
ven adults Fear public speaking Theo enjoyed the attention and he was secretly proud that he could do something most kids could not he took a deep breath and walked to the front of the class I just got back from Youth Court he said Gravely as if he were the lawyer in charge of Woody's defense what he is doing okay but needs to get out of jail the facts go something like this and I cannot reveal everything because youth court cases are private matters but Sometime Late Tuesday night Woody and his
older brother Tony were riding around with a friend they stopped at a convenience store something happened and they were arrested later for armed robbery they appeared in court Wednesday morning and again a few hours ago my mother is trying to help them get out the judge set their bail at ten thousand dollars each and the family is trying to raise the money they have to raise twenty thousand dollars Brandon asked no not quite that much what does bail mean Aaron asked I don't understand it's kin
d of complicated Theo replied Mr Mount said Theo why don't you use Woody as an example and walk us through the bail system and keep it as simple as possible feel loved moments like this when the class was stumped by a legal issue or a problem he was suddenly the smooth and gifted trial lawyer pacing in front of the jury okay so Woody got arrested charged with a crime and put in jail since he is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty he has the right to get out of jail regardless of the crim
e but the police need to make sure he'll show up in court when he's expected in theory the police need some promise that he will not run away I think in the old days criminals just disappeared after they got out that doesn't happen much today anyway the police and judges developed the system of Baal you've heard the old saying bail him out of jail that's what happens the accused is required to put up some money or some land that the court can hold to make sure he doesn't disappear since most peo
ple charged with crimes have little money and no property they are forced to buy a bail bond there are these guys who hang around the jail and the courtrooms trying to sell Bail Bonds to defendants in Woody's case his bail is ten thousand dollars his family doesn't have that kind of money so his mother will be forced to do business with a bail bondsman for 10 percent of the bail in cash this guy will give the court a bond a written document that guarantees Woody's appearance whenever he's suppos
ed to be in court if Woody fails to show up the bondsman has the right to go hunt him down and arrest him as a rule bail bondsmen are pretty tough guys so Woody needs a thousand dollars Jarvis asked right and a thousand for his brother their mother simply doesn't have the money so they're still in jail they've been there for the past two nights if he's innocent why is he stuck in jail ask Darren good question and I have no good answer let's just say that the bail system is out of date and a lot
of people are trying to change it last night I found online at least two national organizations working to reform bail laws a lot of people are locked away when they should be working and taking care of their families which brings us back to Woody Mr mouth said how can we help I guess he needs a thousand dollars not really he needs two thousand Mrs Lambert has to get two boys out of jail not just one and Woody told her he won't leave without Tony so it's both or nothing during a slow ride back t
o school Theo had pondered the idea of asking his friends to chip in all the money they could find he was ready and willing to offer a savings of four hundred dollars but he worried that most of the others had little to offer they were after all only 13 years old on his 10th birthday Theo's parents had given him fifty dollars to deposit in his brand new savings account and each year they added fifty dollars to it he was encouraged to stash away any spare cash he earned with the various odd jobs
he was lucky enough to find he was proud of his savings but willing to give it all away to help Woody Theo was luckier than most of his friends and he knew it he was an only child of two lawyers who were watching him closely and planning his future he was often frustrated by the high levels of supervision but his parents always seemed to know when to back off a little he was taught not to compare himself to his friends but to Simply accept them for who they were throwing four hundred dollars on
the table like some big shot would not go over well with his friends Chase Whipple wouldn't mind because his family had money and Theo was close to him Brandon would be impressed by such a gesture because his goal was to be the first millionaire in the class he had his own paper route and was trading stocks online however he had been complaining recently about a downturn in the market but the rest of the class would resent the challenge and it simply wouldn't work Theo suspected that only he and
two or three others had savings accounts and he wasn't about to ask at the moment no one seemed eager to offer money Mr Mount said okay that's our challenge how can we raise two thousand dollars to bail out Woody and Tony a nervous silence followed with no volunteers finally Jarvis asked is it true that the family has no money at all Theo replied I don't know I'm sure Mrs Lambert is trying to scrape together something but I haven't asked that's really none of my business Woody's stepfather is w
orking at a town and doesn't want to help Chase asked does Woody just stay in jail forever if he can't make bail not forever Theo replied eventually he'll go to court to face the charges maybe have a trial if he's found not guilty he'll be released if he's found guilty I suppose they send him away do you think he's guilty Theo ask Ricardo no he's not guilty of armed robbery we know Woody he'd never do something as terrible as that I've talked to him and he says it's just one big misunderstanding
he may be guilty of underage drinking but nothing else Justin said I have a question Theo suppose Woody can't bail out and has to sit in jail until his trial how long will that take you never know it varies even in Youth Court I guess several months so Woody sits in jail for months flunks out of school then goes to trial and let's say he's found not guilty he goes home right as if nothing happened a clean record right what about the time he just served does he get paid for that no of course not
it's just wasted time so what's fair about this system who said it was fair well you're always talking about how great the court system is how great the law is how much you want to be a lawyer that's the last place I'd want to work Mr Mount said okay let's get back to the issue at hand while we're having this discussion your friend Woody is sitting in jail and I'm sure he's not doing his homework chapter 10. Theo suffered through the rest of the day during study hall which was supervised by Mr
Mound he was called to the principal's office Mrs Gladwell had prepared written instructions allowing Theo to leave an hour early and go to the jail she had discussed Woody's situation with judge Pendergrast and they had agreed that Theo could haul in the necessary textbooks and help his friend with his homework Theo knew that the last thing Woody would want to see in jail was a stack of textbooks but he said nothing he left the school at 2PM an hour before final Bell was some time to spare he d
etoured to the courthouse and went to the public defender's office on the third floor where he was greeted by the same grouchy secretary he'd encountered on Tuesday I'd like to see Mr Rodney wall he asked without saying hello she stopped typing frowned at him and said it's you again why aren't you in school I'm excused and I have the paperwork to prove it she lost interest immediately not a torn to closed door and said he's in there Theo knocked on the door and a squeaky voice said come in Rodne
y wall looked young enough to be a senior at strattonburg high school he was a small guy seated in an oversized chair that dwarfed him he wore round glasses and a scruffy beard that was probably an effort to make up for his lack of hair he made no effort to stand or greet his visitor can I help you he asked but it was obvious that helping was not on his mind Theo walked to the edge of his cluttered desk and said yes I'm Theodore Boone a friend of Woody Lambert your client I'd like to talk about
his case oh you would yes wall arranged his hand so that his fingertips were touching your mother is Marcella Boone yes so is she planning to represent the Lambert boys no she is not she appeared this morning just to get bail set and try to get them out of jail why is she sticking your nose into my business because you weren't there I stopped by this place three times yesterday looking for you so we could talk about the case and you were out of the office sometimes that happens sometimes lawyers
need to leave their office to go out and investigate why aren't you in school I have an official pass from my principal Mrs Gladwell feel free to call her she sent you over here to my office to quiz me about my clients behind his wrong glasses were two small eyes that glared at Theo without blinking he did not stop tapping his fingertips together no she sent me to the jail to help Woody with his homework I'm on my way there now I've heard about you kid you're always hanging around the courthous
e and bugging lawyers and judges and acting like you're some kind of real lawyer you show up in animal court all the time and take real cases which anyone can do down there now you're here poking around in my business look can we talk about Woody's case he's one of my best friends and he is not guilty of armed robbery no both of your parents are lawyers so you should know that a lawyer cannot discuss his client's business with anyone else it would be unethical for me to say anything about the ca
se Theo knew the guy was right and he knew he shouldn't be there sticking his nose in another lawyer's business but he wanted Mr wall to know that someone was watching and so far that someone was not too impressed with the defense Theo asked have you met with your clients yet Mr wall gave an exaggerated sigh as if greatly frustrated the answer is yes and that's the last answer I'm giving you I met with Woody and Tony about three hours ago and now I'm in the initial stages of writing a case repor
t which I will review with my supervisor and not with anyone else do you believe they're innocent look Mr Theo it's time for you to leave I have work to do and I suppose you need to get down to the jail and help Woody with his homework Theo backed away from the desk mumbled a half-hearted thanks and left the office instead of going to the jail he headed North toward the edge of town riding 10 blocks or so until he came to a strip mall Daisy Lambert worked 30 hours a week as a hair stylist and an
other 30 as a waitress Theo had never been to her Salon never had a reason to visit and he wasn't sure he should barge right in but the Clock Was ticking in more ways than one and now was not the time to be timid in the reception area several women of all ages lounged around reading magazines with all manner of foils and rollers and clamps affixed to their hair Beyond them two rows of chairs were filled with women getting worked on in the rear in the last chair Theo saw Daisy lost in a pile of t
hick orange curls and clipping away with blinders on he walked straight toward her ignoring everyone else along the way and said hi Mrs Lampert got a minute Daisy was jolted at the sight of Theo in a place she would never expect him to be well sure Theo she said lowering your shears excuse me one moment she whispered to her client they stepped a few feet away and found privacy near the washing stations sorry to bother you Theo said in a voice as low as possible something wrong she asked as if sh
e expected everything to go wrong no I'll just get right to the point I know it's rude to talk about money but right now that's all we can talk about I have four hundred dollars some of my buddies are willing to pitch in some more I'm going to ask my parents for a loan and maybe my uncle Ike too so how much do we need to raise her eyes watered instantly and Theo's first thought was that he hated to see Daisy cry she said oh Theo you can't do this please I'm doing it this is Lambert okay and I'm
not going to argue Woody is my close friend and he needs our help how much she wiped her eyes thought for a second I talked to his father my ex and he said he would try it and borrow some money but I'm not counting on it he never comes through I've got three hundred dollars in the bank and I'm trying to get more out of my husband it's tough Theo times are tough for some people especially Woody and Tony he thought okay great so we have 700 bucks that we can count on that's a start I'll get to wor
k I'll pay you back Theo I promise I'm not worried about that right now have you talked to a bail bondsman no I was going to call later this afternoon I have one in mind thanks I have to get back to work Theo had noticed the offices before there were several of them on the side streets near the jail all shady little places with cheap rents and temporary looks they advertised with large signs as if the guys behind bars could simply look out a window jot down a phone number make a call and get out
the bail bond business seemed to attract those with backgrounds in police work and Private Investigations and was not highly regulated nor highly regarded Theo had looked it over online and decided he would rather not do business with any of the five companies he'd found in Stratton Burke but there was no other choice judging from the online ads and from the looks of the office AAA Bail Bonds seemed like the best of the bunch he parked his bike near its front door and took a deep breath he remi
nded himself that he was just a kid and most adults were not rude or insulting to kids he also reminded himself that he had just barged into the PD's office without an appointment and stuck his nose into another lawyer's business and he had just invaded a hair salon where he had never felt so unwelcome this could not be as bad when Theo opened the door he was immediately hit with a wave of disgusting cigarette smoke The Battered reception desk was vacant he could hear voices in the rear someone
yelled be there in a minute Theo waited by the door ready to bolt if necessary a man appeared a thick tough looking dude in a shirt with short sleeves that revealed biceps as round as softballs the shirt was sort of a light orange color which would have been fine but for the bright green tie knotted thickly at his neck blue jeans pointed toe cowboy boots gun on the hip he was scowling and seemed ticked off at the disturbance but when he saw Theo he broke into a wide smile and said well what brin
gs you here I'm Theodore Boone my parents are Marcella and woods Boone both lawyers you might know them I think so they don't do much on the criminal side right that's right so why are you here have a seat he pointed to some plastic chairs Theo didn't want to stay long but sat down out of courtesy named Sparky he said no last name Sparky seemed to be a fitting name for the place yes sir well my friend's in jail and I'm trying to arrange his bail how old is he 13. Woody Lambert he's with his brot
her Tony Sparky sat behind the desk and picked up some papers he scanned a couple of them and said oh here it is armed robbery 10 grand each you need for me to write the bond sure but the family has very little money gee I've never heard that before where's the family why are you here the mom's working the father is away I'm here as a friend is it true that you charge ten percent for the bail bond that's the ticket son a thousand bucks each and I can get them out in no time flat assuming I'm con
vinced they're good boys with no intentions of running away why is it 10 seems like it should be less when dealing with kids who aren't really capable of running away oh you think so what do you know about the bail bond business not much that's what I figured look kid I've been doing this for 20 years and I can promise you that every criminal is capable of running away they do it all the time and it's my job to go find them grab them bring them back here and haul them in front of the judge this
is a risky business Theo could not comprehend Woody being referred to as a criminal he took a deep breath uncertain about what to say next is it possible to write the bond for less than 10 percent Sparky grunted his disapproval and waved a hand at the window not here but feel free to go next door across the street but it's a waste of time nobody can get your friend out quicker than me I guarantee it Theo hesitated and tried to look as pitiful as possible Sparky glared at him as if they were wast
ing their time Theo asked so if I bring you two thousand dollars in cash how long will it take to get them out about an hour Sparky stood as if he suddenly had better things to do now beat it kid thanks Theo said and walked to the door chapter 11. at the jail officer Randolph examined the note from Mrs Gladwell and told Theo to follow him they went to a small windowless room that was barely wide enough for a narrow table and two folding chairs Theo took a seat and unpacked his textbooks he waite
d nervously jumping at every sound in the hallway finally Woody walked in and officer Randolph closed the door behind him it locked loudly Woody's left eye was swollen shut and he had a fresh cut on his forehead he sat across from Theo and said you got to get me out of here Theo what happened you look awful got in a fight last night they put this guy jock in our cell and he was serious trouble what happened Woody Woody placed his hands on the table both were shaking his right eye watered and it
was obvious he was a wreck he began jock is a jerk a real bully and a tough guy Tony and I tried to stay away from him but the cell is not big enough about an hour ago when they finally brought us lunch jock said he wanted half of my sandwich I said no and I guess that was the wrong thing to say he grabbed for the sandwich dumped my tray and that started it all he was just begging for a fight he punched me in the face Tony jumped on his back and jock basically beat the crap out of us before the
guards could get there he had us both on the floor and was kicking away you should see Tony's face everybody was yelling and when the guards grabbed jock he yelled about how we jumped him and started it all two against one ain't fair and stuff like that they took him away to another cell and the guards cost us for starting the fight said we'd have to spend more time in jail for fighting Theo was stunned he asked is Tony okay I think so an EMT looked at him and said nothing was broken put some ic
e on his face Chuck is one mean dude you gotta help us Theo we're in jail for doing nothing and this place is awful I'm trying okay I just met with your mom and then with a bail bondsman I also met with your lawyer who was not that nice of a guy we didn't like him at all he started off by telling us how busy he is how he's got 50 cases right now all in Youth Court and so he can't spend much time with us we told him what happened and got the impression he didn't believe us we need another lawyer
Theo we'll worry about that later right now we're trying to raise bail money what's that what he said nodding at the textbooks your homework Mrs Gladwell and Mr Mount have decided that I need to tutor you so you won't get behind I'm already behind and you can take those books back where they came from if I wasn't doing homework at home what makes you think I'll do it here which is a very good question and one Theo had been contemplating what he grimaced and pressed both hands against the side of
his head I don't know how many times he kicked me but my head is killing me it's throbbing and my ears are ringing listen we've got 700 already if we get a thousand then we can bail you out and go to work on Tony's Bail no I'm not leaving here without him it's both of us are nothing come on Woody you're 13. he's 16. he can survive here longer than you oh really you should see him now see how well he's surviving I'm not leaving without Tony Theo shook his head okay okay nothing was said for a lo
ng minute Woody gently massaged his temples as he frowned and closed his eyes Theo felt like crying but not here this was jail and everybody played the tough guy what's everybody saying about me Woody asked I'm sure the whole school knows I'm in jail I haven't talked to the whole school Our Gang knows what's going on and everyone is on your side you've done nothing wrong and all your buddies are trying to get you out Mr Mount is concerned and wants to help Mrs Gladwell has talked to the judge we
're with you Woody but he took a deep breath and managed to smile as if relieved Theo said don't worry about everybody else Woody only your friends matter and we're all on your side stupid kid Garth I wish Jack could go around or tune with him Theo slowly put the textbooks into his backpack you're not leaving are you Woody ass what's the hurry no I won't leave until they make me they chatted for almost an hour and Theo managed to get a couple of laughs out of his friend officer Randolph tapped o
n the door and said time was up at the front desk Theo picked up his cell phone and checked his messages Mr Mound texted that he had two hundred dollars for the cause Chase was calling a meeting of the gang and guff's yogurt for 4 30. Theo hopped on his bike and raced to the shabby old office where his uncle Ike worked occasionally Ike was the older brother of woods Boone and had once been a prominent lawyer in town but he encountered some sort of vague trouble and was forced to leave the profes
sion he spent a few months in jail long before Theo was born I'd never talked about what happened nor did Theo's parents his office was on the second floor of an old building owned by a Greek family that ran a deli downstairs Theo hustled up the stairs barged into the office and found Ike at his desk buried in paperwork sipping a late afternoon beer and listening to the Grateful Dead on the stereo what's this he growled he adored his only nephew but didn't like the surprise intrusion do you stop
ped by every Monday afternoon for a required visit but never on Thursdays he blurted Ike I need to borrow some money I don't have any money Theo what's going on okay I'll be brief one of my good friends is in jail and I'm trying to bail him out his family has no money for bail and I'm trying to round up two thousand dollars I'm putting up all of my savings all four hundred dollars me a real good friend why was he arrested armed robbery it's a long story but he's not guilty don't they all say tha
t a kid charged with armed robbery look Ike I'll explain it all later right now I need some money I've never asked you before and I'll never ask you again and it's alone I promise I'll pay it back one day somehow Ike scratched his beard and pulled at his gray ponytail pretty serious aren't you dead serious hike how do you plan to pay it back you're not exactly employed yet I'll think of something trust me I studied him for a long time and began to smile so slowly he reached into a drawer removed
a three-ring checkbook and scribbled something he tore out the check and handed it over two hundred dollars that's the best I can do and it's a loan not a gift Theo snatched the check and said you're the greatest Ike and took off as Theo climbed onto his bike his phone buzzed it was a text from Daisy Woody's father had somehow found one hundred dollars their effort was now at 1200 enough to Spring Woody Theo texted Elsa at the office and explained that he was helping Woody with his homework and
would be running by the office he was expected to stop there every afternoon check in with Elsa and his parents and hit the homework at 13 he was growing tired of this ritual and long for a bit of Freedom next year he would enter the ninth grade in high school and he often wondered how his routine might change surely his parents would relax a little and give him some space but on the other hand Theo loved being 13 an 8th grader he and his buddies were the big dudes on campus and the younger stu
dents looked up to them he had heard stories of ninth grade boys and how they were ignored in high school especially by the ninth grade girls who became infatuated with older guys he pondered these things as he headed downtown he also continued the debate about asking his parents for a loan he knew they would freak out when he had told them he was handing over his savings for Woody's bail that would be an ugly fight but he was determined to follow through once that discussion was over he doubted
they would be willing to contribute more though he admired his mother for showing up in court that morning last night's family argument was still fresh he was right and they were wrong but he didn't have the stomach for more fighting of Theo's Inner Circle of Friends Chase Whipple was the kid who spent more time online than anyone else and could perform magic with a computer for fun he often wrote his own software and seemed able to find anything on the internet in a matter of seconds parents w
ere affluent and bought him the latest devices and gadgets and he was always one step ahead of the others in the high-tech race the gang Chase Aaron Brian Edward and Joey were in the rear of guff's frozen yogurt huddled around a table Theo got a small vanilla with cookie dough and joined them it's the latest Chase asked we're at twelve hundred dollars they are reported 400 from me 300 from Woody's mother 100 from his father 200 from Mr Mount and I just got a check for 200 from Ike alone you're p
utting up four hundred dollars Aaron asked in disbelief yep all my savings that's awesome Theo wish I had more I just meant an hour with Woody and he got beat up today big black eye a cut some dude jumped him in jail we gotta work fast guys I have a hundred in savings Aaron said me too said Joey I'm still looking said Brian that's great fourteen hundred dollars isn't that enough to get him out ask Brian Theo said yes but that's not the deal remember Woody won't leave without Tony so we need two
thousand dollars like I said I broke Chase said but here's the plan ever hear of mob money no Theo replied the others shook their heads Chase had the floor and said mob money is one of the latest crowdfunding schemes but it's primarily for kids I found it this afternoon and I've been working on it take a look he opened his laptop and the boys squeezed behind him sounds like the mafia or something Edward said that's because you watched too many old movies Chase said this has nothing to do with cr
ime and is strictly legit it works like this he pecked a few keys and a photo of Woody was on the screen below it was the caption Woody Lambert age 13 in jail for a crime he didn't commit below the caption was a drawing of a kid sitting on a bunk in a jail cell with his hands cuffed head hanging low below was the narrative imagine being arrested and falsely charged with a serious crime armed robbery and not having enough money to post bail and get out to prove your innocence that's what's happen
ing to Woody Lambert age 13 of strattonburg he sits in jail another victim of a system in serious need of bail reform we his friends urge you to pledge any amount to free Woody looks awesome Chase Brian said how does it work it's simple if you guys approve I click here at the bottom and this page is instantly posted on the mop money website if all goes well the cash starts pouring in from all over the country you really think we can raise enough Joey asked I have no idea but there's nothing to l
ose Chase said mob money gets 10 percent same as the other crowdfunding sites and it sends the rest to us let's do it Aaron said Chase looked at Theo and asked should we run it by Woody or maybe his mother without hesitating Theo said no right now they'll do anything to get him out I say we go for it the others agreed and Chase clicked on submit done we're in business you can go to the website anytime and monitor the donations maybe we'll get lucky he closed the laptop and took a bite of yogurt
the boys relaxed around the table tell us about the fight Theo Brian said Theo relayed the details as given by Woody without embellishment and ended with there might be some more trouble Woody said one of the deputies when they broke up the fight blamed Woody and Tony for starting it and said they would have to spend more time in jail can they do that Joey asked I'm not sure let's worry about that later chapter 12. Woody's new cell was a damp dark little pet with barely enough heat to knock off
the chill and a small yellowish bulb hanging from the ceiling to create Shadows there was a cot with one Thin Dirty blanket a chair a commode and a sink there was no cellmate because there was not enough room for one the walls were all cinder block painted with what appeared to be a dull dark gray and no windows the door was metal with a small window he was alone with no idea where Tony had been taken no idea who was next door or across the hall he could hear nothing but the distant hum of some
type of motor or engine after an hour in solitary confinement he started thinking of how nice it would be if Theo had left behind those dreaded textbooks along with a pen and something to write on the cot squeaked when he stretched out and stared at the yellow light bulb above too far to reach sleep would be a welcome relief sleep would take him away from this mess and perhaps a dream would take him to a beach or the mountains he had seen new stories of innocent Men released from prison after se
rving decades but he had never really stopped to feel sorry for them he figured they must have done something wrong and here he was stuck in a jail as the hours and days crept by thoroughly innocent kid wasting time Behind Bars did anybody feel sorry for him he was comforted to know that Theo and his friends were scrambling around trying to raise bail money but two thousand dollars seemed impossible he thought of his father a man who had had a hard life and had made bad decisions that only compo
unded his problems where was he while two of his sons were in jail and his stepfather why couldn't he do something bold for a change and help the family Woody swore revenge against both men he rubbed the sore knots on his scalp and thought about jock surely these idiot deputies had thrown that little Thug into solitary as well he provoked the fight then screamed like the victim he worried about Tony whose face was a mess surely they had taken him to see a doctor he thought about his poor mother
out there frantically trying to raise money and he thought about the future the shock of being accused and arrested was wearing off and a grim and frightening reality was settling in at first Woody assumed that the misunderstanding would be cleared up in a matter of hours and he would go home the system would deal with Garth the guilty One But as time was passing Behind Bars Woody was beginning to fear the system if they could convict an innocent man of murder and lock him away for 30 years then
they could just as easily send Woody and Tony away for a few months their lawyer Mr Rodney wall did not inspire a lot of confidence he seemed to doubt their stories a hard knock on the door jolted him it opened in and a deputy stepped in and handed him dinner on a plastic tray another deputy stood guard at the door as if Woody might jump the first one grab his gun and start a jailbreak when they were gone Woody sat on the cot with the tray balanced on his knees up a peanut butter sandwich on st
ale white bread some sad little chunks of fruit in a cup an apple two slices of cheddar cheese and a small carton of mango juice he picked up the carton and stared at it mango juice he was almost certain that he had never tasted such a beverage he choked it all down because he was hungry and because there was nothing else to do when he finished he placed the tray on the floor and stretched out on the Cod he stared at the yellow bulb until he fell asleep a half a mile away Theo was at his desk in
the rear of Boone and Boone with his dog at his feet and his homework spread before him but he wasn't studying he and Chase and the others had agreed to hit social media hard and drum up support for Woody they passed along to everyone they knew the scheme of flooding mob money with donations but things were off to a slow start by 7 PM Thursday only 41 dollars had been raised because Mrs Boone was a busy woman who didn't like to cook the family dined out almost every night and they had their rit
uals Thursday dinner was always roasted chicken at a Turkish deli with spicy hummus and pita bread Theo biked over and met his parents who came from the office the situation was still a bit tense and it didn't improve when Theo informed his parents that he was pledging his entire savings to Spring Woody from jail they didn't like it but at the same time they grudgingly admired his loyalty the deli was busy so they spoke in low voices it has taken you a long time to save that money his father sai
d with a problem Theo knew that after all he was the one who had saved the money why did adults always say things that were so obvious I'll start saving again Theo said the money is just sitting there in the bank doing nothing might as well put it to good use some of the other guys are doing the same thing and how much is Daisy contributing his mother asked she doesn't have any money mom we've had this conversation she says she has only 300 in the bank mind if I check something he asked this as
he pulled out a cell phone which was against the family Rules at dinner his parents thought it was really bad manners to stare at a cell phone during a meal for up to 75 dollars Theos said and then explained the scheme behind mob money his parents had never heard of crowdfunding Mrs Boone and Mr Boone exchanged the kind of adult look that kids are not supposed to understand she said I suppose our Law Firm could help out a little don't you think so Woods well sure how much are you thinking how ab
out 250 Theo that's great he said but it wasn't great at all if he an unemployed 13 year old could pledge 400 then why couldn't his parents both busy and successful lawyers donate a lot more than 250. so what's the total now his mother asked Theo mentally added the numbers and said over 1700 were getting close Theo check the website before he fell asleep just after 11. money was trickling in from around the country and it was adding up almost 300 had been pledged to free Woody seven hours later
Theo was wide awake and staring at the screen of his laptop mob money was over five hundred dollars more than enough to Spring Woody and Tony he ran downstairs and informed his mother and he insisted he'd be allowed to skip school to arrange the bail she agreed to write a note permitting him to arrive two hours late Theo called Daisy with the news and they worked out a plan to collect all the money that had been promised he called Mr Mount at home and said he would be late for school but planned
to show up with Woody he texted his friends and ordered them to round up all the cash they could find Chase shut down the mob money account and was collecting the money which would take a few hours at 9am sharp he walked into the lobby of the bank on Main Street and politely asked the teller to empty his savings account his father had assured him it was a simple transaction but it took half an hour anyway he left the bank with a cashier's check for 402 dollars all of his savings but he didn't c
are he was only 13. he was somewhat proud of the fact that he could use his money to help a friend plus he could start saving all over again and what good was a savings account for a kid like him he was an only child whose parents would one day happily pay for his college and anything else he needed besides there was always the chance that Woody would pay him back he went to Boone and Boone and Enlisted the help of Elsa with his check and the ones from Ike and his parents the total was 852 dolla
rs Daisy arrived with 500 in cash she had managed to borrow some from Friends at school Mr Mount had four hundred dollars his pledge plus another 200 from Aaron and Joey he and Chase were attempting to collect from the mob money site what's a wire transfer Theo asked Elsa it's a way of moving money quickly Banks do it all the time One Bank simply wires money to another electronically and they skipped the hassle of mailing checks so how long will it take to get the mob money not sure but it shoul
dn't take long a few hours where did they send the money Daisy asked they were sitting in the large conference room on the first floor just down the hall from Mrs Boone's office it was Theo's favorite room with a long wide table and thick leather chairs all around the walls were covered with old heavy law books that were seldom used Daisy Sip Coffee and looked as though she hadn't slept in a week Elsa said well I suppose we could use our trust account Boone and Boone what's a trust account Theo
asked every Law Firm has a bank account that's used to hold money that belongs to clients it's called a trust account the money does not belong to the lawyers but they hold it in trust for their clients pretty routine stuff I'll check with Mrs Boone Theo said I guess we should call their lawyer to make sure he knows what's going on Daisy said I called him an hour ago but he's in court I left a message but he never calls back not sure about that guy Theo said he's always talking about how busy he
is don't all lawyers do that Elsa said then quickly change the subject with what about the bail bondsman have you talked to him no I haven't Daisy said I'll go see him Theo said you need to go to school young man Elsa said I'm too busy for school Elsa peered over her reading classes and gave him a look he had seen many times shall I have a chat with Mrs Boone Theo stood slowly and headed for the door don't do that I'll stop by and see the guy on my way thanks again Theo Daisy said they're not o
ut yet he said as he left Sparky was not to be found at AAA Bail Bonds Theo spoke to his secretary who asked why he wasn't in school and asked her to get Sparky to call him she said sure but seemed preoccupied with other matters reluctantly he biked as slowly as possible across town to strattonburg middle school knowing that the next few hours would be a waste of time the Clock Was ticking and he worried that if Woody and Tony were not released on that Friday afternoon things might get complicat
ed over the weekend chapter 13. the wire transfer from Mob money did not arrive until 4 pm Friday afternoon Theo was sitting in the conference room waiting he had deposited all the cash and checks a total of 1 752 dollars into the Boon and Boone trust account with his mother's approval and when the wire landed there was a total of two thousand three hundred and twenty dollars they would worry about the excess funds later since Mrs Boone would write the checks from the firm's trust account she ag
reed to call AAA Bail Bonds and get the details she was informed that Sparky was out of town and there was no one else available to write the bond she called Rodney Wall's office to request his assistance but was informed that he had left for the day his cell phone went straight to voicemail she called another bail bond company action bonds and was encouraged when a Mr Bob Hawley agreed to see her she antheo left immediately and drove to action's office also near the courthouse Daisy was at work
at the salon and could not get off action did business from a grungy little room just down the street from AAA Bob Hawley inspired all the confidence of a Man Who Sold used cars but at least he was pleasant and seemed eager to help he pulled out some forms took a few notes and called the jail his smile vanished and he frowned as he listened when he rang off he said sorry but there's some bad news seems as though the boys can't get out right now and why not Mrs Boone demanded they put a hold on
them there was a fighter some kind of trouble at the jail so now they're locked down in solitary confinement that's ridiculous Theo blurted another dude jumped them it wasn't their fault Holly Shrugged as if he'd heard this all the time can't help it son you'll have to talk to the judge Mrs Boone glanced at her watch and said it's 4 30 on Friday afternoon I'm sure the judge has already left another shrug Theo whipped out his cell phone and speed dialed judge Frank pendergraft's office voicemail
close for the weekend call back Monday think Mr Hawley left and walked two blocks to the jail where Theo LED his mother straight to the desk of Captain Rick Pruitt her former client Pruitt was certainly not expecting to see Mrs Boone at the jail but was clearly impressed by her presence she explained their predicament and Pruitt immediately grabbed a file to review the matter he'd LED them to a reception area and they waited as he flipped through the pages as frowned getting heavier with each pa
ragraph finally he said Yep looks like there was a disturbance of some sort in the jail and the Lambert boys are in a bit of hot water not to mention that armed robbery the jail reported to Youth Court and judge Pendergrass put a hold on their release pending further orders I don't understand Mrs Boone said happens all the time there Mrs Boone we can't have the inmates fighting among themselves so we take a hard line on bad behavior it wasn't his fault Theo said he and Tony got jumped by another
dude Mrs Boone asked if I can find judge Pendergrass can he release the hold over the weekend he's a judge ma'am and they usually do whatever they want you're calling him over the weekend oh I've done it before not pentagrast but plenty of other judges I'll help any way I can Pruitt said thanks half an hour later Theo returned to the jail with textbooks and workbooks stuffed into his heavy backpack by now he felt like a regular and the deputies and jailers and secretaries were no longer amused
by the sight of a kid visiting the place and walking around as if he practically owned it he spoke to them all called them by name was very polite because he had learned the valuable lesson years earlier that adults are always impressed by kids who are polite after 24 hours in solitary Woody's face had improved little his left eye was still puffy and practically closed the cut on his forehead had scabbed over and there was swelling around it he seemed calm though and not as nervous as the day be
fore he described the dark little dungeon where they kept him and the terrible food in the boredom he had no idea where Tony was but had heard from a guard that jock had been released Friday morning think about that Theo he said Garth pulls a stupid stunt gets us arrested and he's been out since Wednesday morning then we get attacked by a pit bull named jock and we get the blame he gets out too we're completely Innocent but we're still here this system ain't working too well Theo I know but we'r
e trying Woody we've raised the money and my mom tried to sign the paperwork an hour ago now she's trying to find the judge but it might be Monday Monday come on Theo I can't stay here all weekend we're trying Woody that's all we can do Woody's shoulders slumped into feet Friday dinner was always at Milos an old restaurant owned by a Lebanese couple Theo complained to his mother that he was not feeling well and begged off plus he thought his parents might enjoy an evening to themselves the famil
y had had a rough week and he really wanted some time away from his parents the truth was that Theo disliked the idea of eating in a nice restaurant while his friend was stuck in a dungeon choking down bad food Mrs Boone had been unable to locate judge Pendergrass so posting bail was not possible Theo was furious at the system and the way that the judges and policemen even the lawyers seemed to think that staying in jail a few more days was no big deal after another awful meal of vanilla wafers
and not one but two cheese sandwiches Woody was relaxing on his bed and trying to stay warm when a sudden knock jolted him to his feet a guard walked in said get up and follow me and what he did is ordered with no handcuffs he was led upstairs to the main Wing down a familiar hallway and shown to a cell where Tony was waiting their solitary confinement days were over the cell was nicer and warmer with two bunk beds and a small Shelf with a half a dozen paperbacks strewn about sitting side by sid
e on the bottom bunk and talking in Little Voices That compare notes and wounds the cuts and bruises were healing slowly Tony had heard that jock was gone thank goodness so perhaps they were somewhat safer Woody described as meeting with Theo and delivered the welcome news that the bail money had been raised however they would not be released until Monday how did Theo find two thousand dollars Tony asked everybody pitched in mom Theo the boons my friends a teacher lots of folks even dad came thr
ough with some money Dad yep hard to believe Theo said Garth gave him a fine time on Facebook laughing about his big adventure and bragging about what his lawyer will do what a creep and he's been out since Wednesday morning go figure I might punch that jerk when I see him the entertain that Pleasant thought for a moment then Woody said I can't believe it but I kind of miss this cell they had me in a dungeon me too we gotta get out of here Woody I'm not cut out for jail been doing a lot of think
ing lately and I might just pick up my game a little go back to class hit the books get serious about the future same thoughts here I've been thinking about Mom and how hard her life is and we're not making things any easier the least we can do is straighten up and stay in school and avoid stupid mistakes you know Woody nothing good happens when you're riding around at night on a school night even drinking beer it was pretty stupid and I want to say I'm sorry we had no business running around wi
th Garth and I feel bad because I forced you to do it I'm your big brother and I'm supposed to set a good example I blew it my bad kid Tony put an armor on Woody's shoulders and squeezed him won't happen again what he didn't like being hugged by his brother but he was touched by his apology it's not your fault Tony we knew what we were doing you're only 13 and every kid your age is influenced by older people especially family members I blew it and I promised it won't happen again Tony removed hi
s arm and Woody relaxed thanks he said I'm just glad we're together again right and we're going to stick together we did nothing wrong and we can't let Garth and his lawyer trick us into a bad deal got it whatever you say chapter 14. early Saturday morning judge Frank Pendergrast was snoozing in his recliner in the den still in his pajamas it had been another long night with little sleep for about the tenth night in a row his Bloodhound had gone berserk around midnight barking and Howling and lu
nging at the kitchen door once again he had stepped outside onto the patio and listened to disbelief as every dog on the street yelped then shrieked hysterically in one endless chorus something was provoking the neighborhood dogs to go nuts at midnight and once the racket started it went on for hours he had talked to his neighbors and no one was sleeping no one had ever seen their dogs behave in such a bizarre manner it was like a ghost was running door to door and whipping the animals into a fr
enzy something had to be done but what how do you catch a ghost just as he dozed off again the phone rang and he grabbed for it a mistake a familiar voice said good morning Frank this is Marcella Boone hate to bother you at home but this is important hope I didn't disturb oh no Marcella it's only Saturday morning my day off and I haven't slept in days and you called me Frank as opposed to judge Pendergrast he swallowed hard and said well good morning Marcella to what I owe this honor he asked th
e question but he had a hunch it's the Lambert Boys Frank they're still in jail we've raised the money for their bail and tried to get them out yesterday afternoon however there is a hold on them because of a fight at the jail they can't get out until Monday which is outrageous the toner of her voice left little doubt that Marcella believes strongly in her cause and was itching for a fight he had always admired her and woods as well and he really didn't want trouble for the most part the local b
ar the lawyers and judges knew one another well and strived to get along there was nothing to be gained by fighting and bickering regardless of the conflicts they dealt with it was a civilized bar and they took pride in their professionalism he stood scratched his head and said well I'm not sure what's happening here Marcella I don't recall hearing anything about a fight the jailers are blaming you they told us you are reprimanding the boys for fighting in jail is this true no it is not this is
the first I've heard about it I'm not sure what's going on listen Frank this is what's going on the Lambert boys were arrested Tuesday night and charged with armed robbery the guy with the gun and the driver of the car posted bail Wednesday morning and is having his fun on social media his family has money the Lamberts do not once in jail they were attacked by another juvenile named jock I'm sure you know of him and he's already out we have managed to beg and borrow the money necessary to post b
ail ten thousand dollars each which in my opinion is excessive but nonetheless we have the money and we want the boys out now had they been in the courtroom his honor would have considered gently suggesting that Mrs Boone relax our tone a bit he felt as though he was being reprimanded the courtroom was far away and he was standing in the middle of his den in his pajamas and he felt all of his power draining away he said Marcela I swear I do not remember anything about a fight I'm not surprised t
hat Jill is a zoo and you know how often the paperwork gets lost may I suggest you call down there and instruct them to get the boys ready to be released I've just talked to the bail bondsman and he can meet us at the jail in an hour as I said Frank we have the money it was such a silly fight and a small one and he knew she was not going away his honor really wanted to crawl back into his recliner snuggle under his quilt and try to resume his nap sure Marcella thank you Frank and tell Caroline I
'll see her at the luncheon next Wednesday will do an hour later Theo and his mother met Daisy Lambert at the jail Mr Bob Hawley of Action Bail Bonds arrived on time and was all smiles Mrs Boone wrote two one thousand dollar checks from the firm's trust account and Daisy signed the necessary paperwork it took another hour to round up the Lambert boys they were given their cell phones and personal effects then handed over to their mother when they walked outside they stopped and took a long deep
breath of fresh air and soaked up the sunshine after a round of hugs and thank yous Woody and Tony hopped in the car with Daisy and sped away as Theo and his mother watched them disappear he said well that was easy the last thing Woody had in mind for his first full afternoon of freedom and a Saturday no less was to slog his way through a pile of homework however he had no choice pursuant to an agreement hammered out by his mother Mr Mount Mrs Gladwell and Theo he dutifully reported to strattonb
urg middle at 2PM for an intense study session when he arrived Woody admitted but only to himself that he had actually missed the place he met Theo and Mr mount in their empty homeroom and was glad to see them they spent half an hour talking about his days in jail and what he quickly grew to enjoy his own stories there were some laughs and from the moment his legal troubles were somewhere else under Mr mount's guidance they studied for three straight hours that night the gang surrounded Woody Th
eo Chase Brian Justin Ricardo and Aaron metamat guffs for a frozen yogurt then they walked to the Downtown Cinema and watched Spider-Man 7. by 10 Woody was back home watching late night TV with his mother and Tony eating popcorn and laughing about how much they missed jock chapter 15. by Monday morning the entire eighth grade knew that Woody was free and returning to school to avoid attention he arrived early and secured himself in homeroom with Mr Mount his facial wounds were still visible and
he was tired of talking about them on the one hand he was embarrassed by his rest and legal troubles but on the other hand he was thrilled to be back at school with his buddies and if the girls wanted to smile and say hello that was okay too several times during the morning as he was once again welcome back he said yeah Theo got me out Theo wanted no credit whatsoever he had helped a friend in need something he would readily do again he was delighted to see Woody smiling they had hit the books h
ard over the weekend and Woody seemed eager to catch up their teachers Madame Monique in Spanish Ms Garmin in Geometry Mr tub check in chemistry and of course Mr mount in government acted as though Woody had never missed a class each quietly offered to meet with him after school for extra tutoring at lunch Theo and April findmore bought a sandwich and sat together on the playground alone they had not spoken much in the past days Theo had been so preoccupied with Woody's bail that he had neglecte
d her April was a quiet shy girl from a troubled family and she needed Theo's attention she was different a loner who enjoyed reading and painting her style of dress was whispered to be artsy and she cut her hair short she had few girlfriends and didn't want any the other girls were too busy staring at their phones gossiping about one another and April considered them to be Airheads did you really get him out Theo she asked Theo rarely bragged his parents had taught him to be humble and let his
actions speak for themselves nobody likes a braggart his father had said many times especially around the golf course where big talking was not unusual but with April Theo felt secure she would never repeat anything so he took a deep breath and replayed the entire story Monday afternoon brought the required visit to see Uncle Ike Theo had mixed feelings about it because Ike was generally in a foul mood and had nothing good to say about anything or anybody he was a lonely old man with few friends
and no family his wife divorced him long ago when he went to prison and his adult children were far away and too busy to call but as Theo Grew Older he began to wonder if Ike was as unhappy as he let on he played poker at least once a week with a group of retired lawyers and cops he knew more Courthouse gossip than anyone he was in a weird book club that read only biographies Elsa had once dropped a hint that Ike had a long time lady friend in another town Theo suspected that being grumpy was j
ust part of Ike's routine how's my favorite nephew he asked as Theo fell into the creaky leather chair judge settled next to his feet same question every Monday I'm your only nephew my buddy got out thanks for the loan don't mention it how's he doing he came back to school today and was like a hero you want to hear about his armed robbery sure Ike wheeled around his swivel chair reached in to a small fridge removed a can of beer and a can of ginger ale he turned a knob on a stereo and lowered th
e volume so that Bob Dylan could barely be heard he popped the top and swung his feet onto his desk same old sandals Theo described the armed robbery with the water pistol when he finished he asked what will happen to Woody he'll probably get the death penalty in this town come on Ike they can't convict him of anything can they does he have a good lawyer public defender some of those guys are good I don't know much about Youth Court Theo I was far away from my youth when I got busted plus you we
re a tax lawyer right right I stayed away from the criminal stuff that is until they came after me how are your grades perfect Theo said immediately he had learned that anything less than Straight A's would prompt a mini lecture on the virtues of studying harder how many adults were carefully watching his grades too many I took a swig of beer and asked how are things over at Boone and Boone the same everybody's working too hard Ike had been a partner with Theo's parents before he was born and yo
ur mother she's fine Ike never asked about wood spoon his brother can I ask you a question Ike something that might be sort of off limits maybe what's it about a long time ago you got into trouble it's not something I talk about I might explain things one day when you're older maybe not okay I'm not asking about what you did wrong if anything my question is this did you have to post bail to get out of jail I took another drink and studied the ceiling fan for a long time Theo was suddenly worried
that he had ventured into forbidden territory Ike said my situation was different I knew the police wanted me so I went with my lawyer down to the station I was photographed and fingerprinted I'll add Jazz and placed in a Cell for about an hour then I was released on personal identification so no I wasn't forced to make bail Bell seems so unfair I found an article about it online This legal scholar wrote that people with no money gets stuck in jail for crimes that are not that serious shoplifti
ng bad checks small drug cases expired driver's license stuff like that this is while they are presumed to be innocent and long before they go to court a lot of men lose their jobs and a lot of mothers are separated from their children just because they can't make bail he's right about that it's been a problem for a long time did the scholar offer a solution it's pretty obvious cut out Bail for small crimes and let people go home he says that virtually all of them will show up for court anyway k
eep bail in place for those charged with violent and serious crimes and you like to read stuff like this yes I do most kids your age are reading comic books or playing video games and you're reading about problems with our legal system Ike was amused and took another sip of his beer yes and the more I read the more problems I find our legal system is pretty good Theo better than most but it could work much more efficiently if we could fix the problems fail reform long prison sentence for non-vio
lent guys mass incarceration wrongful convictions electing judges I'm finding all kinds of stuff about how messed up our system really is it's depressing Ike especially for a kid who wants to be a lawyer so what are you going to do about it only 13 and my parents will not let me go to law school until I finish college sounds cruel to me worse than cruel so I suppose I'll just keep reading about the problems until I'm old enough to do something about them who says you have to wait take Woody's ca
se watch what happens to him study our youth court system and you'll find him plenty of problems I'm told that our juvenile prisons are in really bad shape we're talking kids here Theo youngsters like you so why not get involved to improve things I'll bet you can find several groups active in Youth Court reform I've already run across a couple there you go get involved now don't wait 10 years the problems are just getting worse Theo cyptus ginger ale and absorbed Ike's words I don't know I'm pre
tty busy right now you sound like your parents not happy unless they're talking about being so busy they're 13. Theo not 40. don't fall into the Trap of planning every moment of every day and keeping an eye on the clock you know who John Lennon was right the beetle that's him in his lyrics he said a lot of wise things one I remember go something like this life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans get it I guess if you see a problem Theo think of a way to fix it and do it n
ow don't spend all your time making plans you're trying to fix Ike nothing I don't see any problems plus I'm too old now beat it so I can finish this pile of paperwork see you next Monday chapter 16. on Tuesday Morning Theo stood in front of his locker with a looming sense of dread he was tired because he'd stayed up the night before reading legal articles on America's broken bail system the more he read the more frustrated he became and he couldn't go to sleep sometime after midnight he finally
dozed off with his laptop still open a soft voice behind him said um Theo he turned around and found a slight dark-haired boy he didn't know the kid was immediately uncomfortable switching his weight back and forth as he struggled to find words and glancing around he was either frightened or intimidated what's up Theo said he recognized the boy as a seventh grader but didn't know his name he was holding a piece of paper that at first glance did not appear to be anything related to schoolwork I'
m Roger and the police gave this to my mother last night before they took him he sort of shoved the paper at Theo who took it and with one glance recognized the problem of rule 3 summons Theo said for animal Court Roger said I hear you're good at handling these cases what's the name of the defendant I'm having trouble reading this Rufus our pet rabbit he's a French Lop okay thought Theo in his animal Court career he had been involved with two dogs including judge a spitting llama feigning goats
a delinquent parrot and an otter that feasted on fat goldfish but never a lop-beard rabbit says here the infraction is for a recurring nightly disturbance any idea what that might be no clue our family lets Rufus roam free in the house my parents don't believe in caging animals he has a pet door to the back patio sometimes we don't see him for a few hours but he's always come home especially when it's time to eat he's a good rabbit Theo a member of the family we've had him for five years what ar
e they going to do to him Theo his lip quivered and his voice cracked and Theo was afraid that the kid might start bawling right there in the hallway it was obvious that Rufus arrest had rocked him and probably his family well it depends on what's proven in court if Rufus is found guilty and considered a public threat or nuisance Animal Control can keep him and they can also put the rabbit to sleep forever but Theo wasn't about to go that far Roger was obviously fragile and couldn't take such Dr
eadful news just a lot beard rabbit Theo not a dangerous animal Roger said his voice Rising none of this makes sense look it says that the hearing is today at four o'clock in animal Court in the courthouse Theo knew he had a little time to prepare he also knew what Roger was about to ask will you take the case Theo everyone says you're the best in animal cord they say you've never lost a case there Theo's chess swelled with pride the truth was that his record in animal Court was six wins and no
losses though no one was keeping score but him he certainly couldn't brag about it because none of his friends would understand few of them had ever heard of animal Court it was impossible to say no his parents believed that a big part of being a lawyer was using your position to help those in need regardless of their ability to pay at the age of 13 and still without a license Theo couldn't exactly charge for his services so he never worried about the fee part it would be cruel to leave poor Ruf
us detained by Animal Control while Roger and his family worried themselves sick over their beloved rabbit he gritted his teeth looked Roger squarely in the eyes put a hand on his shoulder and said okay I'll do it see you there at four o'clock Theo entered the courthouse basement room reserved for animal court at 10 minutes before 4 pm and found a sparse Gathering which was a relief in the past some of his cases had attracted big crowds and that added pressure as much as he dreamed of the courtr
oom when the trials actually arrived he always preferred smaller crowds he had a not in his stomach as always he'd once heard an old lawyer say if you're not nervous in a courtroom then you're in the wrong place the courtroom was divided in half by a center aisle with rows of folding chairs on both sides in the front row Theo saw Roger and went to greet him Roger was with his mother a nervous looking woman with short blonde hair and a weird green t-shirt they were relieved to see Theo Roger said
this is my mother Alice carer she squeezed Theo's hand as if she were drowning and said Theo it's a pleasure to meet you Roger says Rufus is in good hands thanks I'll do my best they won't she placed her hands rather awkwardly over Roger's ear and continued put him to sleep will they Roger squirmed in his mom come on it's unlikely Theo said in a low voice as he tried to ignore the little drama I've never seen it happen the judge has to find that the animal is a persistent and continuing threat
to the public and that nothing else can be done as he talked he noticed a young curly-haired woman walking down the aisle with a stack of folders under her arm she was dressed professionally and had an important air about her Theo had seen her a couple of times around the courthouse and figured she was the newest hire in the District Attorney's office Jack Hogan usually sent his rookies all the way down to animal Court to get their feet wet with easy trial work she set her stack of paperwork dow
n on the flimsy table used by the prosecution and opened a file as if preparing for major litigation Theo nodded and Roger and Ellis stepped forward with him to the defense table the rookie walked over stuck out her hand offered a big smile and said I'm Brittany Collins with the DA's office Theo shook her hand and said I'm Theodore Boone for the defense she was amused by the size and age of her opponent but kept smiling she was very cute and Theo liked her immediately and you represent who she a
sked Rufus the rabbit the first case on the docket ah of course this little guy has caused quite a Stern Town Brittany turned and nodded toward the spectators an impressive crowd was suddenly gathering in the seats behind the prosecution's table whatever Rufus had been doing and evidently ticked off a lot of people and they were still filing in great thought Theo the whole courtroom was against him it suddenly hit Theo that he was completely unprepared a cardinal sin for a trial lawyer he had no
t had the time during the day to meet with his client and gather evidence on top of that animal Court did not permit Discovery and was often a trial by Ambush often there were no lawyers at all just parties representing themselves as they argued over barking dogs and stray cows Brittany flashed another cute smile and said take it easy on me today Theo huh what do you mean I hear you're a killer in animal cord she winked and flitted away and Theo couldn't think of anything to say he glanced again
at the crowd and noticed that most were well dressed animal Court often attracted a lower end crowd rougher folks who didn't hire lawyers and had more problems with their animals Theo swallowed hard and wondered what he'd gotten himself into Rufus seemed like a run-of-the-mill animal court case he tried a half a dozen of them but now he had a case he hadn't prepared for and he was dealing with a cute assistant D.A who made him nervous Theo had learned from his parents not to trust the pleasant
chatter of lawyers before the real action whether in trial or in negotiation every lawyer has a job to do and just because one is chatty beforehand doesn't mean he or she will not pull every trick possible to Prevail Britney's charm worried Theo she would no doubt catch the eye of Judge yak Theo returned to a seat next to Roger and his mother and whispered any idea why all these people are here tell me now so I won't get blindsided Alice shook her head no Roger said not really all we know is tha
t Rufus is always sound asleep when we go to bed but in the mornings he comes in covered with dirt and Briars I have to bathe him every morning he goes roaming at night but we have no idea where great Theo mumbled an animal control officer standing by the band Shield keep your seats animal court is now in session The Honorable sagrio Yak presiding judge Yak ambled through a side door and took a seat behind the rickety bench as always he wore jeans and cowboy boots no robe whatsoever he was a loc
al lawyer with a colorful history and the only lawyer in town who had agreed to serve as a part-time judge in animal Court he liked to Grumble about the job but his friends knew that he secretly enjoyed it good afternoon Ms Collins he said with a wide smile good afternoon judge she replied it was immediately obvious to Theo that these two had met before he knew from experience that judge Yak had an eye for pretty ladies and always good to see you Theo he said thanks judge always nice to be here
his honor looked at his docket and said so our first matter is the Detention of Mr Rufus the rabbit Theo I assume you're representing the Kerr family the owners of Rufus with outstanding Theo nodded and said yes sir all right Ms Collins you get to go first let's hear it and please keep it brief Britney stood rather professionally with a yellow legal pad though standing was not required she began well your honor there are numerous complaining parties it seems as though every night for the past tw
o weeks the entire neighborhood along Oak Leaf and Market Streets comes to life with a loud and prolonged chorus of barking dogs house dogs Yard Dogs stray dogs all dogs become extremely agitated and bark and howl for hours as if On Cue the racket goes on and on and on and no one is getting any sleep these people many of whom are here in the courtroom are exhausted and they are fed up still glance over his shoulder a mistake the courtroom was packed with folks who looked tired and fed up about w
hat time does this show begin each night judge Yak asked it's really strange judge it starts at precisely midnight under clear skies or under clouds at the stroke of midnight the dog seemed to go nuts a house pet can be sound asleep until he hears a distant bark then he or she goes crazy it spreads quickly throughout the neighborhood and all the lights come on everybody's awake you have a witness judge Yak asks gazing at the pack courtroom I have at least 20. well we don't need 20. I think I alr
eady get the message pick your best too and let's hear them okay the city calls Miss Emma dawfield Miss Darfield stood and hustled to the front she was a pleasant looking lady of about 50. she stopped in front of the bench raised a right hand and swore to tell the truth then took a seat in a folding chair Brittany simply said now miss Darfield please tell us your story the witness couldn't wait well you've already heard what we're going through it's terrible we're exhausted the dogs are all acti
ng weird and not just at night we had to take Leo to the dog shrink judge yet leaned in and said excuse me who's Leo our dog he's a Legato a what a Legato an Italian Water Dog of course and he went to the shrink yes sir he's a bit neurotic to begin with but a very sweet little guy he's been so upset with all this that we had to put him on antidepressants anyway anyway two nights ago I was awake at midnight sort of waiting for the fireworks and sure enough things erupted on time Leo who's a bit g
roggy these days but nonetheless still alert ran to the window and in the breakfast nook and started barking at the patio I eased to a window in the den and in the shadows I saw a rabbit a big rabbit he jumped onto our deck which is made of wood and started thumping his back foot real loud he did this little dance in a circle thumping like crazy rattling the boards and driving Leo even crazier there were no lights on our patio so I turned on the floodlights but the rabbit had vanished I turned i
t off waited and waited and sure enough he came back I could make out a silhouette in the shadows he started thumping again real loud but when I reached for the light he vanished again it was like he has a sixth sense and knows when the lights are about to come on Brittany asked so can you describe this rabbit well sort of he's big bigger than any rabbit I've ever seen and he has these really floppy ears Brittany turned to Theo and said you're a witness Theo was on his feet holding his yellow le
gal pad like all lawyers he smiled politely at the witness and said now Mrs Duffield you're certain this rabbit is a male uh well to be honest I don't really know but you have repeatedly referred to the rabbit as he and him correct sure but I guess that's just a habit fair enough you don't know the gender do you know its color beg your pardon Ms dawfield you said it's very dark on your patio and there's no light you saw a silhouette in the shadows is the rabbit white gray brown black yellow spot
ted please describe this rabbit well I would say dark dark gray dark brown black I really don't know for sure okay according to the atlas register of animals there are about 90 different breeds of rabbit what kind of rabbit are we talking about here oh I have no idea no further questions your honor you may return to your seat judge yuck said with a smile he wanted to wink at Theo but that would not have been professional call your second witness he said Britney stood the city calls The Honorable
Frank Pendergrast Theo almost fainted he felt as though he'd been in Youth Court every day for the past month lobbying judge Pendergrast on behalf of Woody and Tony now he was supposed to cross-examine him and how fair was a trial when one of the witnesses was a well-respected judge Theo wanted to object to his testimony but could not think of No Good Reason plus he knew judge yeck was going to allow his colleague to testify anyways after he took his oath and had a seat Brittany wasted no time
judge pendergrassed you are one of three neighbors who signed the complaint would you explain why sure just like Ms dofield has said this has been going on for about two weeks my wife and I have a bloodhound named Barney who sleeps downstairs and he's been very upset you ever heard of Bloodhound howl indoors at midnight no sir don't think so but it's something to remember last Sunday night I heard downstairs and I was sitting with Barney trying to settle him down I could hear dogs barking for mi
les around it seemed I saw something on the patio that I first thought was a big rat we've had a problem with him I reached for a light turned it on and the thing vanished just like that no sign at all I turned the light off waited and then I heard this thumping sound on the patio Barney went nuts again I eased to the window and caught a glimpse of the varmint it wasn't a rat it was a rabbit a huge rabbit with brown fur and big hind legs he was thumping away turning in a circle like some kind of
War dance I reached for the light again flipped the switch but he was gone then what happened I turned the light off and waited but he had moved on Barney was agitated for the rest of the night and I could hear dog barking throughout the neighborhood what did you do then well as you might guess these escapades have caused quite a stir in our neighborhood Fred Koger Lives four doors down and he knows the kurs who live about three blocks away he has seen their rabbit this Rufus character and he k
new that the curves allowed him to run free at night they supposedly have a pet door and don't believe in caging their animals we put our heads together and decided to notify Animal Control here we are Brittany said your honor at this time I'd like to bring in the defendant judge yet said sure bring him in Animal control officer opened a door disappeared then came with a large cage which he set on a table under the bench everyone stretched their necks to get a look at the criminal Rufus chewed o
n some kale leaves seemingly unconcerned Brittany pointed at him and asked now judge Pendergrast is this the rabbit you saw in your patio two nights ago I believe so yes thank you I tender the witness Britney said and took her seat Theo Rose slowly horrified that he was expected to cross-examine a judge he had great respect for plus he was a nervous wreck because the courtroom was now packed even more he was just a 13 year old kid fighting a bunch of adults he smiled at the witness and judged Pe
ndergrass smiled back because it was after all sort of cute to be facing a Kid Lawyer Theo swallowed hard and plowed ahead judge Pendergrast according to your testimony your patio is dark at night correct that's right and in order to have lights you have to flip a switch from the inside yes so it was around midnight it was dark and you saw something on your patio that's what I said Theo would you please look at Rufus would you agree that his fur is light brown with a few white spots and that he
is quite large for a rabbit I suppose so and would you agree that he looks nothing like a rat no he doesn't but that was just my first impression I got a better look a few minutes later in the dark well yes it was dark in fact you never saw the rabbit with the lights on I did not and for the past two weeks you've been exhausted and not sleeping much could that affect your eyesight maybe but it didn't I saw that rabbit Theo I'm sure of it okay judge do you know how many other rabbits are kept as
pets in your neighborhood judge Pendergrass side as if frustrated with the entire episode and it was a bit demeaning for such an important judge to be sitting down in the basement in animal court and getting roughed up by a 13 year old no I don't know do you I'm asking the questions your honor is Rufus the only rabbit in the neighborhood I do not know thank you sir I have no more questions Brittany jumped to her feet and said I have just one more your honor go ahead judge Yak was already bored w
ith the case Brittany said now judge you and the other sign the complaint Monday morning and Rufus was taken into custody right that's correct any noise last night not a peep everyone slept well for the first time in two weeks the city rests its case your honor she sat down and judge Pendergrass returned to his seat in the rear of the crowd judge Yak looked at Theo and said for the defense Theo said well yes your honor the defense calls Miss Alice Kerr she swore to tell the truth and took the st
and before she said anything she looked at the cage as if she might cry Theo plowed ahead now miss Kerr are you the owner of this rabbit well uh yes I guess he's owned by our family tell us a little bit about Rufus Theo thought it might be important to learn a little bit about the animal before judge yeck decided whether or not to put it down she offered a goofy smile and said oh he's just marvelous Rufus is a French lop lop beard of course as you can see and he's quite large for the breed most
weigh between 10 and 15 pounds but Rufus is pushing 20. eats all the time we bought him one Easter maybe five years ago and the kids have sort of grown up with Rufus he's a member of our family and where does he stay in the house all over the place he has a small bed in the washroom next to the dryer and that's where the kids feed him but he roams as he pleases can he leave the house whenever he wants I suppose we have a small pet gate in the kitchen door so he can go into the backyard if he wan
ts he does it all the time especially in warm weather is the backyard fenced in it is of course Rufus is always confined I've never known him to roam the neighborhood like these people are saying can he jump over the fence oh I don't think so I've never seen him do that he's very well behaved during the past two weeks have you noticed anything unusual about Rufus well yes to be truthful we've please be truthful Ms Kerr judge Yak said you are under oath remember yes sir we've noticed that first t
hing in the morning proof assistant covered with dirt mud and Briars we checked The Back Fence and found no way for him to escape but I just don't know we've had to bathe him every morning suddenly Rufus came to life and began pounding the floor of his cage with a hind leg the cage Shook and rattled loudly and began rocking itself toward the edge of the table Rufus appeared frantic and distraught and began plawing at the cage door with his front feet he wheezed and sort of shrieked as if he want
ed a bark or howl but wasn't sure how to go about it Miss Kerr was alarmed and exclaimed poor thing he's so upset he's never been in a cage before see what they've done to him Rufus turned his rear to the courtroom froze for a second and passed gas not loudly but in a potent concentration the odor was instant and strong and when he was finished he began pounding the bottom of the cage again judge Yak snarled at the animal control officer take him away the poor guy approached the cage timidly lif
ted it and rushed Rufus Away From the Bench through the door and out of sight the odor lingered for a moment judge yuck had had enough you finished Theo it was more of a command than a question and Theo said yes sir cross-examination Ms Collins Britney stood and wisely said judge I think we've had enough I'd like to propose a settlement here to avoid the sticky issue of putting down Rufus the city really doesn't want to do that not at this time anyway oh thank goodness Miss Cruz said from the wi
tness chair and covered her mouth with both hands judge Yak said Miss Kerr you may return to your seat let me see the lawyers up here please Theo strutted to the bench as if he'd been trying cases for 20 years Brittany smiled at him and said after you they stepped to the bench and judge yet leaned down low in a whisper he said I'm going to spare his life this time but next time I'll order a firing squad smiled at his humor the lawyers did not he waved the air in front of his face as the last of
the odor slowly evaporated yet continued there must be a simple way to keep this rabbit in the house at night right Theo can't they just lock the pet door I don't see why not your honor sounds simple to me Britney said judge Yak looked at the crowd and said okay this matter is resolved I'm ordering Rufus the rabbit to be returned to his owner immediately and he will be on probation I'm ordering the Kerr family to keep this rabbit indoors during the night every night and if he gets out again and
torments the neighbors dogs then I will have no choice but to order his arrest and extermination do you understand Ms Kerr she was still crying but she wiped her cheeks and nodded yes any questions Theo no sir and thanks your honor the crowd hurried out most of the neighbors seemed relieved that the defendant would now be kept under lock and key Rufus was handed over to Roger and Ms Kerr who cuddled him like a newborn outside the courthouse they thanked Theo and congratulated him over and over a
s he rode away on his bike he couldn't help but whisper proudly seven wins no losses chapter 17. Garth Tucker's family owned a construction company that built cheap motels along interstate highways garth's father inherited the company from his father and had the reputation of being a shrewd businessman it therefore came as no surprise when he hired Clifford Nance to defend his son Clifford Nance was perhaps the finest criminal defense lawyer for Miles round theod washed him in court many times m
ost recently in the murder trial of Pete Duffy when Clifford Nance was in trial the charges were serious and the accused had plenty of money to hire the best at 9 A.M on Wednesday morning Nance sat at the defense table with young Garth next to him for the occasion Garth wore a dark suit and tie he had evidently just been to the barber shop he was a handsome young gentleman who looked as though he was not capable of committing any crime his father sat behind him judge Gantry was on the bench shuf
fling papers and working his way through a crowded docket he said good morning this first matter of business is the preliminary hearing for Mr Garth Tucker let the record reflect that they accused his present along with his attorney Mr Clifford Nance is the state ready to proceed Jack Hogan the veteran prosecutor stood and said yes your honor I believe you have the police report and the summary of the charges I too and I'd like to remind everyone that this is only a preliminary hearing not a tri
al so let's be brief indeed the state calls Mr Clem ham to the stand Mr Hamm was waiting by the jury box and stepped forward to be sworn once situated in the witness chair he smiled at his honor and tried not to appear nervous Jack Hogan asked some basic questions to establish that he was a part owner of the calls grocery an all-night convenience store on Highway 22 North of town on the evening of October 18 around 11 pm he was behind the counter going about his business which was slow that nigh
t no one else in the store a young man walked in went to the beer cooler grabbed a case of beer brought it to the counter said he was out of money reached into a pocket and whipped out a pistol he aimed it squarely at Clem's face and told him to open the cash register which he did Clem took a step back held up his hands and said please don't shoot do you see the man with the gun in this courtroom Hogan asked right there Clem said pointing at Garth what happened next he grabbed the cash stuffed i
t in a pocket picked up the beer and as he was leaving he pointed the gun at my nose and pulled the trigger I almost fainted warm water hit me in the eyes he laughed and said bang bang don't call the cops or I'll blast you again and what did you do then well for a second or two I was too scared to move so I just stood there then I heard his car door slam so I stepped to the window and watched him drive away spinning tires and slinging gravel once he was gone I ran over locked the front door and
called the police kind of a car was he driving a green Mustang one of those souped-up muscle cars how much money did he take from the cash register 214 dollars now Mr Hamm when he aimed the pistol at you did you realize it was only a toy no sir not at all the thing looked real and I was scared to death I thought I was a dead man I mean my heart froze and I couldn't breathe for a moment or two Hogan stepped to a table below the bench and picked up a pistol in a plastic bag he slowly removed it an
d handed it to Clem this looked familiar Clem took it examined it and said this looks just like the one he aimed at me thank you Hogan took the pistol and placed it back on the table now Mr Hamm does your store use surveillance cameras yes sir got him all over the place the lights were dimmed as Jack Hogan rolled over a large screen four of the cameras recorded garth's quick visit to calls the first camera was outside and looked down at the gas pumps in one corner it showed the Mustang arrive an
d Garth hopping out seconds later it showed him returning to his car with the case of beer the second camera was mounted inside and caught customers coming and going there was Garth crystal clear as he entered the store and looked around not long afterward it recorded him leaving with beer the third camera was mounted high in the rear of the store and faced the large coolers filled with beer bottled water and soft drinks Garth yanked open a door grabbed the beer and disappeared fourth camera was
hidden above the cash register and in Vivid detail showed him put the beer on the counter pull out the pistol say something to Clem grab the cash then aim and pull the trigger what kind of an idiot Robs a store with such heavy surveillance in the front row of the courtroom Woody and Tony sat next to their lawyer Rodney wall they would not participate in the preliminary hearing but Mr wall wanted them there anyway it was important to see the evidence the state had at its disposal as Clem describ
ed each video Rodney wall leaned over to Tony and whispered this guy is a Tony nodded his agreement and whispered he claims he was drunk and didn't know what he was doing Mr wall just shook his head none of the videos revealed any trace of the Lambert boys in the car the lights were turned on and Clem ham stepped down the next witness was a detective in a dark suit Jack Hogan handed him the pistol and asked him to identify it he said we found this in the left front pocket of Mr Garth Tucker it's
a plastic water pistol that is designed to look exactly like a compact Ruger nine millimeter and I must say it is a very good fake the detail is impressive from a distance of 10 feet I could not tell the difference between this and the real thing who makes these I don't know where it came from but we found a toy company in Taiwan that makes water guns of all varieties evidently there are several manufacturers Woody agreed he still remembered the horror of staring at the pistol as Garth pulled t
he trigger for that Split Second he was too stunned to realize what was happening nothing further your honor Jack Hogan said the state requests that this case be sent to the Grand Jury for further action judge Gantry said Mr Nance Clifford Nance half stood and said nothing at this time your honor it was neither the time nor the place to argue on behalf of his client like most good criminal defense lawyers Mr Nance was using the occasion to see the evidence and to measure the witnesses to be used
against Garth and he had seen enough the case would never go to trial never get near a jury Nance was already working on a scheme to keep Garth out of jail and it involved the two juveniles who had been riding with him chapter 18. at 4 pm on Friday afternoon major Ludwig gave the command and 39 Boy Scouts hopped aboard the troops old Green School Bus and set off for Lake Marlow two hours away their tents and gear were packed neatly in the rear of the bus up front the major relaxed with three ol
der guys who made up the old goats Patrol three were fathers of Scouts and had been invited for the weekend Theo's dad had accompanied the troop on two occasions but he was not much of an outdoors type Theo though lived for the monthly camping trips as the leader of the Falcon Patrol he had seven Scouts under his command and he was in charge of planning the meals organizing work details and setting up camp the major handled any disciplinary problems of which there were few the boys were excellen
t Scouts and the major a retired Marine pilot pushed them hard to improve their outdoor skills as a knowledge they genuinely respected him and never wanted to disappoint Theo was sitting next to Woody the assistant patrol leader a week earlier he had been sitting in jail as Theo and His Friends scrambled desperately to get him out once freed he was reluctant to go camping the cost was about fifty dollars per Scout for food and supplies and Woody was not about to ask his mother for the money Theo
and the others knew better than to mention alone because Woody was too proud at the last minute Tony stepped up with the money and insisted that his little brother take the trip the major was also involved he called Daisy Lambert and urged her to encourage Woody to go neither Tony nor Woody had missed school since the release both seemed to have found a new enthusiasm for class and homework though they worried about their legal problems they believed in their innocence and were confident things
would work out Woody certainly seemed happier and was excited about the campout Lake Marlowe was the troop's favorite destination it was a large man-made lake inside a state park with dozens of campsites and trails and streams for fishing no development had been allowed so there were no beach houses or condos or cabins cluttering the landscape the lake was an endless Wilderness the perfect place for a scout troop to retreat to for a long weekend away from civilization the bus entered the park a
t dusk and the road went from asphalt to gravel the major preferred the remote camping areas away from the nicer campsites with indoor plumbing and RV hookups as the road turned to dirt the bus seemed to disappear into a dense jungle when the road finally stopped on a small rise at the edge of the lake the scouts hustled off the bus and unloaded their gear the major huddled with the patrol leaders and they agreed on the layout each Patrol would pitch tents around a common area where a fire pit w
ould be established Darkness was approaching and there wasn't much time to cook which was typical on Friday nights dinner was usually sandwiches and chips with more elaborate meals planned for the weekend most of the scouts were working on their cooking merit badge and its requirements called for such Delicacies as homemade biscuits and bread pot roast omelets and grilled fish assuming they were caught from nearby streams Theo had already added cooking to his sash along with 24 other merit badge
s if things went as planned he would achieve the coveted rank of eagle in about a year his father and the major were encouraging him to speed up because his life would change dramatically after the eighth grade when he entered High School there would be distractions once the tents were pitched in a neat half circle around the fire pit the scouts cut wood Douglas train lashed together tables secured the food and finally ate dinner they were excited and there was all manner of joking laughter hors
eplay and friendly trash talking with no other campers within miles the major was content to let the boys have their fun after cleanup when the sky was dark they gathered by Patrol and listened to their instructions the midnight hike was one of their favorites and the major laid down The rules he would lead with the Falcon Patrol behind him then a few yards back Ranger warthog rattlesnake and panther the old goats Patrol would bring up the rear and hopefully collect any Scouts who fell behind th
e trails were narrow and the hikers would move slowly in single file each patrol leader would use a flashlight they would climb steadily to a ridge with a view of the lake at least an hour away then Retreat back down the trail for added drama the major cautioned them to look out for snakes Bears even coyotes this only added to their excitement like a real Soldier he growled forward March and away they went 39 Scouts and four adults it was almost 10 when they returned to the campsite exhausted wo
od was added to the fire pit and the troop gathered around it the temperature had dropped considerably and the night had turned chilly the principal job of the old goats Patrol other than a little supervision and bonding with the kids was to tell ghost stories around the campfire the major encouraged the dads to work on their stories and perfect frightening tales that would terrify the boys and have them jumping out of their skins a few months earlier Justin's father had told the story of a lege
ndary coyote that stocked campers in the area and Mr klosky somehow rigged up a hidden boom box that erupted in the blood curdling scream of a deranged wolf with perfect timing the animal roared in the Darkness shrieked in Terror and grabbed one another when the Mad Dog finally stopped the boys managed to relax a little when they realized the geezers were on the ground laughing the major could not have been prouder the first story was about the ghost of a man who had drowned in the lake for year
s campers had reported seeing an eerie light out in the water in the middle of the night then one night it began moving toward the shore and a voice could be heard a family of four was camping near the water and they watched in horror as the light grew brighter and brighter their bodies were found a week later floating on the water far away from their campsite it was a nice story frightening enough and it held the boy's attention the second story was about a mysterious creature that was eerily s
imilar to Bigfoot his Legend was that for decades he had roamed around Lake Marlow stealing food from campers and in general terrorizing the place after three ghost Tales the boys were sufficiently spooked and the major ordered lights out they hustled through their tents zipped up the doors tight turned off their flashlights and nestled snugly into their sleeping bags as the night became quiet they waited nervously for ghosts and Savage animals to attack the major walked around quietly smiling a
t the sounds of the whispered conversations as they trailed off and as tired men fell asleep the night passed without incident at Sunrise the major and the dads staggered from their tents stretched and shook off their stiffness of a night on the ground and began making coffee as loudly as possible slowly the scouts appeared most of them still in the uniforms they'd slept in cooking fires were built and breakfast was soon underway the major asked Woody to help him gather firewood and they hiked t
o a secluded area not far from the campsite the major pointed to a spot on a boulder and they sat down he said look Woody I'm not sure you know it but I do a lot of volunteer work in Youth Court and I'm aware of your case do you mind talking about it no sir I guess not woody replied often judge Pendergrass will ask me to review a case and try to help the family I have not looked at your file but I understand there are some serious charges you want to tell me about it sure the truth was what Wood
y like every other Scout would trust the measure with anything so what he told the story of the armed robbery and the beer drinking the major listen thoughtfully without passing judgment when Woody finished the major said sounds like you were hanging out with the wrong crowd it wasn't a crowd and my brother Tony did nothing wrong we had no idea what Garth was up to it's just so unfair sounds unfair and Tony will tell the same story it's not a story major it's the truth okay what is garth's versi
on I'm not sure I haven't talked to him lately but the night we were arrested he told the police that the water pistol was mine a total lie he thinks that if I go along with his lie then we'll all get off light because I'm only 13. plus he's got a big time lawyer so who knows what they'll say and your lawyer is Rodney wall yes sir I'm not sure he believes us I wish we could get another lawyer but we can't afford one I know Rodney wall we've worked a couple of cases together is he a good lawyer h
e's new on the job been there only about a year got a lot to learn but he'll be okay I can talk to him would you like for me to ask the judge if I can help with your case sure major that'd be great judge Pendergrast is a good man who has a knack for finding the truth things will work out Woody thanks I need some help me and Tony no about this drinking I don't like it one bit you're much too young and it'll only lead to more trouble it's no big deal really sometimes Tony and I'll sneak a beer out
of the fridge but we really don't have the money for it are you smoking pot no sir is Tony probably but never around me your parents are divorced yes sir my dad lives in the county but we don't see much of him my mom is remarried to a guy who's okay but he does construction out of town and we don't see much of him she works two jobs sometimes three so there's not much supervision at home no sir the major slowly got to his feet and paced around deep in thought he said let's deal with the drinkin
g first it's against the law and I want it stopped okay yes sir no problem I don't even like the taste of it beer and alcohol can only lead to trouble especially for a teenager you're promising me right now that it won't happen again yes sir good I'll make sure the judge understands this and no more missing school okay okay no drinking no skipping and hit the books hard I'll check with your teachers and monitor your progress judge Pendergrast will want to know how you're doing if I'm on the case
Woody I expect a lot of improvement you're too young and too smart to fall through the cracks understood yes sir I'll speak to your mother mind if I have a little chat with Tony I suspect he's not a positive influence these days he's a good guy major we've seen the inside of the jail and we don't want to go back there good maybe this little brush with the law will be a good thing you ever been arrested major no it's no fun I can still feel the handcuffs clapping on my wrists I can still see the
cops frowning at me still see their angry faces still smell the nasty jail the whole thing was scary because you have no control over anything and you don't know what will happen next Woody bit his lip as his eyes watered and he began shaking the major walked over and put a hand on his shoulder it's gonna be okay Woody chapter 19. The Troop returned to civilization late Sunday afternoon as the bus entered strattenberg the boys were silent they were exhausted but also in a somber mood the return
s were always like that the planning the anticipation the sheer fun of being in the woods for the weekend it all came crashing down as they re-entered the real world and life returned to normal tomorrow meant school it was hard to believe it seemed cruel of Mr mount's 16 boys in homeroom seven were Scouts who had gone camping as soon as the bell rang Monday morning and he took roll all 16 were present he asked Woody to stand before the class and describe the weekend being 13 years old most of th
e boys preferred not to speak before a group though Theo loved to do so to overcome this shyness Mr Mount often selected one at random and asked him to walk to the front of the room and talk he expected them to have good posture speak slowly and be as confident as possible a few were Naturals but most struggled for five long minutes Woody began by telling a funny story about a prank they played on the youngest Scout he got a few laughs seemed to warm up and as he was describing the midnight hike
there was a knock on the door Mrs Gladwell interrupted things as she walked in she nodded at Mr Mound then at Woody and asked them to step into the Hall Mr Bob Hawley from Action Bail Bonds was waiting he introduced himself to Mr Mount and asked Woody did you leave town last weekend Woody glanced nervously at Mrs Gladwell and said yes sir I went camping with the scouts to Lake Marlow that's what I heard Mr Holly growled you're not supposed to leave Stratton County son you've violated the terms
of your bail bond he whipped out a pair of handcuffs and grabbed Woody's arm you're coming with me Mr Mount took a step forward and said you can't do that sure I can do it all the time when the criminal skips bail Don't Call Him a criminal Mrs Gladwell said Woody jerked his arm away but Holly managed to grab the other arm tightly and slapped the cuffs on his right wrist let him go Mr Mount said the door was partially open and Theo and the others heard every word Holly was a tough guy who knew hi
s business you got no choice kid and don't start trouble he poked Mr mount in the chest and said and if you get in the way I have the authority to arrest you as well now back off he grabbed Woody's left wrist and cuffed it let's go where are we going what do you ask loudly the jail son that's where we take all the Bale jumpers he didn't jump fail Mr Mount said though he wasn't sure knock it off Holly said angrily and seemed ready to throw a punch Mrs Gladwell backed away speechless Holly grabbed
Woody by the elbow and marched him down the hall fortunately it was empty the students were still in homeroom and waiting for the bell for first period the remaining 15 boys raced to the windows and washed in disbelief as Woody was let out of the building another tough looking guy was waiting beside a car and opened a rear door Holly shoved Woody into the back seat Mr Mount looked dazed when he re-entered the classroom the boys scrambled back to their seats for a moment nothing was said the unb
elievable moment spoke for itself finally Mr Mount said Theo did you know Woody was not supposed to leave the county of course not never crossed my mind or his or anyone else's for that matter I can't believe this I can't either how can they do that Aaron asked that guy's not a cop is he no he's not Mr mouth said rubbing his jaw but a bill bondsman does have the authority to rest his own client if the terms of the bond are violated Mrs Gladwell stepped through the door and said Mr Mount would yo
u and Theo come to my office as if On Cue the bell for the first period rang and the boy slowly picked up their backpacks Theo and Mr Mount followed Mrs Gladwell to her office where she closed the door she stood beside her desk and looked at them none of the three knew what to say after a pause she said okay what do we do now I assume that guy has the right to go virtually anywhere to grab one of his clients but it does seem as though a school should be off limits it's not Mr mouth said the log
gives bail bondsmen a lot of power but the whole idea of Woody jumping bail is just plain stupid so he left town he wasn't trying to run away or skip out he left he came back he showed up here today for school just like he was supposed to that guy probably hopes the judge will set a new bail so he can write another Bond make another Buck off Woody when he doesn't have another Buck Theo said we had to beg and borrow the first time he'll be stuck in jail forever what should we do she asked Mr Moun
t said well the first thing is to notify his lawyer Mr wall they'll take Woody before the judge real soon I suppose in his lawyer needs to be there we should be there too Theo said always eager to go to court and avoid class all right she said I'll call his mother Mr mouth you call his lawyer Theo suddenly had an idea he said and I'll call major Ludwig our sculpt Master he and Woody talked about his case during the campout and the major has volunteered to act as his Youth Court counselor he know
s the judge pretty well great idea she said let's get busy but he was placed in the same cell he and Tony had once shared with their old pal jock and the memories were cold and harsh he was in a state of disbelief and mumbled to himself as he stretched out on the bottom bunk and tried to make sense of it all alone again he turned to face the wall and fought back tears for a solid week he had not only gone to school every day but had done so with all homework completed he had stayed after school
for tutoring the thought of a beard never crossed his mind he had gone camping with a scout troop what else could he have done to behave himself yet here he was again in a dingy jail cell all alone an hour later a Jailer walked to his cell and informed him that he would be taken before the judge for a 1pm hearing he thanked the man though he had no idea what was about to happen he managed to convince himself that his mother and Tony and Theo were doing everything possible to get him out again he
was worried sick though if the judge imposed Baal again there was no way they could raise any more money he would probably get stuck in jail for months lunch was a turkey sandwich and a dill pickle and he ate every bit because he was starving the same Deputy unlocked a cell handcuffed him and led him to the front past the desk into a waiting patrol car a few minutes later he entered the basement of the courthouse and wrote up the service elevator judge Pendergrast was on the bench when Woody wa
s brought in in the front row were his mother Theo and Mr Mount his lawyer Rodney wall was waiting by the bench with Bob Hawley a man he now despised for Theo it was the first time he'd seen the judge since he cross-examined him in animal Court he Theo assumed there were no hard feelings he thought he'd done a good job on Cross he thought the judge had handled himself well as a witness his honor was certainly a veteran of courtroom Warfare and knew that each lawyer had a job to do when he assume
d the bench he had nodded to Theo but didn't smile Theo did note that he looked more rested lately there had been no reports of Rufus rampaging through the neighborhood no complaints to animal control Theo had bumped into Roger at school and everything was fine with their rabbit Fair outcome for all who could complain Theo decided not to worry about any Grudge that the judge might carry his honor was reading some paperwork and when he finished he said I've looked over the bond written by action
did you Mr Lambert leave the county over the weekend what he stiffened his back glared at the judge and said yes sir I went camping at Lake Marlow with my Scout Troop and were you aware that you are forbidden from leaving Stratton County no sir I did not know that Mr wall did you warn your client about leaving the county no sir I assumed he and his mother knew that he was expected to stay home well it looks as though you assumed too much judge Pendergrass seemed irritated at the situation the do
or opened and major Ludwig walked in he leaned against the rear wall and nodded at the judge who noticed him but continued well I have no choice but to revoke your bond and discuss setting bail the major step forward and said your honor may it please the court I have something to say go ahead major Ludwig Woody is one of my Scouts and I'm volunteering as his Youth Court counselor I take full responsibility for the camping trip and for his leaving the county it never crossed my mind that he was v
iolating the terms of his bail it's my fault judge and I can promise you that he will be right here anytime you want the measure moved and spoke like a seasoned lawyer and it was obvious he had the judge's respect he continued there is absolutely nothing to be gained by setting bail again it's my understanding that the family sacrificed everything to get him out the first time release him to my supervision and there will be no more problems I've discussed these charges with Woody did so last wee
kend during the campout and I firmly believe that he is innocent of any serious crime he has promised me that he will tighten up his study habits attend school every day and stay away from the wrong crowd I'm asking the court to trust me with this matter his words were solemn and when he said trust everyone in the courtroom believed him judge Pendergrass scribbled some notes and he pondered the situation he looked at Woody and said okay young man I believe in second chances I believe this was an
honest oversight on your part I want you and major Ludwig to report to me at four o'clock every Monday afternoon and we'll discuss your class attendance and your grades in the meantime your attorney will get to work on the charges filed against you you're released on personal identification no bail Woody looked him squarely in the eye and said thank you your honor chapter 20. for the next two weeks Woody managed to avoid another arrest he didn't miss a day of school often arrived early and stay
ed late for extra study hall and tutoring Tony too was back in school and putting more effort into his classwork jail was a place they preferred to avoid Clifford Nance had the finest Law Office in strattonburg it occupied the top floors of an old building that was once the only Bank in town and from his large Windows he looked down on the courthouse directly across the street the Yancey River could be seen in the distance Mr Nance had bought the building years earlier and spent a lot of money r
enovating it his firm had seven lawyers it was the biggest in town an elevator ran from the lobby straight to Mr Nance's Suite Rodney wall had never been near the office though like most lawyers in town he had heard descriptions of it as a young lowly paid assistant public defender he dreamed of one day achieving the success of a big time lawyer like Clifford Nance he wanted a fancy office big Fern fine home foreign cars the works and he secretly dreamed of working for the Nance firm his plan wa
s to gut it out in the trenches of public defender Warfare gained some experience perhaps start building a reputation and then apply for an associate's position with the firm but then a lot of young lawyers in stratenberg had the same dream at the appointed hour the hour suggested by Mr Nance Rodney rode the elevator to the top floor and was greeted by a pretty secretary who offered him coffee Mr Nance was on the phone and would be tied up for a moment Rodney eased into a thick leather chair and
admired the Persian rugs and modern art on the walls he sipped his coffee and stared at his phone as if he had matters that were far more important than the Lambert case the secretary typed away the phones rang occasionally finally a large door opened and Mr Nance himself stepped out he waved Rodney into his massive office and pointed to a plush sofa let's sit over here he said keep things casual sure Rodney said as he glanced around Nance's Monument of a work desk was long and wide and appeare
d to be mahogany though Rodney wasn't sure a few files were stacked neatly but for the most part the desk was Bare as if the great man lived an uncluttered life and was concentrating only on the case before him conference table with chairs occupied one corner the walls were covered with paintings and portraits everything was neat and perfectly organized which came as no surprise Mr Nance's reputation was that of a trial lawyer who was always thoroughly prepared and organized place he got here Ro
dney said as he sank into the sofa oh it'll do Mr Nance said he wore a navy suit crisp white shirt perfectly knotted tie expensive shoes gold watch Rodney thought to himself he probably spends more on clothes in one year than iron and salary Mr Nance said you know Rodney I started in the PD's office 30 years ago back then we were in court every day trying cases the experience was incredible how long you been there a year amongst a good man you'll learn a lot from him so far so good enough of the
small talk Mr Nance cleared his throat as if it were time to move on he was quite busy so let's talk about this case the facts are straightforward three stupid kids riding around drinking beer nothing good was going to happen right but nobody got hurt I mean you know it was only a water pistol a toy Garth my client still maintains that it belonged to the youngest boy woody woody Lambert age 13 right Woody and Tony but I'm not sure that's true it's not Rodney said exerting himself it's not true
at all neither Tony nor Woody had ever seen the pistol before well that's what they say and they are brothers aren't they they are but they seem to be telling the truth no doubt look Rodney if we fight among ourselves we all get hurt I have a plan to get this case dismissed before the grand jury hands down an indictment against my client your clients of course are not facing indictment because they are minors I believe I can convince Jack Hogan to cut us a deal and avoid serious charges for thes
e boys of course I'm deeply concerned about my client Garth because he is 18 years old and is being treated like an adult he's not a bad kid I assure you that maybe a little immature but he can outgrow that if he gets the right help his parents are worried about his drinking and drugs and he has agreed to submit himself to a treatment facility this will be very important to Jack Hogan and judge Gantry the Tuckers are good people Garth still plans to go to college can you imagine how a felony con
viction will haunt him forever no college no job no future how do you avoid a felony Rodney asked start with a gun I don't need to remind you how much judge cantry hates guns and violence if we allow Woody the 13 year old to claim ownership then the gun loses some of its damage in Circuit Court sure Garth used it for the robbery sure that was a really dumb thing to do but I'll argue that he was not only drinking but already drunk and thus wasn't sure what he was doing would he produced The Gun a
ll three boys were in on the robbery all three need to be punished but it's imperative that we avoid a felony here Rodney are you with me I get that but how do you convince Jack Hogan to reduce the armed robbery by begging I'll make a strong case that Garth is a good kid who was drunk and that he was also misguided into believing you can't pull a real robbery with a water pistol and that nobody got hurt and that he's real sorry for his mistake and he'll agree to a few days in jail two years of p
robation a big fine full restitution to the store and a hundred hours of volunteer service anything to avoid the felony and what about my clients come on Rodney they're juveniles different laws down there in that Court your boys will get off with a slap on the wrist a little probation but nothing serious plus they will not have a criminal record but they're innocent Mr Nance just call me Clifford and they're not completely innocent they were riding around drinking beer and looking for trouble an
d they found it as I understand things the Lambert boys come from a rough home and they're having trouble at school this true that's fair to say okay so we take all three boys and we spread around the blame a little Woody says he owned the gun he and his brothers say they were in on the decision to snatch some beer everybody's real sorry and all and they've learned a valuable lesson I'm not sure what Antonio will admit to anything except the beer they've been pretty vocal in that they knew nothi
ng about the robbery that's where you come in Rodney that's what defense lawyers are for you've got to convince them that all three must stick together and stick to one story trust me on this I've been doing this for over 30 years and I'm very good at what I do I know the judges and the prosecutors and they know me indeed they do there's a way out of this for all three boys Rodney we just need to use a bit of creative storytelling Let each boy take a bite of the blame and everybody gets out in o
ne piece Rodney took a sip of coffee and a deep breath Clifford Nance was very persuasive but Rodney really didn't appreciate being pressured by another lawyer not like this Rodney asked what makes you so sure you can convince Jack Hogan to reduce the armed robbery to a misdemeanor Clifford offered a smug Smile as if he knew everything Jack and I go way back we've squared off in the courtroom many times murder trials drug trials You Name It We have a great respect for each other respect that has
been earned this is not a serious case Rodney this is the story of three boys out joyriding and doing something stupid again nobody got hurt I Know Jack and I know I can convince him to back off and do Garth a favor the Tuckers are nice people unlike most of the criminal defendants that Jack prosecutes we just need for you to convince your clients to go along with our plan it's not going to be easy do you really believe that Woody and Tony had no idea what Garth was up to I'm not sure about tha
t I've always had my doubts about their stories now you're talking Rodney I have doubts too I bet good money that those boys ran out of beer and talked about stealing some more and I'll bet that the judge will think so too okay I'll talk to my clients I'm sure this will take several conversations well let's hurry along I'd like to cut a deal with Hogan before the grand jury gets the case Nance smiled properly and stood conversation over he walked Rodney to the door paused and rubbed his chin say
Rodney how long do you plan to work for Monk oh I don't know a couple of years maybe then what I'd like to go into private practice join a nice law firm and specialize in criminal defense I love the courtroom and can see a career there that's what I did and I have no regrets one day soon after this case is over let's have a conversation about your future I'm always looking for young Talent we have seven lawyers now and that need at least two more I'd really enjoy that conversation Mr Nance it's
Clifford chapter 21 on a cold rainy afternoon Theo was at his desk in his little office in the rear of Boone and Boone and instead of doing his boring homework he was kicked back in his old hand-me-down swivel office chair watching them Reign splatter against his window judge snored under his desk inches from Theo sneakers at times the rain fell hard and the wind whistled against the roof then it slacked off and almost quit he'd been studying the rain in the wind for some time because his geome
try was particularly boring they were suffering through polygons and his chemistry was quite dull they were memorizing compounds and well nothing at the moment offered any excitement so he's doing what he often did at the age of 13 thinking about life and wondering what it would be like in a few short years when he was growing and driving and dealing with high school issues he even had a thought or two about college but couldn't imagine the day when he was forced to leave home and go out into th
e world without his parents and his dog he had already done a bit of research online and had yet to find a college that allowed its freshmen to bring their dogs to school but that was a few years away he had more pressing issues at hand a book report for English a speech for government the major was watching him closely and monitoring his merit badge progress the guy had practically set a deadline for Theo to become an eagle scout April finnmore's father had left home again for the umpteenth tim
e and her mother was still crazy Theo was afraid she April might just run away and vanish forever the hours passed and the sky grew darker and Theo kept daydreaming a soft knock on the rear door startled him and brought him back to life Woody barreled in shaking off rainwater he was soaked come in Theo said I'm in Theo and I'm freezing give me your coat Theo pulled his jacket off a wall hook and tossed it to Woody what in the world are you doing out on the streets in a rainstorm well I'm not jus
t here because I miss you I can promise you that what he said is he put on the coat judge was awake and sniffing around Woody's ankles Woody glanced at the open door and asked can we talk sure Theo got up closed the door and retook his seat this must be important it is Tony and I just spent an hour with Rodney wall the guy's a creep he fed us this line about buying into garth's story of the gun wall wants Tony and me to help cover garth's Bud by saying the gun belonged to me that Tony knew about
it that we offered it to Garth so that he could get us some more beer which we all wanted your lawyer wants you to lie yes he says that we need to go along with the story because Clifford Nance is tight with the prosecutor what's his name Jack Hogan right Hogan and that if we all tell the same story and we all take some of the blame then we'll all get off late including of course Garth terrible Woody he had never seen the gun before tell me about it the bad part is that wall our very own lawyer
and the one we're stuck with because we can't afford another one wants us to take the deal he kept calling it a good deal he said Mr Nance had pretty much worked out everything with Jack Hogan we'll all get light sentences and Garth will avoid a felony conviction which will stay on his record forever and ruin his life in every way possible you should have been there Theo it was pathetic watching our lawyer try to convince us to take a deal and lie about everything what'd you say I said no Tony
said no wall got ticked off at us for saying no said we'll have to go to trial and that judge Pendergrass will probably not believe us because we're brothers and brothers tend to stick together most said that he also said that it was unlikely the judge would believe that we Tony and me knew nothing about what Garth was up to the bottom line Theo is that our lawyer doesn't believe us and he wants to cut a deal to impress Mr big shot Clifford Nance I can't believe this I know I know the guy is mor
e concerned with taking care of Garth Tucker than us we have to get another lawyer Theo can you represent us I know you're only 13 but you do a better job than wall sorry come back in about 12 years what about your mother no I had to twist her arm to do the bail hearing and she's convinced she did a lousy job there she doesn't like criminal law and wants to stay away from it your dad Theo snorted you'd probably get the death penalty my dad hasn't seen a courtroom in decades what about Ike no lic
ense same as me I have an idea let's talk to the major tell him everything he's worked with wall before and I'll bet he's not afraid to get in the guy's face would he had stopped shivering the water still dripped from his hair and ran down his cheeks I like it he said softly you got to do something Theo did wall say what would happen if you and Tony got convicted yeah that's the sick part he said we'd be sent to a juvenile prison for a long time how scary is that Theo our own lawyer trying to sc
are us with prison if we don't do what he says what'd you say Tony got mad got real mad and said if he was any good at being a lawyer then we wouldn't get convicted because we are innocent exchanged words things got pretty ugly and he told us to leave we're at war with our own lawyer let's go find the major they found him at home on the phone he invited them over and they rode their bikes through the rain luckily he didn't live too far away his home was a quaint Bungalow in the center of town an
older house he and his wife had beautifully renovated when they retired to strattonburg the boys had been there before several times for scouting sessions and merit badge workshops Mrs Ludwig gave them towels and served them hot cocoa which had never tasted better after she disappeared Woody retold the story of his and Tony's disastrous meeting with their lawyer as always the major listened carefully without comment until Woody finished this is disturbing he said Theo ever ready to join the con
versation asked if Woody tells this new story isn't that perjury the major replied of course it is a false statement made under oath and court is perjury which is another crime it will only make matters worse Woody there's no way you can take the stand and tell this story oh I'm not going to what he said what about Tony the major asked we're sticking together and we're sticking to the truth it's that simple we don't care what happens to Garth he's got his own lawyer and his family has some money
the major rubbed his chin deepened thought he was frowning and not pleased with what he was hearing Theo interrupted things with shouldn't you report this to the judge major tell him that this lawyer is trying to get his class to lie in court maybe but not right now let's see how things play out your trial is a week from Wednesday so we have some time perhaps I'll meet with Rodney wall and explain things to him let him know that you and Tony are not going along with this new story what he said
okay but here's what's bugging me wall says that our story the true story is not that believable three teenagers in a car drinking beer and needing some more the plan to rob a place for more beer and a little cash to boot and two of the three know nothing of the plan I kind of see his point maybe that is too hard to believe then the two guys who claim to be innocent are also brothers who of course can be expected to say anything to cover for each other maybe our case is not as strong as we think
I agree said Theo though no one asked his opinion so the big question is what if you go to trial and the judge finds you guilty exactly what he said what if we're found guilty and sent away for a year or two that would be the end of the world just go ahead and shoot me the major said let's not overreact here I'll meet with Mr wall as soon as possible and let's see how that goes I have a question theoph said if Woody and Tony decide to go along with the plan here and take some of the blame what
crime will they plead guilty to I don't understand the major smiled and said well fortunately or unfortunately there is no shortage of crimes on the books I can see a deal where they would plead guilty to a misdemeanor like malicious Mischief or disorderly conduct something like that a lesser offense that would not lead to jail time and be removed from their records after they turn 18. Theo looked at Woody and asked could you do that Woody could you plead guilty if it meant no jail time for all
three of you Woody gritted his teeth and said no way I'm not guilty major Ludwig smiled and nodded his approval chapter 22 it was a slow night at Santos and Tony had only four pizzas to deliver he was alone Daisy discouraged Woody from any more pizza runs and Tony did not offer Woody was at home supposedly doing his homework Daisy was pulling a late shift at the restaurant their stepfather had not been home in weeks as if he was avoiding all the drama the first delivery was to a student duplex n
ear Stratton College a street Tony knew well he carried a pepperoni Supreme to the front door knocked and waited it was the typical overcrowded student place with bikes chained to the front railings and empty beer cans scattered through the neglected flower beds the door opened and a pretty co-ed asked him to step inside he did so handed her the pizza and waited as she fetched the money a college boy walked through the den and said hello Tony waited part of the routine of delivering pizza from t
he back hallway Garth Tucker appeared and said hey Tony what's up not much what are you doing here Tony was surprised to see him but not startled seniors at Stratton Burke High were known to visit friends at the college still bumping into him on a pizza run on a random weeknight was too much of a coincidence friends of mine I hang out here sometimes the two saw each other at school occasionally but rarely spoke since their arrests they had tried to avoid each other Tony especially wanted nothing
to do with Garth the girl returned to the den and handed Tony a 20. he pulled change out of his pocket and gave it to her Garth said say Tony you got a minute I need to discuss something with you what's there to discuss and I have three more pieces to deliver there's a small patio out back just the two of us won't take but a minute Tony looked around and didn't like the setting he heard other male voices in the rear of the apartment the girl was gone as was the pizza what's on your mind it's pr
ivate Tony let's step outside Tony could handle Garth in a fistfight but he wasn't sure how many others might decide to join in cautiously he followed Garth into the kitchen where he saw no one and through the rear door onto a brick patio a dim yellow bulb provided the only light Tony looked around to make sure it wasn't an ambush Garth seemed nervous but sincere he said look first things first I did a dumb thing and got us all busted my bad I was drunk and pulled a bone-headed move but I'm not
drinking now I've quit and I'm behaving myself I'm still in trouble though and I need some help my lawyer says you guys don't want to play along with our line of defense I wish you would it would help me tremendously we're not lying in court Garth if that's what you're asking you know perfectly well what happened and you're just trying to change the facts sorry okay okay I'm not here to argue Tony that's not going to help us there's a way out of this mess if we can all stick together you mean th
ere's a way out for you pin the blame on us or especially on Woody because he's 13 and you get to walk we're not stupid Garth you may have a big shot lawyer but it's obvious what's going on the answer is no we are not walking into a courtroom and lying that will only make matters worse Garth kept us cool and showed no signs of anger no one else appeared in the kitchen as the minutes passed the situation looked less and less like an ambush do you realize what a felony conviction does to me Tony i
t means I'll go to jail maybe for years and my life is ruined no college no career no nothing why can't you guys help me here because we're innocent and you are not that simple simple here's what's simple Garth reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and for a second Tony's heart skipped a beat then he whipped out an envelope and said this is five thousand dollars cash Tony all yours just go with our story and keep the money think of how much your family could use this money Tony was stunned
and took a step back Garth pressed ahead come on Tony it's cash cannot be traced and it's all yours yours and Woody's you can do with it whatever you want just agree to stick to our little story and help me out the money is yours Tony had never known anyone with five thousand dollars cash in their pockets especially a high school student he stared at the envelope shook his head in disbelief and said you got to be kidding do you really think I'm kidding here Tony my future's on the line and I ne
ed your help you need the money I need a favor Tony took another step back and said okay okay let me think about this if Woody and I play along then we admit to some of the guilt that means we could go back to jail right and headed back to jail anyways because you busted probation with the drinking at least according to my lawyer maybe but that's no big deal according to my lawyer Tony was certain that gar's lawyer was far more experienced than Rodney wall but wall was all he had Garth smiled an
d tried to seem relaxed just a couple of old Pals look Tony let's not argue okay you're right I'm wrong but there's a way out for everybody here maybe you get a weekend in jail maybe the same for Woody but nothing serious you've got a pocket full of cash to ease the pain bribing a witness sounds like a pretty serious crime to me Garth returned the envelope to his pocket and said I know nothing about a bribe just think about it Tony we've got a few days but not many I need to deliver some pizzas
chapter 23. The Stratton County grand jury met twice a month in the main courtroom to review serious criminal charges there were 18 members all registered voters of the county and all serving six-month terms the grand jury was controlled by Jack Hogan who presented the cases like most grand juries it almost always did whatever the chief prosecutor wanted the majority of the cases were slam dunks the defendants were guilty and there were plenty of witnesses to prove it unfortunately each session
was busy each docket was long there was no shortage of crime in Stratton County Mr Hogan presented each case gave a summary of The Facts occasionally presented a witness or two then asked the grand jury to vote to indict the accused the indictment was the formal charge of wrongdoing drug cases consumed 80 percent of the docket and after half an hour the grand jurors were usually bored with their work the grand jury convened at 3 pm on a Thursday afternoon an hour after judge Gantry had finished
with some motion hearings the courtroom was cleared and a deputy made sure the proceedings were private Jack Hogan was planning to present the armed robbery case against Garth Tucker Clem ham was waiting to testify for the state at the last minute though Clifford Nance convinced Hogan to delay the case until the following month Nance assured the prosecutor that he was working on a deal with the three defendants that would be agreeable with everyone Hogan didn't really care he had more serious ma
tters to worry about than an 18 year old kid goofing around with a water pistol case of State versus Garth Tucker was postponed until further notice the other case was not it was officially titled in the matter of Tony and Woodrow Lambert and it was set for trial in Youth Court first thing on Wednesday morning all necessary parties were summoned with the exception of Mr Theodore Boone who had no role in the case and was banished to his labors at Stratton Berg middle school the afternoon before T
heo swung by Ike's office for an urgent meeting he called ahead of time explained to his uncle that things were serious and told the story Ike listened intently and found it hard to believe that an 18 year old defendant was offering a cash bribe to a potential Witness they cannot take the money Ike said I don't care how big the bribe those boys cannot take the money they're thinking about it Theo said at first they said no way but then they started thinking about what they could do with the mone
y how it would help the family and take pressure off their mom all that stuff nonsense Leo here's a likely scenario let's say Garth has the cash and Tony agrees to accept it on the sly what if some of the bills are marked what if Garth is wearing a wire what if there's a camera watching everything well then Tony gets compromised Garth can't run to the police and point a finger at Tony because Garth is just as guilty even guiltier but he's got some real leverage over Tony this could be a trap The
o it's a bad deal because Garth is trying to bribe Tony into lying and it's a rotten deal because Garth might be trying to set up Tony you tell Woody that this is a no-brainer I thought so but I'm worried about them Woody's really upset about this tell Woody to trust his gut and say no nothing good will happen does their mother know about the bride no I don't think so Woody says I'm the only other person who knows about it should I tell Mom and Dad I accept his beer and scratched his nose no you
know how uptight they are they're officers of the court and ethically bound a report wrongdoing especially crimes involving the wheels of Justice if they knew one witness was trying to bribe another they'd probably freak out and run to the judge let's leave them out of it for now I agree they would only complicate matters should I tell judge Gantry he and I are pretty tight right now I say no but let me think about it they thought about it for a long time the only sound was Bob Dylan singing so
ftly about lost love finally Theo asked where would Garth get five thousand dollars in cash who knows I doubt if it's his I doubt if Clifford Nance knows anything about it he's an ethical lawyer so the money is probably coming from garth's family his father is a high roller who borrows a lot and takes big risks maybe he figures five thousand bucks has nothing to keep his kid out of prison who knows the important thing is for your friend to run away from this kid and his cash tell him go to court
tell the truth and deal with whatever happens I've told Woody that more than once this is troubling Theo and it's dangerous does this stuff happen all the time Mike I mean you know how much I love trials and courtrooms and how much I respect the law and it's never occurred to me that the witness on the stand might be lying because he took a bribe I don't know Theo I wasn't much of a courtroom lawyer plus I got chewed up by the system so I'm probably not the one to ask but no I don't believe thi
s stuff happens all the time this is pretty wild an 18 year old kid offering cash kind of makes me sick unknown to Theo Woody was at the same time having a similar conversation not far away in the den of major Ludwig's Bungalow not surprisingly the Major's reaction was similar to Ike's he was shocked at the idea of a bribe and adamant that Woody and Tony stay away from him did Tony actually see the money the cash the major asked no it was in a white envelope he pulled it out of the pocket of his
jacket so I suppose this could be a bluff maybe what he said thoroughly bewildered I don't know what to think or what to do Tony has talked of nothing else but taking the money and using it to help Mom you Tony and your mom are going to survive one way or the other and without taking a bribe from Garth we know he's not a very bright kid and this is further proof trying to bribe a witness is a really dumb idea nothing good can happen I agree I'm just worried about Tony I'll talk to Tony before t
he trial starts and make things real clear you guys are sticking to the truth right Woody yes sir chapter 24. an additional bailiff stood outside the courtroom door to keep away the curious and uninvolved judge Pendergast wanted complete privacy during the trial it would not last long and there was nothing else on his docket for the day the Lambert boys sat at the defense table with their lawyer between them their relationship was still tense as recently as yesterday Rodney wall had tried to con
vince them again that they should go along with the Clifford Nance story and take some of the blame but Woody and Tony were tired of wall and his lack of decisiveness he did not know about the bribe they were certainly not telling anyone else they knew the truth and they knew far more than their lawyer thus they had little respect for him Daisy sat on the front row close behind them she really needed Theo to lean on but poor Theo was suffering through Spanish and was perfectly miserable major Lu
dwig sat beside her arms crossed over his chest a few feet away the Youth Court prosecutor Ms bagdal shuffled her papers and waited to begin she would go first and she seemed a bit too nervous when judge Pendergrass finished reading a page he peered over his reading glasses and said this matter involves some serious charges against Tony and Woody Lambert I believe I know most of the facts so I don't need to hear opening statements Ms bagdal please call your first Witness Mr Clem Hamm Ms bagdel s
aid sitting in Youth Court it was not necessary to stand to address the judge or the witnesses Clem ham hurried in and was sworn to tell the truth judge Pendergrast had reviewed his testimony from garth's preliminary hearing and knew every detail that he repeated on cross-examination Rodney wall made sure that it was clear that neither Clem nor any of the store surveillance cameras ever caught sight of the Lambert boys when Clem stepped down Miss bagdale offered to call a witness who would play
the surveillance tapes from the robbery but judge Pendergrass declined he surprised everyone when he said I've already reviewed them they reveal nothing involving these two juveniles 30 minutes into the trial it was apparent that his honor had studied the case carefully and knew as much as anyone this was not unusual the next witness was a police officer who described the arrests of the three shortly after they left called's grocery he found neither weapons nor cash on the Lambert boys Garth had
cash in one pocket and the pistol in the other the pistol was produced introduced into evidence handled by the witness and the judge and put away judge Pendergrass took endless notes but seemed as though he'd heard it all before the next witness was another policeman who planned to testify about the breathalyzer results Rodney wall though interrupted matters and said his clients had already agreed to admit that they had been drinking beer judge Pendergrass said I have the reports Woody Lambert
registered .06 same for Tony this is correct it is wall said and the witness was excused the trial was moving at a dizzying pace the next witness was the big one miss bagdog called Garth Tucker to the stand a bale of fetched him from the hallway and when Garth walked into the courtroom Clifford Nance was with him for the occasion Garth wore a dark suit and tie and his new haircut was even shorter he tried to play the cool game and act as though this was all routine but he was nervous he swore to
tell the truth took a seat refused to make eye contact with either Woody or Tony and looked at Clifford Nance seated in the back row not far away after a few preliminary questions Miss bagdal asked on the night in question where did you meet Tony and Woody I was buying gas at the Shell station on Cooper extended and why did they get into your car I don't know Tony and I talked and decided to go cruising I had some beer the little kid just sort of tagged along and the three of you drove around d
rinking beer yes how much did you drink judge Pendergrass said abruptly his blood alcohol content was .12 Beyond legally drunk I have the report here miss bagdall please move along uh yes sir she said awkwardly as she reached for another sheet of paper okay so why did you decide to stop at Carl's grocery Garth took a deep breath looked long and hard at Clifford Nance and said as if perfectly rehearsed I declined to answer that question under the rights afforded me by the Fifth Amendment Miss bag
dal looked at judge Pendergrast who looked at the witness and asked so you are refusing to incriminate yourself yes sir very well please note that this witness attorney Mr Clifford Nance is in the courtroom proceed MS bagdale she asked you guys were drinking beer did you need more did you go to calls because you needed more I plead the Fifth Amendment did you buy any gas at calls no whose idea was it to go to calls I plead the Fifth Amendment did you have a pistol of any type with you when you d
rove to the store I plead the Fifth Amendment did you take a pistol into the store I plead the Fifth Amendment Ms baghdal lifted the pistol from a table and showed it to the witness did you purchase this I plead the Fifth Amendment she threw up her hands and looked at the bench judge Pendergrass was obviously irritated and leaned over to the witness I assume son that you have no plans to answer any more questions about what happened that night correct Garth offered a sappy smile and said that's
right judge upon the advice of my lawyer I'm not answering any more questions judge Pendergrass looked at Clifford Nance who was nodding his agreement very well the witnesses excused Garth strutted to the rear of the courtroom where he and his lawyer took seats on the rear bench Clifford Nance wanted to hear every word uttered by the Lambert boys Tony went first and told the same story he had been repeating since that fateful night Rodney wall did a good job of walking him through it step by car
eful step with nothing left out judge Pendergrast asked a number of questions as he was prone to do and once again let everybody know that he had full command of the facts his preparation was impressive on cross-examination Miss bagdel blundered veteran trial lawyers know that you never ask a question if you don't already know the answer she evidently had not learned this she asked Tony have you ever been in garth's car before never have you ever been to Carl's grocery before never have you ever
seen the pistol before never in a matter of seconds she took away any suspicion that Tony had been involved in the planning of the robbery she quickly wrapped up her cross-examination Woody took the stand he was nervous especially with Garth and Clifford Nance staring at him but he was determined to be a good witness he looked at Major Ludwig who gave him a firm nod of the head and he launched into his story it was the same as Tony's the same as before with no variations at all the more he test
ified the more confident he became and about halfway through he wished Theo could be there to hear it all like Tony he placed all blame on Garth and managed to stare him down as he did so it was a wonderful moment Garth the cocky kid with a muscle car and a cute girl and a wealthy family and a wild side that was crashing in on him as he sat there protected by the best lawyer money could buy but he wasn't so cool right now he looked worried because he knew the truth was against him and he couldn'
t change it he couldn't shift some of the blame to other people any cross Miss bagdale judge Pendergrass asked I don't think so she said nothing to work with and she wasn't about to ask anymore Half Baked questions any more witnesses Mr wall well your honor I was going to call Daisy Lambert the mother but it seems as though the court has probably heard enough this morning indeed the court has but I'm not going to prevent you from calling your Witnesses I think we're finished here judge Walt said
wisely without a moment's hesitation judge Pendergrass launched into his ruling I find both Tony and Woody Lambert to be credible Witnesses and though I am usually suspicious of identical testimony offered by siblings or close friends I am not suspicious today their narratives are plausible reasonable believable and the court has no reason to doubt them indeed there is absolutely no testimony to the contrary they are charged with being accomplices which means they supposedly knew something of t
he crime armed robbery before it took place the evidences to the contrary the only witness who could possibly implicate the Lambert Brothers is obviously Garth Tucker and he chose not to do so for reasons known only to himself and his very experienced lawyer Mr Tucker chose to plead the fifth amendment that is his right but it leaves nothing for the prosecution to pursue therefore I find Tony and Woody Lambert not guilty of the crimes of being accomplices to armed robbery for Woody I will deal w
ith the underage drinking matter another day same for Tony but he also has the sticky issue of a probation violation he can certainly expect a few more nights in detention but will handle that another day for now both juveniles are free to go the bond for Tony will be extinguished the restrictions for both are hereby terminated Woody you are free to leave the county and go camping anywhere you want chapter 25 outside the courthouse near the statue of General Stratton they stopped to catch a brea
th Rodney wall was smiling ear to ear as though he had just pulled off a major victory and wanted everyone to slap him on the back no one did Woody and Tony were sick of the guy Daisy didn't trust him major Ludwig held him in low esteem congratulations Rodney said and then waited for someone to congratulate him when do we go back to court Daisy asked on the drinking charges I'll check with the judge let you know but it's nothing to worry about they nodded said nothing and Rodney finally took a h
int well gotta run now got some new clients down at the jail no one said goodbye they watched him walk away and before Tony could say something unpleasant about him the major said I guess you too should hustle back to school Woody and Tony nodded these days they were terrified about missing class the major said I'm starving Pappy's should be cleared out by now my treat Pappy's Deli was a legendary downtown hole in the wall that was famous for his pastrami subs and onion rings and both boys jumpe
d at the chance the four of them took off down Main Street walking briskly and chatting about the trial they were innocent no more worries about being shipped off to a juvenile detention center no more fears about the future they had stuck to the truth testified to it faithfully and judge Pendergrass believed them Daisy said less than the others as their mother she was overjoyed almost to the point of Tears her boys would no longer be treated like criminals both seemed determined to stay out of
trouble perhaps she could sleep now perhaps her life was finally taking a turn for the better Theo was suffering through another boring study hall with Mr Mount he was going through the motions of doing homework but his mind was elsewhere he firmly believed that he had the right to be in Youth Court that morning to witness the trial and to provide assistance if necessary after all he knew as much about the case as anyone he had led the charge to free Woody and Tony from jail he had advised Woody
along the way he had coached him with his testimony he had provided crucial advice especially about the bribe he knew far more about the case than Woody's lawyer however none of that mattered there he was staring at Spanish Verbs and thinking of nothing but the proceedings before judge Pendergrast hit a large knot in his stomach that made it hard to concentrate what if Woody and Tony were found guilty what if judge Pendergrass didn't believe them but instead found Garth to be a more credible wi
tness what if Woody got sentenced to some Dreadful juvenile prison his cell phone vibrated normally all cell phones were confiscated by Mr mod at the beginning of each class and placed in a cardboard box on his desk but because of the trial Theo had been allowed to keep his just in case there was news there was Woody texted trial over Lambert boys not guilty not guilty free at last all right feel blurted as he jumped to his feet what is it Theo Mr Mount asked does the entire class jolted to atte
ntion they turned onto a narrow side street and arrived at Pappy's minutes before 2PM they found a table in the corner placed their orders sick colas and iced tea as they waited and talked how serious is my little probation thing Tony asked the major serious you heard the judge all but promise more jail time but it might be something we can work around I don't understand Daisy said well jail would mean absence from school right now Tony's in class and his grades are improving we should delay the
hearing and give both of you time to show perfect attendance in school and a big Improvement in grades both of you get the grades up get a couple of letters from your teachers and I can go to the judge and lean on him you've done this before Daisy asked yes it's my role as a youth court volunteer judge Pendergrast is rather old-fashioned and places great emphasis on education show them you're serious about school and it'll cut you some slack you'll also want random drug tests for the next year
both of us Woody asked sure why not you're not messing with anything right right but I just don't want to get embarrassed by some random drug test you won't be embarrassed it's routine and you'll have no choice they can do it Daisy said firmly their lunch arrived and the small table was quickly covered with large platters of thick subs and piles of hot onion rings enough food for 10. Daisy worried too much to eat major Ludwig was an old soldier with iron discipline and refused to gain an ounce W
oody and Tony though were teenage boys and they attacked the food like starving refugees after a few silent moments of serious eating Daisy asked the major so what happens next with Garth oh I have no idea that's another matter and another cord well Woody and Tony be forced to testify in his trial she asked the major wiped his mouth with a napkin Shrugged and said I would think so if his case goes all the way to jury trial do you think it will Tony asked I have no inside knowledge but I doubt th
at Garth will ever face a jury he's dead guilty and he can't lie his way out of it there are three eyewitnesses the two of you and the guy in the store plus the surveillance cameras I suspect Clifford Nance will figure out a way to keep him away from the jury and out of jail how can he possibly avoid jail Daisy asked the major Shrugged again his family has money he has the best lawyer it's his first offense
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