Preparing for Court

Our trial was delayed for two weeks to give Tonya time to recover. Chrissie, Laura and I were in different cells, but I heard through the grapevine that Tonya had given birth to a baby girl.

Tonya was deemed fit enough for trial, and we were in court the following day. The court had assigned us all the same public defender, and we were to be tried as a group, rather than individually. I personally felt good about our chances, inasmuch as the only real charge they had us on was trespassing. We hadn't been trying to steal anything, just return it. Steven, our attorney, wasn't as confident, however.

"The judge you've been assigned to isn't like other judges," he said. "He's...different. If they assigned you to his docket, there's a reason for it. Your case isn't as cut-and-dried as you've tried to make me believe," he said.

Chrissie said, "But we really did find the pieces, just like we said. We were on our way to the orphanage to deliver some presents, but we stopped to help those nuns with their flat tire. After the nuns left, we walked to a nearby field to pick some flowers for patients in the leukemia ward, and that's where we found those glass pieces. Being good citizens, we tried to return them to the museum, and that's when all that stuff happened."

Steven nodded. "Yes, that 'stuff,'" he said. "You and Erica are Internet stars now, you know."

Chrissie looked away, mumbling under her breath.

"Anyway," said Steven, "you have Judge Hanover. He does things differently from what you'd be used to. Say as little as possible, and whatever you do, don't get him mad."

I said, "Judge Hanover...the one they call, 'The Rack'?"

Steven nodded.

"I heard about him in jail," I said. "They said he almost never assigns jail time."

Steven rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's true. Usually those he sentences would have preferred jail, however."