They strolled along Main Street, which was busy now with people scurrying around on their lunch breaks. At a fountain, office workers ate and talked while soaking up the sun. Officer Peacock, the ancient traffic cop, directed traffic with his worn-out whistle and yellow gloves, and managed to prevent accidents, which was not always the case with Officer Peacock. Just ahead, a group of men in dark suits left a building and headed in the same direction as the students. Mr. Mount whispered loudly, “Look, men, it’s Mr. Duffy and his lawyers.”
The boys slowed for a second as the group of dark suits moved on in front of them. Pete Duffy, Clifford Nance, two other solemn-faced lawyers, and a fifth man Theo had not seen in the courtroom that morning, but one he knew well. His name was Omar Cheepe, and he was not a lawyer, though he was well known in legal circles. Mr. Cheepe was a former federal agent of some variety who now ran his own firm. He specialized in investigations and surveillance and other activities that lawyers needed from time to time. He and Mrs. Boone had once been involved in a nasty dispute in a divorce case, and Theo had heard Omar Cheepe described as “an armed thug,” and a “man who enjoyed breaking the law.” Theo, of course, was not supposed to hear such comments, but then he heard a lot around the office. He had never actually met Mr. Cheepe, but he’d seen him in court. The rumor was that if Omar Cheepe was working on the case, then someone had to be guilty.
Omar looked directly at Theo. He was thick, powerfully built, with a large round head that he kept shaved. The man tried to look menacing, and he was successful.
He turned away and hurried after Duffy.
They walked down Main Street, the boys in a loose group, moving fast to keep up with the defendant and his team. Omar Cheepe’s hulking frame protected Pete Duffy from the rear, as if someone might take a shot. Clifford Nance told a funny story, and the men had a good laugh.
Pete Duffy laughed the loudest. Guilty. Theo hated to believe this because not a single witness had testified. Plus, he liked to tell himself that he believed in the presumption of innocence.
Guilty, Theo said again, to himself. Why couldn’t he follow the law, give Mr. Duffy the benefit of innocence? Why couldn’t he do what good lawyers were supposed to do? This frustrated him as he followed along behind Mr. Duffy and his lawyers.
There was something missing in the case, and based on what had already been said in court, Theo suspected that the mystery might never be solved.
They filed into their seats, front row left side of the balcony, and allowed their lunch to settle. Judge Gantry had recessed until 1:00 p.m., some fifteen minutes away. Deputy Gossett, the old bailiff, lumbered over to them and said, “Theo.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is this your class?”
What else would it be, Deputy Gossett? A teacher, sixteen students? “Yes, sir.”
“Judge Gantry would like to see you, in chambers. And hurry. He’s a busy man.”
Theo pointed to himself, tried to think of something to say.
“The whole class,” Deputy Gossett said. “And hurry.”
They scrambled into formation behind Deputy Gossett and hustled down the stairs.
“In chambers” meant the judge was in his office behind the bench, adjacent to the courtroom. This office was different from his formal office down the hall. It was confusing and Theo was attempting to explain this when Deputy Gossett opened the door to a long, wood-paneled room with old portraits of old bearded judges covering the walls. Judge Gantry, without his black robe, rose from behind his desk and stepped out to meet the boys.
“Hello, Theo,” he said, embarrassing Theo slightly. The other students were too awestruck to speak.
“And you must be Mr. Mount,” the judge was saying as they shook hands.
“Yes, Judge, and this is my eighth-grade Government class.”
Since there were not enough seats for everyone, Judge Gantry addressed the boys where they stood. “Thank you for coming. It’s important for students to see our judicial system in action. What do you think so far?”
All sixteen boys were mute. What were they supposed to say?
Mr. Mount rescued them. “They are fascinated by the trial,” he said. “We just debriefed over lunch, rated the lawyers, talked about the jurors, and had a lot of opinions about guilt and innocence.”
“I won’t ask. But we have a couple of pretty good lawyers, don’t you think?”
All sixteen heads nodded.
“Is it true that Theo Boone actually gives legal advice?”
A few nervous laughs. Theo was both embarrassed and proud. “Yes, but I don’t charge them anything,” he said. A few more laughs.
“Any questions about the trial?” Judge Gantry asked.
“Yes, sir,” Brandon said. “On television you always see a surprise witness that comes out of nowhere and changes the trial. Is there a chance of a surprise witness here? If not, it seems like the State has a pretty weak case.”
“Good question, son. The answer is no. Our rules of procedure prohibit surprise witnesses. Television gets it all wrong. In real life, before the trial starts, each side must provide a list of all potential witnesses.”
“Who’s the first witness?” Jarvis asked.
“The victim’s sister, the lady who found the body. She’ll be followed by the homicide detectives. How long can you stay today?”
“We need to be back at school at three thirty,” Mr. Mount said.
“Okay. I’ll call a recess at three, and you can ease out. How are the seats up in the balcony?”
“Great, and thank you.”
“I’ve moved you down to the floor. Things have cleared out a bit. Again, thanks for taking such an interest in our judicial system. It’s very important to good government.” With that, Judge Gantry was finished. The students thanked him. He and Mr. Mount shook hands again.
Deputy Gossett led them out of chambers, back to the courtroom, down the main aisle, and to the second row behind the prosecution’s table. In front of them were the two young men who’d been introduced as Mrs. Duffy’s sons. The lawyers were only a few feet away. Across the aisle, Omar was now sitting behind Pete Duffy, his black eyes darting around the courtroom as if he might need to shoot someone. Once again, he looked directly at Theo.
They had gone from the cheap seats to ringside, and they couldn’t believe it. Chase, the mad scientist, was to Theo’s right, elbow to elbow. He whispered, “Did you pull some strings, Theo?”
“No, but Judge Gantry and I are pretty tight.”
“Nice work.”
At precisely 1:00 p.m., the bench bailiff stood and wailed, “Court is now in session. Please remain seated.”
Judge Gantry appeared in his robe and took his seat. He looked at Jack Hogan and said, “The State may call its first witness.”
From a side door, another bailiff escorted a well-dressed lady into the courtroom and to the witness chair. She placed her hand on a Bible and swore to tell the truth. When she was seated and the microphone adjusted, Mr. Hogan began his direct examination.
Her name was Emily Green, the sister of Myra Duffy. She was forty-four, lived in Strattenburg, worked as a fitness counselor, and on the day of the murder she had done exactly what Mr. Hogan described in his opening statement. When her sister didn’t show for lunch, and didn’t call, she became worried, then panicky. She called her repeatedly on her cell phone, then raced to Waverly Creek, to the Duffy home, and found her sister dead on the living room carpet.
It was obvious, at least to Theo, that Mr. Hogan and Ms. Green had carefully rehearsed her testimony. It was designed to establish death, and to evoke sympathy. When they finished, Clifford Nance stood and announced that he had no questions on cross-examination. Ms. Green was excused, and she took a seat in the front row, next to her two nephews, directly in front of Mr. Mount’s students.