Theo exhaled, smiled, and said, “Thanks, Mom.” He hurriedly grabbed the bowls and put them in the sink. He rubbed Judge’s head, said good-bye, 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 over 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 the 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 divorce trials. The testimony was often too rough for a thirteen-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 is 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 Pendergrast 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 courtroom. 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 Pendergrast 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 is 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 disappearance. 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 codefendant, Mr. Garth Tucker, 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 ’em, Mom!”
Judge Pendergrast said, “But for a serious charge like this, Mrs. Boone, I cannot simply release them on their 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 simply keep the boys in jail. They are innocent until proven guilty.”
“I realize that. Does the family own a home or any other real estate?”
Mrs. Boone exhaled in frustration and said, rather sternly, “No, Your Honor. The family rents their home. Mrs. Lambert works two jobs, one as a part-time hairstylist, the other as a waitress in a restaurant. Her husband, the boys’ 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 Pendergrast 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 armed robbery is not unfair and is definitely on the low side. These boys got themselves in trouble. Don’t blame me for it.”
For a tense 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 are 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 where they huddled in a corner. Daisy was wiping tears and Mrs. Boone was trying to control her frustration.
Theo had almost four hundred 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 we don’t see much of him. I’ll ask him. He might pitch in something but I doubt it. 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.”
“Thanks for being here. 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 officially 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 check 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 says he needs to visit with Woody Lambert to do some homework. Was this authorized by anyone at the school?”