"I mean... trespassers," Keller stammered, attempting a tactical retreat.
"No," Adrian said, his voice ringing with absolute, undeniable authority. "You didn’t."
"Turn around." Keller demanded, his voice cracking slightly as he reached toward Adrian's arm.
At that exact moment, the heavy wooden doors at the rear of the courtroom swung open.
"David?"
A woman carrying a stack of three thick case folders entered from the rear aisle. She was in her early sixties, wearing a sharp blazer, with silver hair and reading glasses hanging from a beaded chain around her neck. Her name was Margaret Ellis, the chief clerk of the circuit court, and she commanded the administrative side of the building like a general.
She stopped midway down the aisle, looking from Keller on the steps to Adrian standing calmly behind the bench. Her eyes fell on the metal handcuffs locked in Keller's fist.
"What in the world is happening here?" Margaret demanded.
Keller straightened up, puffing out his chest, relieved to have a witness to his authority. "Margaret. I caught this man trespassing behind the bench."
Margaret stared at him, her brow furrowing in deep confusion. "This man?"
"Yes. He refused orders. He claims he belongs here."
Margaret walked slowly to the nearest counsel table and set her heavy folders down. The thud echoed like a gavel strike.
"He does belong here, David."
Keller’s confidence faltered, a look of sheer bewilderment crossing his face. "He said he was staff..."
"He is not staff," Margaret interrupted, her tone turning glacial.
Keller looked relieved for less than a second, thinking he had been right all along.
CHAPTER 5
Margaret took a deep breath and delivered the final blow. "He is Judge Adrian Cole."
The heavy metal handcuffs slipped slightly in Keller’s grip, making a pathetic clinking sound.
Absolute silence filled Courtroom Four.
Adrian stood perfectly still behind the bench in his gray sweatpants, watching the color rapidly drain from the bailiff’s face. Keller looked as though the floor beneath him had suddenly turned to glass.
Margaret turned away from the stunned bailiff and looked up at the bench. Her professional demeanor instantly returned. "Your Honor, are you all right? Has there been an incident?"
"I am fine, Margaret," Adrian said, his voice even. "I have not been touched."
Keller looked frantically between the two of them, his mouth opening and closing. "This... this is the new judge?"
"Yes, David," Margaret snapped.
"Nobody told me what he looked like."