Adrian had been called many things during his long career in law. Overly ambitious. Too young. Too sympathetic to defendants. Too aggressive with prosecutors. But boy carried its own ugly, undeniable history. It was not an accidental word between two adult men.
Adrian’s voice dropped an octave, becoming dangerously quiet. "Do not call me that again."
Keller smirked, feeling he had finally struck a nerve. "You going to tell me how to speak now?"
"I am telling you how you will address me."
"You have no authority over me."
Adrian looked up toward the golden state seal mounted on the wood paneling above his head. "Are you certain?"
Keller’s face hardened into a mask of pure authority. "Stand up."
Adrian did not flinch. He did not move.
The bailiff reached for his shoulder radio. "Control, I have an unauthorized male inside Courtroom Four."
The radio crackled to life, echoing loudly in the cavernous room. A dispatcher’s voice filtered through. "Description?"
Keller looked directly into Adrian's eyes. "Black male. Approximately forty. Wearing a dark hoodie and sweatpants. Acting hostile."
Adrian raised one eyebrow. "I am sitting down."
Keller ignored him, speaking back into the mic. "Possibly entered through a restricted area. Refusing lawful instructions. Requesting an officer."
"Copy that, Keller. Officer en route," the dispatcher acknowledged.
Keller lowered the radio, a look of triumph on his face. "You made this harder than it needed to be."
Adrian looked out over the empty gallery rows. "Did I?"
"You could have walked away."
"From my courtroom?"
Keller laughed aloud this time. "Your courtroom. Right. You really expect me to believe you’re an attorney?"
"I did not say I was an attorney."
"You certainly aren’t the judge."
"What makes you certain?" Adrian asked, genuinely curious to hear the man articulate his bias.
Keller looked him up and down. The sweatpants. The dark hoodie. The worn running shoes. Then his eyes returned to Adrian’s face, resting there. "I know the people who work here."
"This is my first day."
"I heard we had a new judge. And it ain't you."
"Apparently, you didn't listen very carefully."
Keller’s expression shifted for a fraction of a second, a tiny seed of doubt planting itself, but his arrogance quickly crushed it. "The new judge is supposed to be some hotshot former federal prosecutor."
"Public defender," Adrian corrected smoothly.
"Whatever."
"Do you know his name?"
Keller hesitated. He shifted his weight. "Judge Cole."
Adrian waited in silence. Keller stared back.
"No," Keller finally said, shaking his head.
"Why not?"
"The new judge isn’t you."
"You have seen a photograph?"
"I don’t need a photograph."
"That is a very interesting answer from an officer of the court," Adrian noted.
The bailiff reached the wooden swinging gate that divided the public gallery from the well of the courtroom. He unlatched it and stepped through. "Last chance."
Adrian finally stood up.
Keller immediately pulled out his metal handcuffs, the chain rattling sharply in the quiet room. "Turn around and place your hands behind your back."
Adrian remained planted behind the heavy oak of the bench. "Why would I do that?"
"Because I am ordering you."
"Under what legal authority?"
"Criminal trespass and obstruction."
"Obstruction of what?"
"My investigation."
"What facts support criminal trespass, Mr. Keller?"
Keller’s face reddened, the veins in his neck bulging slightly. "You are in a restricted courtroom."
"So are you."
"I work here."
"So do I."
"You cannot prove that."
"You have explicitly prevented me from retrieving my identification."
"You could have stolen someone’s access card."
"From whom?"
"I don’t know!"
"Then you have no report of a stolen card to base your reasonable suspicion on."
Keller stepped toward the side stairs that led up to the bench. "Do not make me come up there."
Adrian did not step back. Instead, his gaze moved deliberately up toward the courtroom camera mounted flush above the clerk’s station. A small, steady green light glowed beneath the lens. The automated recording system was active.
"Is this interaction being recorded?" Adrian asked.