Chapter 32

I arrived in the courtroom a few minutes before one and found it packed. Three-day weekends have a definite impact on the courts, I reflected. I went up to the clerk, who was already in her seat, and obtained a list of the cases on the docket. It was a lengthy one, and I was thankful that I’d been able to pull a few strings that morning, because Philip’s name was fifth on the list. I found a seat in the section reserved for attorneys just in time to watch the first dozen defendants, Philip among them, being led into the courtroom. He sat about two rows in front of and a little to the right of where I was sitting. He turned around to look for me, and I gave him a smile of encouragement, studying him as closely as I could from where I was sitting. He looked pale and not a little bewildered, but his face brightened at my smile.