“Mr. Black, your missed calls.”
Turning, I saw good ol’ Betty, glasses hanging off her neck by old beads, her gray hair now cropped short. “Yes, Betty, come in.”
She put her glasses back on and looked up from her planner as I moved to my seat, putting the baseball back on the desk. “Judge Holland called and asked to meet tonight for dinner.”
“Call him back and tell him I can do a late lunch,” I replied, pulling out the logs to sign.
“Okay, and Mrs. Yu wants—”
“Tell her we’re working on it as fast as we can, but her son did drive into a hospital building, so it isn’t as simple as posting bail.”
“And Mr. Thornton?”
“Bloody Thornton.” I groaned rolling my eyes. “Tell him…anything. I don’t care, we aren’t hiring him.”
“Lastly, the Gimps.”
The Gimps.
The Gimps?
“Who the heck are the Gimps?” I looked up at her.
Her planner was down and she just gave me that old look of hers.
“Betty?”
“If one of those tech boys come to my desk and starts pulling and uploading and software, I’m thinking I’m going to get a hammer and make them gimps. I have system. It might not work as fast or as shinny as their little touch pads, but I like my system. Do you not like my system?”
“Me?” I shook my head, raising my hands in defense. “You’re fine.”
“Then tell them to stop touching my desk!”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded to her.
She took a deep breath and took off her glasses. “Good. I’ll go make the calls.”
“Thank you, Betty,” I said in the sweetest tone I could muster as she headed back to her desk.
Grinning, I’d just put my pen to paper when Tristan busted in.
“Does no one knock anymore?” I asked him baffled at the revolving door my office had become.
“Did Judge Holland ask to meet for dinner?” he said abruptly, his brown eyes wide.
I nodded but didn’t speak.
“Judge Sotto just retired,” he said, allowing me to fill in the blanks.
“…which means there is now a spot open on the circuit,” I whispered. “They’re looking for a new judge.”
“They’re looking for you, Levi.”
Betty knocked, thank god someone did, before sticking her head inside. “Judge Holland said he can only do dinner?”
“He’ll do it,” Tristan said for me.
“I can’t.”