The Activist (Theodore Boone 4)

“Nothing else,” she said. Theo leaned over and whispered, “Mom, he’s lying.” She just nodded. Woody leaned over to his father and whispered, “Dad, he’s lying.” Hardie leaned over to his grandfather and whispered, “Pops, he’s lying.”

“Call your next witness,” Judge Yeck said. As Willis Keeth walked forward, Judge Yeck glanced down at Theo and gave him a quick wink. No one saw it but Theo.

Mr. Keeth acknowledged he was the supervisor but did not want to talk about whether he had taken his crew onto someone’s private property without permission. The trespassing issue would be settled in another court. As to the injured dog, he told the same story as Larry Samson. No stick, no repeated blows, no real contact or controversy with the animal. The poor dog somehow got tangled up and was run over by one or more of the bikes. He didn’t see it all and was perfectly vague on certain details. Mrs. Boone tried to pin him down on exactly where he was standing during the confrontation, but Mr. Keeth had a bad memory.

More lying continued with Lester Green, though his memory was even worse than his boss’s. But, he stuck to their story and placed all blame for Judge’s injuries on a bad bike wreck. As he finished, Judge Yeck, who had been growing visibly frustrated, sent a chill through the courtroom when he asked Mr. Green, “Sir, do you know what perjury means?”

The witness looked confused, lost, then a bit frightened. The judge helped him along by saying, “Perjury, Mr. Green, is when a witness lies on the stand after being sworn to tell the truth. Understand?”

“I guess so.”

“Good, now do you know the penalty for perjury in this state?”

“Not really.”

“Didn’t think so. The penalty is whatever I want it to be, up to twelve months in jail. Did your lawyer explain this to you?”

“No sir.”

“Didn’t think so. You may return to your seat.”

The brief perjury discussion sent ripples of fear through the other side of the courtroom. Larry Samson, Willis Keeth, and Lester Green all exchanged nervous looks. Ms. Caffrey was lost in her note taking.

Mr. Boone leaned down to Theo and said, “They’re going to jail.”

Judge heard this and flicked his ears.

“Call your next witness, Ms. Caffrey,” Judge Yeck said gruffly.

“Mr. Gino Gordon.”

Mr. Gino Gordon suddenly had no desire to testify. He had trouble getting out of his chair, had trouble walking only a few feet to the witness chair, and had trouble settling himself into it. If ever a witness wanted to flee a courtroom, it was Gino Gordon.

“Do you swear to tell the truth?” Judge Yeck asked.

“I guess.”

“Yes or no, Mr. Gordon?”

“Okay, yes.”

“Now, before you get started, do you know what perjury means?” Judge Yec

k’s rising tone and sarcastic voice left no doubt he believed Gordon was about to lie, just like the rest of his crew.

“Yes, I do,” he replied, his eyes dancing around nervously.

“And do you understand you can go to jail for perjury?”

Before he could answer, Ms. Caffrey said, angrily, “Judge, please, he hasn’t said anything yet.”

“I get that,” Yeck shot back. “Let’s just say that I’m warning him, okay? Proceed.”

Ms. Caffrey said, “Mr. Gordon, will you tell the court what happened?”

Mr. Gordon looked as though he was suddenly paralyzed from the neck down, with only the muscles in his face able to move. They formed a painful frown, one of complete confusion. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He glared at Ms. Caffrey, but she was looking for something in her briefcase.

If he told a lie, he might go to jail. If he told the truth, his buddy Larry might get convicted, and his boss might fire him. He was finally able to mumble, “Well, Judge, I really didn’t see anything.”

Judge Yeck anticipated this and retorted, “But all three boys said you were right there. How could you miss it? Are you being truthful?”

“Well, you see, Judge, I really don’t want to testify.”

“Smart man. Go back to your seat.”

The main door opened and two more deputies marched in and found chairs.

“Any more witnesses, Ms. Caffrey?”

“No, Your Honor.”

“Mrs. Boone?”

“Yes, Your Honor, we would like to call Dr. Neal Kohl to the stand. He’s the vet who treated Judge.”

Dr. Kohl came forward and was sworn in. Mrs. Boone asked him to describe the injuries. Slowly and with great detail, Dr. Kohl testified that Judge suffered multiple wounds to the top, sides, and back of his head, as well as two more along the top of his spine. And, of course, a broken right front leg.

Mrs. Boone said, “You’ve heard the witnesses, Dr. Kohl. What caused the injuries? Repeated blows from a stick of wood, or the rubber tires of a bicycle?”

“I object,” Ms. Caffrey said.

“Overruled. Please answer, Dr. Kohl.”

Dr. Kohl smiled, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s absurd to claim the dog’s injuries were the result of being run over by a bicycle. He was injured by several hard blows from a blunt instrument.”

Judge Yeck looked at Ms. Caffrey, but she had nothing else. “Thank you, Dr. Kohl. Please step down. Anything else from the lawyers? Any more witnesses?” Judge Yeck looked at his watch and continued, “We’ve been here almost two hours. Anybody got anything else they want to say before I make my ruling?”

No one volunteered. On the Boone side, there was the general feeling that enough had been said, and across the aisle there was nothing but fear.

Judge Yeck looked at the court reporter and said, “On the record, please. I am presented with two very different versions of what happened. The three boys tell one story, the three crew members tell another. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle, but not in this case. I believe the boys, and I believe the crew members—Mr. Samson, Mr. Keeth, and Mr. Green—created a story designed to keep them out of trouble.” He glared at the men, and continued: “I think you decided you could walk into this little courtroom, into Animal Court, and simply tell your lies and all would be well. You’re grown men; therefore, the court would certainly believe you before it would believe a bunch of kids. That is unfortunate. Lying is lying, regardless of who does it, and when you lie under oath in a court of law you undermine our judicial system. You, Mr. Samson, I find guilty of cruelty to animals, a Class Three offense because it involves the intentional infliction of injury. For that, I sentence you to six months in jail.”

Samson yelled, “Six months! Are you kidding me?”

“No. Would you like more?”

“You’re crazy!” Samson yelled again, and seemed ready to attack the bench. Two deputies stood quickly and lurked nearby. Behind Samson, his wife began sobbing. “I got a wife and kids!” he yelled.

“Quiet, Mr. Samson,” Judge Yeck demanded. “I’m not finished. I also find you guilty of perjury, and sentence you to sixty days in jail, in addition to the six months.”

“This ain’t Animal Court, this is kangaroo court,” Samson hissed.

“Get him outta here,” Judge Yeck said to the deputies, who grabbed Samson, slapped on handcuffs, and half dragged him away. When the door slammed, Judge Yeck glared at Willis Keeth and Lester Green, both of whom were wide-eyed and pale. He took a deep breath—they weren’t breathing—and said, “As for Mr. Gordon, you were wise enough to clam up and not testify, so you’ll not be going to jail tonight. Mr. Keeth and Mr. Green will not be so lucky. I find you guilty of perjury and sentence you to sixty days in jail.”

“We’ll appeal,” Ms. Caffrey said.

“You have that right, but as of now they’re headed to jail. Take them away.”

The deputies hurried around Keeth and Green. When the handcuffs were in place, they led them away.

As they walked past, Judge was on all fours, growling as loudly as possible.

Chapter 18

As was now the custom, Judge slept on the end of Theo’s bed, as opposed to sleeping under it. As Judge tossed and turned through the night, he sometimes