I wasn’t even able to sit with James while we waited for his case to be called. He was cordoned off with the other detainees, while I was directed toward a section reserved for friends and families. The defense lawyers stood off to one side, including Natalie Clarke, whom I had briefly met on my way into the jail. I’d been impressed by her composure and firm handshake. She had dark brown hair, cut in a stylish bob, cool blue eyes, and a steely demeanor I found reassuring. She did not look like the sort of woman who would be easily pushed around.

“I’m not sure what to expect. Normally, we’d request that bond be set at the first appearance,” she had told me, when we spoke in the hallway before entering the hearing room. “However, in this case, the charges originate in another county. The arrest warrant should have come from Monroe County.”

“It didn’t?”

Natalie had shaken her head, and surprised me by smiling. “Nope. Someone screwed up somewhere along the way. Which is always a good thing.”

I waited, seated in an uncomfortable chair, while the State’s Attorney stood at one lectern and ran through the cases. The criminal defense attorneys, both private and court appointed, took turns approaching the second lectern. The majority of the cases had to do with drug possession, but there was also one man who had been arrested for driving while intoxicated and another who was charged with resisting arrest. The judge granted bail in some of the cases, denied it in others, depending on the severity of the offenses and the criminal record of the accused.

I noted that none of the other defendants had been accused of murder.

James’s case was the last one called. The bailiff read out his case number, and then called his name, and suddenly James and Natalie were standing side-by-side at the defense lectern. I sat up straight, perched on the edge of my chair.

Once the preliminaries of the case were read out loud, Hubert jumped right in. “Your Honor, in light of the serious nature of the charges, as well as the fact that the crime occurred in Monroe County and the case will be adjudicated there, we request that bail in this case be denied. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will transport Mr. Cabot to that county’s detention center as soon as possible.”

“Dr. Cabot,” Natalie corrected him.

“Excuse me? . . . Oh, right. Dr. Cabot.”

“Your Honor,” Natalie said. “If I may.”

“Ms. Clarke.” The judge nodded in her direction.

“The arrest warrant in this case is defective. It should have been issued by Monroe County, where the alleged crime occurred. However, the State’s Attorney’s office jumped the gun, and had the arrest warrant issued through Calusa County.”

The judge frowned. “You’re telling me that there isn’t an active arrest warrant out of Monroe County?”

“No, your Honor.”