“These are strange and awful times,” she began. “If you listened to the testimony we’ve heard today, and are of reasonable mind, you have to agree with me that there is no evidence that Brandon-Lee May committed any of the crimes with which he was charged. Accordingly, I find him not guilty on all counts.”

That ignited even more unrest than she’d anticipated. People grumbled and cursed. One lady from the back yelled, “What about justice?”

Victoria held up her left hand for silence while she hammered her mallet against the lectern with her right. “Silence, please. Come to order. I’m not done. There’s more. Order, please.”

She wasn’t getting through to them. McCrea and Copley drew closer to Brandon-Lee, a protective stance.

From the back, a voice yelled, “Hey! Everybody shut up! My mom’s still talking!”

The timbre and pitch of Luke’s shouting cut through the noise and silenced the room.

Victoria couldn’t stifle her chuckle as she said, “Thank you, Luke.”

She changed her focus to Brandon-Lee. “Mr. May, I’d like you to stand, please.”

For a few seconds, the defendant didn’t move. Then, just as McCrea was reaching for him, Brandon-Lee unfolded himself from his chair and stood behind his table, hands stuffed into the pockets of his filthy jeans.

“Take your hands out of your pockets,” Victoria directed.

Again, he complied, but in his own time.

“Mr. May, you seem to think that you are on firm footing, that the things that you have done will somehow go unpunished.”

He gave a smug grin.

“You’re wrong,” Victoria said. “I have found you to be not guilty of theft, murder and assault charges, but I have not found you to be innocent. Do you understand the difference?”

“Does it matter? One word’s as good as another.”

“That’s not true,” Victoria explained. “To be found not guilty means only that the prosecution cannot prove its case against you. Innocent would mean that you have done nothing wrong. You show bitter and utter disrespect for this court and for the people of this town. You associate with people who believe that in times of crisis it is acceptable to steal from others. In this new world in which we live, people need to be held accountable for their choices.

“Mr. May, what you do—who you are, or at least who you pretend to be—is an example of the worst a society has to offer to its citizens. As such, you will be treated as an exemplar of what awaits those who so shamelessly disregard the rules by which we live.”

Victoria prepared herself with a deep breath. She’d been rehearsing this delivery, and she wanted to get it exactly correct. “Mr. May, it is the judgment of this court that you be taken to a public place where you will be stripped of all clothing and tied to a post.”