In a matter of minutes, Ronnie and Caleb were arraigned on charges of trespassing, vandalism, statutory burglary, assault and battery, grand and petty larceny, arson, cruelty to animals, and illegal possession of a wild animal. And denied bail.

“But your honor!” Rob protested.

“I’m going to have to recuse myself from this case, so in the morning you—or your replacement—can ask my replacement to reconsider bail. It’ll probably be Judge Brodie, and he’ll probably give it to them, but I’m not going to have it said that those young rapscallions had it easy because one of them was my kin. So—bail denied.”

“Has your honor considered the effect on the community?” Rob went on. I had to admit, I was pleasantly surprised that he had the nerve to stand up to her.

Judge Jane looked surprised, too, though not necessarily pleasantly.

“To have these two boys torn from the arms of their loving and very large families this close to Christmas!” Rob went on. “A holiday that’s all about family, not to mention peace on earth and good will to all people. A holiday—”

“Chief,” Judge Jane snapped. “You got any of those electronic bracelets you can put on these two? The kind that will raise holy hell if either of them sticks his nose outside his parents’ door?”

“We do, your honor,” Chief Burke said. “The ones we have are actually anklets. We can program them to notify us the second they leave their houses.”

“Make it so,” the judge said. “Caleb Shiffley!”

“Ma’am?” Caleb jumped up, as if someone had run an electric charge through his hay bale, and stood bolt upright before the judge.

“Ronald Butler?”

“Your honor?” Ronnie yelped, following Caleb’s example.

“I’m releasing you two into your parents’ custody,” the judge said.

I heard sighs of relief from the hay bales where the parents were sitting.

“You’re under house arrest,” the judge went on. “I don’t want either one of you to set foot outside your parents’ houses without Chief Burke’s permission. And I want you both to do some long, hard thinking tonight. Do I make myself clear?”

The two murmured assent.

“Chief, fit them out with the anklets and then release them to their parents’ custody. Anything else?” Judge Jane looked around as if daring anyone to speak up.

“There’s that DUI,” the bailiff began.

“Tell that son of a gun he’s getting a continuance until after Christmas, and he should be glad of it,” she said. “Way I feel now … Anything else?”

No one else spoke up.

“Court adjourned,” she said, with a single powerful thud of the gavel.

“Oyez, oyez, oyez,” the bailiff began chanting.

“Meg Langslow!” Judge Jane snapped.

Chapter 27

When Judge Jane barked out my name, I didn’t react quite as badly as Caleb and Ronnie, but I couldn’t help looking startled.

“Your honor?”