“Johnny Martino,” A.D.A. Pond struck again.

“I’m not going to hear that case now,” the judge snapped as she carefully got to her feet.

That would be the end of it for at least half an hour, West thought with fury. So she and Hammer would get to sit in the hallway and wait. Oh great. This would have been exactly right had Johnny Martino’s mother permitted it. Like West, Mrs. Martino had been pushed too far. Mrs. Martino knew exactly what was going on. She knew that those two ladies in front were Batman and Robin, and that the judge had to pee. Mrs. Martino rose before Her Honor could climb down from her throne.

“Now hold on one minute,” Mrs. Martino loudly said as she made her way over people and up to the bench, in her nice dress and loafers. “I been sitting here this whole time seeing exactly what’s going on.”

“Ma’am . . . !” the judge protested, by now standing and in crisis, as a reporter for New Country WTDR radio slipped into the back of the courtroom.

“Don’t you ma’am me!” Mrs. Martino wagged her finger. “The boy who robbed all those innocent folks is my son. So I got a right to say whatever the hell I want. And I also know who these women are.” She gave them a deep nod. “Risking themselves to help all those poor folk when that rotten-ass boy of mine climbed on that bus with the gun he got from some drug dealer out there. Well, I tell you what.”

West, Hammer, A.D.A. Pond, and the courtroom listened to Mrs. Martino with keen interest. The judge deemed it best to reseat herself and hold tight. Mrs. Martino had been waiting all her life for her day in court, and she began to pace like an experienced trial lawyer. Radio reporter Tim Nicks was writing down everything, his blood singing and playing drums in his ears. This was too good to be true.

“Let me tell you something, judge,” Mrs. Martino went on. “I know a game when I see one. And every time you could let those poor busy ladies out of here, you pass on it, say move on, no way, not now, ummm ummm.” She shook her head, striding, swinging arms wide. “Now why you want to be doing that to people who help, to people trying to make a difference out there? It’s a disgrace, that’s exactly what it is.”

“Ma’am, please be seated . . .” Her Honor tried again.

Johnny Martino was in Mecklenburg orange and flip-flops when he was brought in from the jail. He raised his right hand and swore to tell the truth one more time in his life. Hammer was sitting up straight, filled with shining admiration for Mrs. Martino, who had no intention of being silenced and in fact now that her son had appeared, was only getting started. West was fascinated by how Judge Cow was going to get herself out of an udder disaster, ha! West stifled laughter, suddenly on the verge of hysteria and another hot flash. A.D.A. Pond smiled, and Reporter Nicks wrote furiously in his notepad.