Elder’s eyes move from Shad to Kaiser. “Agent Kaiser?”

“I’ve been informed that we can transport the tapes on a Bureau plane. My agents can maintain an airtight chain of custody.”

A sort of hiccup escapes Quentin’s throat, but to his credit he’s wise enough not to object to the proposed restoration of the tapes.

“Mr. Avery?” says Judge Elder, turning to Quentin. “What’s your feeling about this?”

“We’re open to anything that can shed more light on the events in Mrs. Turner’s house on the night of her death.”

The judge’s gaze lingers on Quentin’s face. “Well, then. Agent Kaiser, make it so.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

Shad freezes for a second, then tries to look natural. “Judge, we may have a small problem with that arrangement.”

“What problem could that be, Mr. Johnson? Do you not trust the FBI?”

“It’s not me, Your Honor,” Shad says quickly. “I have the highest respect for the Bureau. But I suspect that Sheriff Byrd might be reluctant to simply hand over the tapes to Agent Kaiser.”

“Why would that be?”

“He feels that Agent Kaiser has been shielding Dr. Cage from the beginning. Also Mr. Garrity, to a certain extent. The sheriff raised the question of why Agent Kaiser didn’t offer to restore the tapes when we learned that the manufacturer couldn’t do it.”

“Is that so?” Judge Elder appears amused by this. “Well, I’ll sign a judicial order compelling the sheriff to turn over the tapes to Mr. Kaiser, so that he can sleep tonight without that dilemma weighing on him.”

Shad takes his medicine with humility. “Thank you, Your Honor. I’m sure that won’t be necessary.”

Elder gives him a wry smile. “Outstanding. If there’s nothing else, I’ll see you all at nine a.m. With a little luck, we can give this case to the jury tomorrow.”

“Ah, one more thing, Your Honor,” Shad says quickly, emboldened by his success with the tape restoration gambit. “During his opening remarks, Mr. Avery promised the jury that Dr. Cage would take the stand. Should we look forward to seeing that happen tomorrow?”

Joe Elder looks as curious about this prospect as Shad. He inclines his head toward Quentin and raises one eyebrow.

“Given today’s events, Your Honor,” Quentin says, “we haven’t made a final decision on that yet.”

Elder’s eyes twinkle. “A little suspense, Mr. Johnson. I guess we’ll both find out tomorrow.”

Shad nods slowly. “Your Honor, with all due respect, I have some concerns about scheduling going forward.”

Joe Elder doesn’t like the sound of this. “Elaborate.”

“First, I’m concerned that Mr. Avery will try to rush forward and close his case before the restored tapes can be delivered.”

“Mr. Johnson, we’re not going to hold up this trial for a week waiting for tapes that might never come.”