“Worse than cruel. So, I suppose I’ll just keep reading about the problems until I’m old enough to do something about them.”
“Who says you have to wait? Take Woody’s case. Watch what happens to him. Study our Youth Court system and you’ll find plenty of problems. I’m told that our juvenile prisons are in really bad shape. We’re talking kids here, Theo, youngsters like you, so why not get involved to improve things? I’ll bet you can find several groups active in Youth Court reform.”
“I’ve already run across a couple.”
“There you go. Get involved now. Don’t wait ten years. The problems are just getting worse.”
Theo sipped his ginger ale and absorbed Ike’s words. “I don’t know. I’m pretty busy right now.”
“You sound like your parents. Not happy unless they’re talking about being so busy. You’re thirteen, Theo, not forty. Don’t fall into the trap of planning every moment of every day and keeping an eye on the clock. You know who John Lennon was, right?”
“The Beatle?”
“That’s him. In his lyrics he said a lot of wise things. One I remember goes something like this: ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.’ Get it?”
“I guess.”
“If you see a problem, Theo, think of a way to fix it and do it now. Don’t spend all your time making plans.”
“What are you trying to fix, Ike?”
“Nothing. I don’t see any problems, plus I’m too old. Now beat it so I can finish this pile of paperwork.”
“See you next Monday.”
On Tuesday morning, Theo stood in front of his locker with a looming sense of dread. He was tired because he’d stayed up the night before reading legal articles on America’s broken bail system. The more he read the more frustrated he became and he couldn’t go to sleep. Sometime after midnight he finally dozed off, with his laptop still open.
A soft voice behind him said, “Um, Theo.”
He turned and found a slight, dark-haired boy he didn’t know. The kid was immediately uncomfortable, switching his weight back and forth as he struggled to find words, and glancing around. He was either frightened or intimidated.
“What’s up?” Theo said. He recognized the boy as a seventh grader but did not know his name. He was holding a piece of paper that at first glance did not appear to be anything related to schoolwork.
“I’m Roger, and the police gave this to my mother last night before they took him.” He sort of shoved the paper at Theo, who took it and with one glance recognized the problem.
“A Rule Three Summons,” Theo said. “For Animal Court.”
Roger said, “I hear you’re good at handling these cases.”
“What’s the name of the defendant? I’m having trouble reading this.”
“Rufus, our pet rabbit. He’s a French Lop.”
Okay, thought Theo. In his Animal Court career, he had been involved with two dogs, including Judge, a spitting llama, fainting goats, a delinquent parrot, and an otter that feasted off fat goldfish. But never a lop-eared rabbit. “Says here the infraction is for a ‘recurring nightly disturbance.’ Any idea what that might be?”
“No clue. Our family lets Rufus roam free in the house. My parents don’t believe in caging animals. He has a pet door to the back patio. Sometimes we don’t see him for a few hours but he always comes home, especially when it’s time to eat. He’s a good rabbit, Theo, a member of the family. We’ve had him for five years. What’re they going to do to him, Theo?” His lip quivered and his voice cracked and Theo was afraid the kid might start bawling right there in the hallway. It was obvious that Rufus’s arrest had rocked him and probably his family.
“Well, it depends on what’s proven in court. If Rufus is found guilty and considered a public threat or nuisance, Animal Control can keep him.” And they can also put the rabbit to sleep forever, but Theo wasn’t about to go that far. Roger was obviously fragile and couldn’t take such dreadful news.
“He’s just a lop-eared rabbit, Theo, not a dangerous animal,” Roger said, his voice rising. “None of this makes sense.”
“Look, it says that the hearing is today at four o’clock in Animal Court in the courthouse.” Theo knew he had little time to prepare. He also knew what Roger was about to ask.
“Will you take the case, Theo? Everyone says you’re the best in Animal Court. They say you’ve never lost a case there.”
Theo’s chest swelled with pride. The truth was that his record in Animal Court was six wins and no losses, though no one was keeping score but him. He certainly couldn’t brag about it because none of his friends would understand. Few of them had ever heard of Animal Court.
It was impossible to say no. His parents believed that a big part of being a lawyer was using your position to help those in need, regardless of their ability to pay. At the age of thirteen, and still without a license, Theo couldn’t exactly charge for his services, so he never worried about the fee part. It would be cruel to leave poor Rufus detained by Animal Control while Roger and his family worried themselves sick over their beloved rabbit.
He gritted his teeth, looked Roger squarely in the eyes, put a hand on his shoulder, and said, “Okay, I’ll do it. See you there at four o’clock.”
Theo entered the courthouse basement room reserved for Animal Court at ten minutes before four p.m., and found a sparse gathering, which was a relief. In the past some of his cases had attracted big crowds and that added pressure. As much as he dreamed of the courtroom, when the trials actually arrived he always preferred smaller crowds. He had a knot in his stomach, as always. He’d once heard an old lawyer say: “If you’re not nervous in a courtroom, then you’re in the wrong place.”
The courtroom was divided in half by a center aisle, with rows of folding chairs on both sides. In the front row, Theo saw Roger and went to greet him. Roger was with his mother, a nervous-looking woman with short blond hair in a weird green T-shirt.
They were relieved to see Theo. Roger said, “This is my mother, Alice Kerr.” She squeezed Theo’s hand as if she were drowning and said, “Theo, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Roger says Rufus is in good hands.”
“Thanks. I’ll do my best.”
“They won’t . . .” She placed her hands rather awkwardly over Roger’s ears and continued, “Put him to sleep, will they?” Roger squirmed and hissed, “Mom! Come on!”
“It’s unlikely,” Theo said in a low voice as he tried to ignore the little drama. “I’ve never seen it happen. The judge has to find that the animal is a persistent and continuing threat to the public and that nothing else can be done.”
As he talked, he noticed a young curly-haired woman walking down the aisle with a stack of folders under her arm. She was dressed professionally and had an important air about her. Theo had seen her a couple of times around the courthouse and figured she was the newest hire in the District Attorney’s office. Jack Hogan usually sent his r
ookies all the way down to Animal Court to get their feet wet with easy trial work. She set her stack of paperwork down on the flimsy table used by the prosecution and opened a file as if preparing for major litigation.
Theo nodded and Roger and Alice stepped forward with him to the defense table. The rookie walked over, stuck out her hand, offered a big smile, and said, “I’m Brittany Collins, with the DA’s office.”
Theo shook her hand and said, “I’m Theodore Boone, for the defense.”
She was amused by the size and age of her opponent, but kept smiling. She was very cute and Theo liked her immediately. “And you represent who?” she asked.
“Rufus the rabbit. The first case on the docket.”
“Ah, of course. This little guy has caused quite a stir in town.” Brittany turned and nodded toward the spectators. An impressive crowd was suddenly gathering in the seats behind the prosecution’s table. Whatever Rufus had been doing had evidently ticked off a lot of people. And they were still filing in.
Great, thought Theo. The whole courtroom was against him.
It suddenly hit Theo that he was completely unprepared, a cardinal sin for a trial lawyer. He had not had the time during the day to meet with his client and gather evidence. On top of that, Animal Court did not permit discovery and was often a trial by ambush. Often there were no lawyers at all, just parties representing themselves as they argued over barking dogs and stray cows.
Brittany flashed another cute smile and said, “Take it easy on me today, Theo.”
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“I hear you’re a killer in Animal Court.” She winked and flitted away, and Theo couldn’t think of anything to say. He glanced again at the crowd and noticed that most were well-dressed. Animal Court often attracted a lower end crowd, rougher folks who didn’t hire lawyers and had more problems with their animals.
Theo swallowed hard and wondered what he’d gotten himself into. Rufus seemed like a run-of-the-mill Animal Court case. He’d tried a half dozen of them, but now he had a case he hadn’t prepared for and he was dealing with a cute assistant DA who made him nervous. Theo had learned from his parents not to trust the pleasant chatter of lawyers before the real action, whether in trial or in negotiation. Every lawyer has a job to do, and just because one is chatty beforehand doesn’t mean he or she will not pull every trick possible to prevail. Brittany’s charm worried Theo. She would no doubt catch the eye of Judge Yeck.