Read Online Joe Dillard - 03 - Injustice for All by Scott Pratt - Free Book Online

do whatever he wants.”
    Tanner and I make our way downstairs to the courtroom, and I take a seat in the jury box. The place is full of defense lawyers and prosecutors, most of whom have no business with the court; they’re there just to see if a battle erupts. There are about thirty people in the gallery, two television news camera crews, and a smattering of reporters. The atmosphere is tense and subdued. I look around and see Ray sitting in the back row. Toni isn’t with him. Ray won’t let her come. He’s told me he’s too ashamed.
    Judge Green enters the courtroom and his clerk calls the case of State of Tennessee versus Raymond Miller. Ray walks slowly, almost unsteadily, toward the front, wearing a black suit, a black shirt, and a black tie. His hair, which has grayed significantly over the past six months, is pulled back tightly into a ponytail. His forehead is deeply lined, his eyes dark and intense. His back looks to be as wide as a sheet of plywood. He attempts to stand straight at the defense table, but I notice he’s swaying slightly. He stares at Judge Green. Tanner silently rises from his seat at the prosecution table.
    “Mr. Miller,” Judge Green says, “you’ve been charged with contempt of court in the presence of the court based upon your failure to show up at the appointed time and your failure to notify any court personnel. You’re here today for a plea deadline. I see you haven’t hired counsel.”
    “I don’t need counsel,” Ray says curtly.
    “You know what they say about the man who represents himself in court,” the judge says. “He has a fool for a client.”
    There is a lingering silence in the courtroom, and as I sit there watching, I imagine that the entire building is shuddering, as though it’s trying to shake off the tension inside. Ray’s jaw tightens, and his chin juts forward. He begins to speak, very slowly.
    “Because of you, I’ve lost nearly everything I’ve spent my life working for.” His speech is almost imperceptibly slurred. Only someone who has spent as much time with Ray as I have would notice. He continues, “I’ve also lost my livelihood, my reputation, my—”
    “Anything that’s happened to you, you’ve brought on yourself,” Judge Green interrupts.
    “ I’m not finished! ” Ray roars, and Judge Green, suddenly intimidated, seems to sink in his high-backed leather chair.
    “What you’ve done to me is inexcusable. I’ve done everything in my power to try to put a stop to it, but you just won’t quit. You’re a pathetic excuse for a man, an embarrassment to the judiciary, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand here and let you call me a fool!”
    “You’re in contempt again,” Judge Green says, trying unsuccessfully to look brave. “Bailiff, take Mr. Miller over to the jail.”
    “You’re right about that.” Ray lets out a sardonic chuckle. “I have more contempt for you than you could ever imagine.”
    Ray’s right hand slides quickly inside his jacket. When it reappears, it’s holding a revolver. Without saying a word, he points the pistol at Judge Green.
    Boom!
    The shot is deafening in the confined area of the courtroom. I see smoke pour out of the gun barrel and I freeze, unable to believe what I’m witnessing. Ray pulls the trigger a second time, and another ear-splitting roar reverberates off the walls. I glance at Judge Green. He’s scrambling to get beneath the bench. I’m conscious of women screaming, men yelling, bailiffs dashing forward. I start climbing over the two rows of seats in front of me, yelling Ray’s name.
    A bailiff moves to within five feet of Ray, his gun pointed at Ray’s head.
    “Put the gun down! Now!” the bailiff screams. Another is approaching from the rear.
    Ray looks at the bailiff. Then he looks back at the bench, where Judge Green—dead, wounded, or cowering—has disappeared.
    Then Ray looks at me.
    “Good-bye, my friend,” he says calmly. “I didn’t deserve this.”
    He