Read Online THE FOURTH WATCH by Edwin Attella - Free Book Online

beak-like nose at
Eddie Garcia. One eye seemed always to be closed, the other wet and
squinting. He had no more than sixteen hairs on his head, and they
were glued back along the top of his bald pate. He was Popeye
without the pipe. Eddie squirmed as if on a hook.
    "I thought I told you I never wanted to see
you in my courtroom again," Judge Farron suddenly barked, his voice
raw from years of whiskey and cigarette smoke.
    Eddie wisely said not a word. He simply
lowered his head and looked repentant. He had been before Terrible
Tommy on many occasions.
    The judge looked back down at the papers for a
long time, then slumped over onto the bench and grabbed his head.
"Why in the sweet name of Christ are you driving a car if you don't
have a driver’s license? What portion of this law continues to
baffle you?"
    Eddie studied his feet.
    "Why is it that you do not stop when you see
that a police officer is chasing you with his siren screaming and
his wig~wags and blue lights flashing?"
    Silence.
    "Why are you such a boil on the ass of
society?"
    Eddie would not be provoked.
    The judge went back to his papers. ''It has
come to my attention that you have taken to beating women with
bamboo sticks for God's sake! I should send you to Singapore and
have you caned!"
    "Judge, if I may ... " I began.
    "You may not," he said without glancing in my
direction. I am one of the few lawyers that Judge Farron tolerates,
so I did not push my luck. ''Mr. Garcia you are a loathsome man,"
he told Eddie, "and if I accept this plea it will be because if I
don't your lawyer will put the tax payers of this Commonwealth
through the expense of a trial, wasting more precious resources on
the likes of you, which would make me vomit. I suppose I can take
some measure of satisfaction in knowing that you are presently
caged and will be in jail for a significant period of time to
come."
    Silence and staring. The judge at Eddie, Eddie
at his ankle irons. The probation clerk, sitting at the right of
Judge Farron finally broke the silence saying: "Would His Honor
like to review the defendants probation record?"
    "For what?" Tommy barked at him. ''I don't
know this miserable creature? I haven't sentenced him on a dozen
occasions?" His glare snapped back to the defendant.
    Eddie was as if made of wood.
    "Alright, listen up, I'm going to advise you
of the rights you are giving up by pleading guilty to the charges
against you, although why you have any rights at all is beyond
me!"
    He rattled them off without enthusiasm. When he
was done, he said: ''Does the
    Commonwealth have anything to add?"
    Rick Wall said, "No, Your Honor."
    Farron looked at me. "Counselor?"
    "No, thank you Judge," I said.
    "Mr. Garcia, I'm going to reluctantly accept
your plea for the reasons I've already stated, you stand committed.
Now get him out of my sight!"
    With that, as a stem David read the sentence
aloud, the court officers wrestled a smiling Eddie Garcia out of
dock and through the door into lock-up. Judge Farron rubbed his
head at the absurdity of it all.
    Before David could call the next case Rick
Wall said, "Your Honor, while Mr. Knight is before the court, the
Commonwealth would like to move to dismiss the case against his
client Mrs. Ethel Footman. If the clerk could call that matter
please."
    David glared across the room at the Assistant
District Attorney. ADA's didn't call cases, clerks called cases,
his glare seemed to say. Rick ignored him completely. I knew he was
doing me a favor. He knew I only had the one case left, and that
Baby Bear would let me stew until after the lunch recess. It was a
random act of kindness. Judge Farron just waved an exasperated hand
in the direction of the clerk
    "Commonwealth vs. Ethel Footman," David
hissed.
    His Honor took the docket file and looked down
at it. He glanced up as the defendant approached the rail, and then
did a double-take. He glared at her, his one open eye squinting
down to a slit. One look at her and he could tell that