You wait with the sheriff’s deputy in the courtroom until you’re called.
She rose from the table and took her stack of case files under her arm and went out the door. He watched her leave, looking at her skirt and legs. The deputy waiting outside in the hallway came in, accompanied by the second inmate, and put the cuffs on Hoyt’s wrists again and walked the two of them down the wide corridor to the courtroom to wait for their cases to come up. The second inmate wore shackles on his ankles in addition to his handcuffs, and shuffled along slowly.
There were several people in the courtroom already, sitting and talking. The deputy led Hoyt and the other inmate to a bench near the back, and they sat and watched as more people entered and filed into the rows of benches.
After a while Hoyt leaned toward the sheriff’s deputy. I got to take a piss, he said.
How come you never thought of that earlier?
I never had any reason to think of it earlier.
Get up then, the deputy said. Let’s go. You too, he said to the other inmate. Before they get this thing started.
How come I got to go?
Because I said so. I ain’t about to leave you here.
They went out into the corridor past the lawyers talking to clients and past other people standing in groups below the tall narrow windows. They went down the wooden stairway to the main floor, the other inmate turning sideways taking one step at a time, then the deputy led them into the public rest room behind the staircase. Try not to piss yourself, he said to Hoyt.
Ain’t you going to unzip me? Hoyt said. I know you been wanting to.
I wouldn’t touch you with a goddamn cow prod, you sorry son of a bitch.
You’re missing your chance here.
I’m going to tell you something, Raines. Not everybody in Holt County thinks you’re real cute.
There’s some that do. Some of these women I could name.
Nobody I know of.
You don’t know the right ones.
That must be it. Now hurry the fuck up there.
The other man used the urinal too and they went back upstairs to the courtroom and sat down and waited. The D.A. came in and the young red-haired public defender took her place opposite him at the table in front of the benches where some of the other lawyers were already seated. The bailiff came in and checked the thermostat, tapping the little cage with his finger and peering at it before he sat down. Finally the clerk entered from a side door and called: All rise, and the judge came in, a short heavy dark-haired man in a black robe, and everybody stood until he was seated behind his high desk, then the clerk said: Be seated, and the judge called the first case.