Only precision.
The judge looked back at the statement.
"Mrs. Freeman claims she never saw your brother."
"Correct."
"And yet the state alleges he was caught leaving her home."
"Correct."
"Then we have a serious discrepancy."
Elijah nodded.
"There's another."
He opened folder four.
"The anonymous caller."
Andrea's face tightened.
Elijah continued.
"According to the report, an anonymous caller identified my brother."
"Yes."
"Before the police arrived."
"Correct."
"Was the caller recorded?"
"No."
"Was the number logged?"
"No."
"Was the identity verified?"
"No."
"Was the caller known to Officer Haskins?"
Haskins answered.
"No."
Elijah nodded.
"So the entire investigation began with an unidentified person accusing my brother."
Andrea objected.
"That's an unfair characterization."
Elijah looked at the judge.
"Then what would Your Honor call it?"
Tolbert said nothing.
Elijah opened another document.
"This is the original dispatch record."
He handed it to the judge.
Tolbert read.
Then stopped.
"Officer Haskins."
"Yes?"
"This dispatch occurred at 10:42 p.m."
"Yes."
"Before the burglary was reported."
Haskins looked confused.
"What?"
Tolbert held up the document.
"The burglary report was made at 10:51."
The room went silent.
Elijah said quietly:
"Someone identified my brother as a suspect nine minutes before the victim says she discovered anything was wrong."
Andrea stood.
"That could be a clerical error."
Elijah nodded.
"It could."
He turned another page.
"So could this."
He placed a second document on the screen.
It was a text message.
The sender was Officer Haskins.
The recipient was an unknown number.
The timestamp was 10:38 p.m.
The message said:
He's driving toward Hawthorne. Be ready.
The courtroom exploded with whispers.
Haskins stood.
"I didn't send that."
Elijah looked at him.
"Then we have another problem."
"That's not my number."
"The phone company records say it is."
Haskins looked toward Andrea.
She appeared stunned.
Judge Tolbert struck the gavel.
"Order."
The courtroom quieted.
Tolbert looked at Elijah.
"Where did you get this?"
"The phone company records."
"How?"
Elijah hesitated.
"With permission from the account holder."
"Who?"
"I'll explain later."
Tolbert stared at him.
Then he looked at Andrea.
"Ms. Lindholm?"
She stood.
"Your Honor, I need time."
"I agree."
She looked at Elijah.
"I need to verify every document."
Elijah nodded.
"That's fair."
Tolbert stared at him.
"You're agreeing?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because if we're going to decide my brother's future, everyone should have time to verify the truth."
The judge was silent.
Then he ordered a recess until the next morning.
The deputies led Isaiah away.
Elijah remained at the defense table.
As the courtroom emptied, Judge Tolbert called him forward.
"Mr. Carrington."
Elijah approached.
"Yes, Your Honor?"
"You understand that what you're doing is unusual."
"Yes."
"You also understand that unusual isn't the same as correct."
"Yes."
Tolbert studied him.
"Where did you learn all of this?"
Elijah looked at the old briefcase.
"My father used to work in a courthouse."
"As a lawyer?"
"No."
"Then?"
"Maintenance."
The judge almost smiled.
"And he taught you law?"
"No."
"What did he teach you?"
Elijah answered:
"He taught me that when something breaks, you don't guess what's wrong."
"You inspect it."
"Exactly."
Judge Tolbert nodded slowly.
Then he said something Elijah didn't expect.
"Bring everything tomorrow."
Elijah nodded.
"I will."
"And Mr. Carrington?"
"Yes?"
"Come back wearing whatever suit fits you."
For the first time that day, Elijah laughed.
"Yes, Your Honor."
The next morning, Elijah arrived in a different suit.
It still wasn't new.
But it fit.
Isaiah smiled when he saw him.
"You look like a lawyer."
Elijah shrugged.
"I look like somebody who can bend his elbows."
The hearing resumed.
Andrea Lindholm appeared exhausted.
She had spent the night verifying the evidence.
Some of it was legitimate.
Some of it was troubling.
The timestamp photograph was authentic.
The dispatch log was authentic.
The text message had come from Officer Haskins' phone number.
But there was one problem.
The defense had not yet established who had sent it.
Andrea stood.
"The state requests additional time."
Judge Tolbert looked at Elijah.
"Objection?"
"No."
The judge nodded.
"Granted."
Then Elijah stood.
"Your Honor, I would like to call a witness."
Andrea frowned.
"At this stage?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
Elijah looked toward the back.
A woman stood.
She was seventy-one years old.
Her name was Wanda Freeman.
The alleged burglary victim.
She walked slowly toward the witness stand.
The courtroom became silent.
Andrea looked stunned.
"Mrs. Freeman?"
Wanda nodded.
"Yes."
"Why are you here?"
"Because nobody listened to me."
Judge Tolbert leaned forward.
"Mrs. Freeman, please explain."
She looked toward Isaiah.
"I don't know that young man."
Isaiah nodded.
"But I know what happened in my house."
She explained that she had been asleep when she heard a sound.
She woke.
She walked downstairs.
Nothing appeared stolen.
Her back door was closed.
She called the police because she was frightened.
Twenty minutes later, officers told her someone had been arrested.
She asked what had been taken.
They told her electronics.
She told them nothing was missing.
According to Wanda, the officer who spoke with her became irritated.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"He said I should think carefully."
She looked at Haskins.
"Then he told me that if I didn't cooperate, the investigation could become complicated."
The courtroom went silent.
Andrea stood.
"Your Honor, I object to characterization."
Tolbert nodded.
"Mrs. Freeman, tell us exactly what was said."
Wanda nodded.
"He said, 'You don't want to make this harder than it needs to be.'"
Elijah asked:
"Did you sign a statement?"
"No."
"Did anyone take photographs of your house?"
"No."
"Did anyone check for fingerprints?"
"No."
"Was your door damaged?"
"No."
"Did you identify my brother?"
"No."
"Did you tell police he was the person you heard?"
"No."
"Then why was he arrested?"
Wanda looked toward the judge.
"I don't know."