Theodore Boone: The Scandal

Chapter 26

As Theo and April were leaving the balcony, a bailiff stopped them at the door and said, “Say, Theo, Judge Gantry wants you to stop by his office.”

Theo was startled. “Okay, when?”

“Right now.”

“Sure.” He said good-bye to April and hurried away, dodging the spectators as they filed out of the main courtroom. Judge Gantry was waiting with his door opened. He closed it when Theo walked in. He removed his black robe, said, “Have a seat,” and pointed to a chair at the conference table. Theo did as he was instructed. Judge Gantry sat down and loosened his tie. He gave Theo a hard look and asked, “What do you think?”

Theo wasn’t sure what the judge wanted so he just shrugged, as if confused.

“You know, Theo, we often make the law too complicated. We take a set of facts and analyze them ten different ways and try to figure out what laws should apply and how and why, when, in reality, a lot of cases are pretty simple. Simple enough for a young person to see clearly, when we try so hard to make them confusing. Does this make sense?”

“I think so.”

“I’d like to know how you would rule in this case, Theo. You’re thirteen years old, a smart kid who knows more law than most lawyers, and also someone who’s sort of involved in this mess. What would you do, after hearing what we’ve just heard?”

Man up, Theo told himself. He’s talking to you like an adult, so act like one. “They’re not criminals, Judge. What they did was really bad. I mean the idea of a bunch of teachers hiding in a room erasing wrong answers and loading up with the correct ones is pretty outrageous. I understand why they did it, but it was still a rotten thing to do. Like Jack Hogan said, they’re supposed to teach us right from wrong.”

“Agreed. It’s disgusting.”

“But they will be punished enough. They’re good people who did something wrong, but what they did was not a crime. I would dismiss the charges, Judge.”

“You like secrets don’t you, Theo?”

“Love ’em.”

“Good. Here’s a secret you can’t talk about until noon tomorrow. I’m dismissing the charges. Right now it’s just between you and me.” He reached out a hand and Theo shook it.

“A secret, right?”

“You got it, Judge.”

The Boones enjoyed dinner with Omar in his café, and when he wasn’t around his parents talked nonstop about the hearing. Mrs. Boone was relieved and relaxed, and Theo congratulated her on a fine performance. Mr. Boone was happy to play second fiddle to his wife, and it was obvious he was very proud.

“You should do more trial work, Mom. You’re very much at home in the courtroom.”

“Thank you, Teddy, but I have enough work to keep me busy.”

“Things could not have gone better, dear,” Mr. Boone said. “You were superb.”

“I’ll feel superb when we win,” she said. Theo bit his tongue. He was often tempted to unload secrets on his parents, but not this time. He was determined to prove he could be trusted. Instead he said, “I watched Judge Gantry a lot, and I think he is with the teachers. Don’t you agree, Dad?”

“No doubt about it. He’ll dismiss the charges and we can move on.”

“Let’s not get too confident,” Mrs. Boone said. “When I’m sure I’ve won, something bad usually happens, and when I know I’ve lost, there is usually a pleasant surprise. It’s a tricky business trying to predict what a judge will do.”

Theo kept a mouth full of food and tried to say as little as possible.

Late that night he called April, and they chatted for almost an hour about the courtroom drama. She had been scared out of her mind when Dr. Stoop read her letter and almost fainted. But now that she was able to look back, she didn’t feel so bad about sending it. The letter had prompted the school officials to take the matter seriously and investigate immediately.

“Aren’t you glad you didn’t send that second letter?” Theo asked. “Otherwise you might have been on the witness stand today.”

“I sure am. Thank you, Theo. I had made up my mind to send it, but you talked me out of it.”

“Always trust your lawyer, April.”