Michael sat alone on the oil drum while Derek shut off the overhead lights in the shop.

Michael sat in the cold plastic waiting room chairs outside Courtroom 3B until the heavy wooden door swung open.

A clerk in a gray suit waved him into the restricted hallway.

Michael went into Judge Vance’s private chambers.

Morning light came through the tall frosted windows and lit up the dust drifting in the warm air.

Vance sat behind a broad mahogany desk piled with blue case files and printed dockets.

Michael took the wooden chair across from the judge and unzipped his bag.