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my informal attire and unkempt appearance, your honor. Mr. Payne just contacted me about an hour ago and I haven’t had a chance to dress appropriately.”
    The judge waved his concerns away. “Don’t give it a second thought, son. I don’t give a rat’s ass what people wear outside the courtroom. You could show up in swimming trunks for all I care.” He grinned. “Of course, little Amber might be somewhat shocked.”
    Ben did his best to play along. “Nice little girl,” he said, nodding in her direction.
    “That she is,” the proud daddy replied. “She’s our precious gift from heaven. Marjorie and I had been trying for years to have children. No luck. Then, just as we had given up hope, God sent us this perfect ray of sunshine.” He rubbed noses with Amber. “That’s what you are. You’re a perfect ray of sunshine.”
    “You two haven’t been properly introduced,” the judge said, as he passed the bottle. “This here’s Henry Swain. You can probably get away with calling him Hank. I’ve known Hank since he was a pup. His father and I used to go deer hunting together.”
    “I see.” Ben began to be concerned about this tight-knit little legal community. “You must be the district attorney.”
    “That he is,” the judge answered for him.
    “Good.” Ben rose to his feet. “Shall we go into the courtroom now?”
    “No need for that,” the judge said. “I think we can handle this right here.”
    “Here?”
    “I don’t see why not. We like to handle cases informally in Reeves County, whenever possible. Tell you the truth, there’s not much I need to know. I’ve read the file.”
    Ben was stunned. “You’ve read the district attorney’s file?”
    “I like to know what’s going on.”
    Ben thought it prudent not to comment. At least not yet. “Why has my client been denied bail?”
    “That was my decision,” Judge Tyler said firmly. “This is a capital crime, after all, and your client has no permanent ties to this community. Not to mention the fact that some folks might like to throw a rope around his neck and swing him from a cottonwood tree. No, I think he’s best right where he is.”
    “When I visited him, I wasn’t able to enter his cell.”
    “That’s my order, too. We have good reason to believe he’s a dangerous character. I’m not letting anyone in there unless a peace officer is present. And since I assume you want to talk to your client in private, you’ll just have to do it from the other side of the iron bars.”
    Ben drummed his fingers on the chair. “When’s the probable cause hearing, your honor?”
    “I’m not much for those big dog-and-pony shows,” the judge muttered.
    “But, your honor—the probable cause hearing is my chance to learn about the state’s case.”
    “Hell, son, they’ll tell you whatever you want to know. There’s plenty of evidence. Hank’s got statements from half a dozen people who heard your boy threaten to kill that Vuong kid.”
    “The fact that he made a threat doesn’t prove—”
    “The boy practically confessed when the sheriff arrested him. And his motive is obvious. Do you know how Vuong died?”
    Ben had to admit that he did not.
    “He was killed by two crossbow bolts, one to the chest, and the other to his neck.”
    Ben checked Payne for confirmation. “A crossbow bolt?”
    “Yes,” the judge replied. “That’s what you call them big-ass metal arrows crossbows shoot. Made a mess of that kid, let me tell you. The killer fired from close range. And then planted a great big ol’ burning cross right over Vuong’s head. Piece of the cross fell down and caught the body on fire. Good in a way—the flames cauterized the neck wound. Unfortunately they also burned his body to a crisp. Those ASP sumbitches just don’t have no mercy in them.”
    “Your honor, I believe you’re jumping to conclusions—”
    “What other conclusion is there?”
    Ben took a deep breath. There was no sense in alienating the judge.