“Mr. Milligan, you’re charged with driving under the influence, seventh offense. Where’s your lawyer?” Judge Green demands.

“He told me he’d be here later in the morning,” Milligan says.

“Mr. Miller represents you, correct?” The judge is talking about Ray Miller, my friend, and there’s a gleam in his eye that tells me he’s about to exact a little revenge. Judge Green hates Ray, primarily because Ray isn’t the least bit afraid of him and lets him know it on a regular basis. They’ve been feuding bitterly for years, but lately it has seemed to escalate. Two weeks earlier, my wife and I were dining with Ray and his wife at a restaurant in Johnson City when Ray spotted Judge Green eating by himself at a table in the corner. Ray walked over and started an argument about the judge’s practice of locking the courtroom doors at precisely nine o’clock each morning and jailing anyone who arrives late. The conversation grew heated, and with everyone in the place listening, Ray called Judge Green a “bully in a black robe.” He voiced the opinion that the judge had probably been beaten up by bullies as a boy and now used his robe to seek symbolic vengeance whenever the urge struck him. I told Ray later that his indiscretion could cost him dearly. His response was, “Screw that limp-wristed faggot.”

Green turns back to the clerk. “Has Mr. Miller notified the clerk’s office that he would be late this morning?”

The clerk shakes her head sadly.

“Then he’s in contempt of court. Let the record show that Mr. Miller has failed to appear in court at the appointed time and has failed to notify the clerk’s office that he would either be absent or late. He is guilty of contempt of court in the presence of the court and will be taken to jail immediately upon his arrival.”

Just as I’m about to say something in Ray’s defense, Tanner Jarrett stands suddenly and clears his throat.