Marialena Reyes touched Kathy’s arm.
“You going to see him?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think you’d better.”
“He didn’t say I had to.”
“No, but I think it would be a good idea.”
Kathy said, “I have to smile, too?”
Marialena stared at her for a moment. She said, “Do what you want,” and walked away.
2
Out of his robes Judge Bob Gibbs became someone else, pleasant, almost a regular guy, saying he didn’t mean to put her on the spot in there. No, what it was, he had a feeling young Mr. Crowe might have tried a sad story on her, he was sick or his mama needed him at home or he knew it would kill him to be locked up, the prey of older, lascivious convicts… “I said at one point, ‘Don’t thank me yet.’ Remember? Well, you can thank me now if you want.”
“For what, Judge?”
“Sending young Mr. Crowe away. Taking him off your hands. If I’d reinstated his probation like you wanted, he’d be in violation again before you know it and you’d have egg all over your pretty face. What’re you, Cuban?”
“Born in Miami,” Kathy said. “I don’t think I asked you to reinstate him.”
“You didn’t come right out and request it. I could tell, though, he’d been working on you. I was gonna say, you don’t look especially Latin.”
Like he was paying her a compliment. If she wanted she could say, And you don’t look like a judge.