"Yes, sir."
"You have no license and no formal legal training."
"No, sir." Elijah glanced briefly toward the gallery, then back at the judge. "But I have studied the law for two years, and I have read everything related to my brother's case twice."
The courtroom shifted again. There were no more chuckles now, only a tight and uncomfortable silence.
Tolbert exhaled slowly and deliberately. "Well, we will see how long that confidence holds." He turned toward the prosecutor. "Ms. Lindholm?"
She looked uncertain. "If the paperwork is in order, it is legal. Strange, but legal."
The judge shook his head and looked down at his docket. "This is a preliminary hearing. We are here to decide whether there is sufficient cause to proceed to trial. If your brother truly wants you to speak on his behalf, I am not stopping you."
Elijah did not smile or move. He simply said, "Yes, Your Honor," and sat down.
From the back row, Isaiah, his older brother, watched in silence. His hands were cuffed, and his orange jumpsuit was wrinkled at the collar. Yet his eyes held something quiet and unmistakably proud.
The clerk called the case. "State of Georgia versus Isaiah Carrington."
The room reset. Andrea Lindholm stood and began laying out the charges: burglary, resisting arrest, and possession of stolen property. She described it as a simple case. Mr. Carrington, she said, had been caught red-handed while fleeing a home with electronics in his vehicle, and the arresting officer had identified him at the scene.
There was no mention of the absence of fingerprints, no mention of the alibi, and no mention of the anonymous tip that had led to Isaiah being stopped in the first place. Judge Tolbert nodded along as everything moved quickly, too quickly.
Then Elijah stood calmly. "Your Honor, may I cross-examine the officer?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Tolbert's face. "You may."
The officer stepped forward. Officer Paul Haskins was a large man of about forty-five, with the build of a linebacker and a voice made for radio. He looked down at Elijah as though the boy were a science experiment.