Morning After Part 28
Xander almost laughed when Giles came back into the diner complaining about a parking ticket he'd received for taking up two spaces.
"There's no other bloody car's in the lot and my rear wheel is only on the line…" the older man complained with an almost-Ripperish look in his eyes, "On a Saturday morning."
"When do you have to make an appearance?" Xander asked out of politeness.
"Any time between now and the fifteenth," Giles grimaced, "A fine of up to two hundred dollars."
"Well, I've paid the bill," Xander replied, "Why don't Doyle and I go with you, and we'll use some of Ethan's money to pay the fine." At the mention of using the chaos mage's funds, Giles mollified a bit.
Judge Harold Stone had thought retiring to Sunnydale and marrying Christine would have been enough for any man, and with the substitute positions for the City and County Circuit Courts, he could even keep busy enough to handle retirement. Just a little before noon, three cases to go, and he'd be done for the weekend.
"All Rise!" the white dog-eared bailiff called out. Like the Judge, he was a substitute, as his terrible skin affliction keeping him out of the normal weekday channels of justice that were usually disturbed at the less than pretty look. Luckily, Judge Harry and a few others thought nothing particularly odd about the well-mannered individual, "The Court is back in Session."
"You may be seated," Harry intoned as he struck the gavel lightly, "And I'd like to here our first case…"
"Your Honor, the District Attorney's Office stresses the need for a change of venue, as many of our potential witnesses seem to have a severe skin allergy to sunlight. Beyond that, the defendant Bo Darville is being charged with reckless driving and felony speeding. The witnesses are to attest to damages caused by the defendant to municipal property."
"What do we have to say Ms. Public Defender?" the Judge prompted.
"Your Honor, Mr. Darville has been held without bail for one month, and the damages have been fully repaid as per City ordnance. My client wishes to return home to Texas, feeling he's fulfilled his obligations."
"I've looked over the case, and Mr. Darville has completed five thousand dollars worth of repairs to jail vehicles while in our custody, and so my ruling is two hundred dollars and time served. Next case…"
"Your Honor, my client is a respected veteran and writer that made an honest mistake in his choice of volunteer cooks at the shelter he runs in his retirement years, and is now being singled out as 'an example,'" the attorney explained.
"Your Honor, he's violated the health regulations four times…"
"In four years, with almost straight hundred percents on his inspections; the truth is this is just a ploy by the City to put up low-rent housing up but in fact would displace twice as many people as it claims to serve and wishes to force the man out of his lease of city property."
"How long until the lease is up?"
"May 1999, Your Honor."
"And what is the exact reason for us being here, Mr. Prosecutor?"
"Serving food that had a regrettable effect upon the digestive tracts of forty low or no income individuals, Your Honor," the DA explained, "And two other volunteers had to be hospitalized briefly."
"Why is…Sergeant Becerra here and not the cook?"
"He's the license and permit holder for the premises."
"Are any of the complainants here?"
"No, Your Honor," the Public Defender interjected, "Only the City has a sudden issue, not those fed bad yams."
"Mister Prosecutor, who was the cook?"
"Your wife, Your Honor?"
"And you brought this case into my court and didn't move for change of venue?"
"Uh, no, Your Honor."
"Well Sarge, I guess it's a light beating for you this time…and seeing the next case for a Rupert Giles is almost as frivolous, the rulings will be the same…for bad yams and being the target of cranky bureaucrats …One dollar each and time served."