Thirty
John’s next court appearance was the first Wednesday in December. Myerton had decorated Main Street with green, gold, and red for Christmas. In the square in front of the courthouse, the town Christmas tree was festooned with lights and large gold balls, topped with a silver star that reflected the early winter sun. In-ground speakers piped Christmas music through the square to complete the festive holiday scene. There had once been a Nativity scene, but a threatened lawsuit had removed it.
The courthouse itself was decorated, wreaths on the door, a Christmas tree alongside a menorah and a Kwanzaa candelabra in the atrium. I walked down the hallway to Courtroom Three, where John’s hearing would be held. The room was crowded, some press lining the back wall. Two tables were up fr
