Chapter 29: The Assembly at Courtroom 4
The morning air outside the Provincial High Court in Grandview smelled of exhaust fumes and cold stone as a relentless autumn drizzle slickened the granite steps. Inside Courtroom 4, the atmosphere was suffocating, thick with the heat of packed bodies, wet wool overcoats, and the nervous static of competing broadcast equipment. High-profile reporters from regional syndicates, television camera operators with heavy shoulder rigs, and curious society observers jostled along the dark wooden benches, filling every available seat behind the polished brass gallery rail.
At the edge of the front press row, Gavin Hayes from Channel 7 leaned over his wireless radio transmitter, speaking in a polished, urgent whisper directly into his network feed. The entir
