After Nicole had finished, she went back to her spot in the audience and sat down. Davy smiled at her, and Thomas gave her a hug. Then they looked up at the front of the court room because Peter was already starting his testimony.
Mike asked Peter all the questions he'd planned on asking. They were all about what had happened. Peter related his side of the story the way he'd related it several times before. He was beginning to get bored with telling it, but tried to hide it because he didn't want everyone else to see this.
When Mike had finished making his side of the story made, he sat down.
Bob stood up. He was waiting for this moment. He walked over to the witness stand and put his hands on the ledge of the small box, looking Peter in the eye. Peter read anger in his eyes.
"Mr. Tork, " he began, calmly, stepping away from the stand. "Have you ever been in trouble before?"
Peter sighed. So it was coming to that. He cast a look at Mike before he answered. "Yes," he replied.
Bob didn't give him a chance to explain. "With what did you get in trouble?"
"With what?"
"Why were you in trouble?"
Peter looked at the floor and mumbled something unintelligible. He hated to remember that part of his life.
"What was that?"
Peter mumbled something that sounded a little bit like "mugs."
"Mugs?"
Peter couldn't resist the chuckle, but muffled it, which made his next mumbled answer sound something like "drummgs". Which Bob interpreted as:
"Drums?" Bob sighed a moment. "Sir, if you could please answer the question. Why were you in trouble?"
"Drugs," Peter replied, somewhat sheepishly, but without mumbling this time, finally.
There was a gasp in the courtroom. Bob smiled. He'd been hoping for that.
"I see."
He smiled a winning smile at the judge. "Thank you your honor," he said, pleased. "No more questions."
The judge nodded, and Peter stepped off the witness stand.
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