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brought a smile to her face; still, she was disappointed. “But I don’t like taking anything for granted. If you don’t mind, let her know that I’m here and they will be calling us shortly.”
    “Anything for you.” Riley winked.
    Yarni pushed up one more flight of stairs to the lobby of the third-floor courtroom. She caught sight of Tangaleena’s mother in her work uniform, pacing back and forth.
    “Hi, Mrs. Londers.” Yarni reached out to shake the woman’s hand. “I’m glad you could make it.” Mrs. Londers’s palms were moist from nervous perspiration.
    “Yes, of course. I would never miss something this important. I know it looks good for the judge to see that she has a mother who loves her and cares enough to be here for her. I’m waiting for Dougie, that’s Tangi’s guy friend. He’s said he was going to be here early to bring you more money to go toward the retainer.” She leaned in closer. “I want him to give you as much money as possible so that you can be extra-motivated to give my daughter your best work.”
    In a strange way Mrs. Londers reminded Yarni of her own mother. Though they shared no resemblance at all, they both loved their daughters immensely. “What I do is not about the money. Understand, I want to be paid,” she said with a slight smile, “but when I take on a case I’m either all in or I don’t take it. So please don’t worry, Mrs. Londers, I will do my best on Tangaleena’s case,” Yarni assured her as she looked into the eyes of a woman who wore much worry, hurt and pain across her face.
    “Thank you, dear. I believe you will, but I want you to get your money first thing.”
    “If you insist.” Yarni changed the subject. “Do you know if your daughter has any priors?” Normally, Yarni would have this information at hand, but with all the drama going on, time had gotten away from her.
    Mrs. Londers took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m afraid so. She has quite a few, but nothing in at least four years. She used to fight a lot.” Her mother rolled her eyes. “She’s been known to pull out a can of whip ass at the drop of a dime. But over the past four years, since she’s had her daughter, she hasn’t gotten in any trouble. Not a drop.”
    “Okay, so she’s a mother?” Yarni knew that would help in showing stability and could be a good factor in why this woman deserved bond.
    “Yes,” she smiled, “and that little girl means the world to her.”
    “I bet she does. Well, let’s go in there and try to get the two back together, where they belong.”
    “God bless you, Mrs. Taylor.”
    Yarni gave Mrs. Londers a comforting pat on the shoulder, then headed for the courtroom.
    Inside, Yarni quietly sat on the hard mahogany wooden slabs most courthouses used for seating.
    She wasn’t yet concerned about the actual charges—assault and possession of a gun after being convicted of a felony. But she was slightly worried about Tangaleena’s priors becoming the focal point of this bond hearing and how that might affect the outcome.
    Yarni grimaced at the fact that Judge Fairchild was presiding on the bench. Sometimes this particular judge’s decisions were not always as fair as her name may lead one to believe. But over the last few years, she and Yarni had developed a somewhat decent working rapport. After watching the judge rule in more than a hundred cases, Yarni was familiar with her tactics. She felt even better after seeing that Judge Fairchild was in a decent mood.
    “Who do we have next?” she asked her court clerk, who had a head of white hair and a long pointed nose holding a pair of huge glasses.
    “Tangaleena Londers versus the State of Virginia,” the clerk announced. “She’s charged with assault and possession of a firearm.” Just as the clerk finished speaking, Yarni took her place at the defense table, waiting for her client to be brought into the courtroom. The deputy ushered the inmate from the back, wearing the traditional city