more lightly. But this is your second offense here in
this district. If I were to have my clerk run your license
plate, would I find that you’d collected more tickets
elsewhere? Say in Raleigh?”
By the way his jaws clamped tight, I was pretty sure
I’d hit home.
“Those spaces aren’t there for the convenience of the
able-bodied. The State of North Carolina reserves them
for its citizens who are not as fortunate as you are, sir.
I find you guilty of this infraction and fine you the full
two-fifty plus court costs.”
“Court costs!” he yelped. “That’s outrageous! That’s
highway robbery! That’s—”
“That’s going to be a night in jail if you make me
hold you in contempt,” I warned him. “The bailiff will
show you where to pay.”
As he stomped out in one direction and Dr. Allred
serenely rolled out the other way, two middle-aged sis-
ters came forward to argue over a pair of diamond ear-
rings valued at about three hundred dollars. According
to the younger sister, their mother had given her the
earrings before she died. The older sister did not dis-
pute that their mother might have let her borrow them,
but that her mother’s will left them to her. When the
younger sister refused to give them up, the older one
had taken them from the other’s house, whereupon the
younger sister called the police and charged her with
theft. The earrings were nothing more than two small
91
MARGARET MARON
round diamonds set in simple gold prongs. Identical
earrings could be found in any discount jewelry store
in any mall in America, so I did the Solomon thing. I
threw out the larceny charge and awarded each sister
one earring. “Why don’t you two ladies go have lunch
together, buy a pair to match these and then think of
your mother whenever you wear them. I bet she’d be
horrified to think you’d let these two little rocks destroy
your relationship.”
I had hoped for sheepish looks and murmurs of rec-
onciliation. What I got were glares and snarls as they
both huffed off, still mad at each other and now mad at
me as well.
I sighed and adjourned for lunch.
As I went down the hallway to the office I was using
that week, I heard hearty laughter coming from within.
I pushed the door open and there sat Portland and Dr.
Allred munching on bowls of pasta salad. Portland im-
mediately pulled out a third disposable bowl and waved
a plastic fork. “She got one for you, too.”
