He was officially assigned my case, and I heard him mumble, “I didn’t go to law school to do pro bono work.” I cleared my throat, and he looked me in the eye for the first time. Even though I was handcuffed and chained, I held out my hand to shake his. “Would it make a difference if I told you I was innocent?” “Listen, all y’all always doing something and saying you’re innocent.” I dropped my hand. So that’s how it was going to be. I was pretty sure that when he said “all y’all,” he wasn’t talking about ex-cons or former coal miners or Geminis or even those accused of capital murder.
