Long-time court hawks know that the best time to pick up chicks is Thursday morning, because that’s when the temporary restraining orders are granted. They’re weak, and vulnerable, and easy prey for a man in a nice suit, with a sympathetic ear. If you wait until Friday, it’s too late. He’s been out of the house for at least a day, and she’s had a chance to think it over, started to miss him, and the window of opportunity is closed. But Thursday? Thursday’s open season.

At 11:00 am, Thursday morning, Eddie Wallace sat in the hallway of the Cheshire County Superior Court, watching the parade of human misery, waiting for a hearing that was scheduled for 10:20 a.m. Eddie was wearing his third-best suit, a black number that had seen better days but still looked pretty good, so long as you didn’t get too close. This wasn’t the suit for an appearance on the news, or the jury, but it had been a good long while since Eddie needed his finery. With Eddie, you could always tell how things were going by his wardrobe.