The courtroom was so quiet I could hear the clerk’s pen.
Then Spencer’s lead attorney stood and said that his client wished to address the court.
Spencer stood.
He buttoned his jacket.
He looked at the judge, and then, because he could not help himself, at me.
“Your Honor, whatever my mother’s wishes, the fact remains that Mrs. Fenton cannot give my son the future he—”
“Mr. Langford.”
Judge Harwood did not raise her voice.
“Your mother gave him the future. In writing. Your ex-wife is holding it. And your son, who is eight, walked it through airport security in his coat pocket while you were checking your phone. I would not finish that sentence if I were you.”
He did not finish it.
“Primary physical custody to the mother,” she said. “Sole legal custody to the mother. Supervised visitation for the father, in this jurisdiction, pending the outcome of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s review. The father is to have no contact with the trustee regarding the trust. The father’s counsel will advise him that any further attempt to remove the minor from this state will be treated as what it is. Mrs. Fenton, your lease with Cedar Row Residential is a separate civil matter, but this court notes for the record that it has been reviewed and that the landlord is on notice.”
