And he does, indeed, have a badge -- a badge he couldn't remove if he tried. It is the encircled silver star of the Texas Rangers. But "Texas Ranger" is not what is written upon it. The blazing letters of the script somehow elude the eye, yet burn their meaning directly into the brain of the viewer. And they allow for no doubt about their message to all beings of goodwill:
*AUTHORITY FIGURE*
*ALLY*
*PROTECTOR*
*DEFENDER*
*FRIEND*
Up to the point they brought in Father Cardenas, Joshua had been sitting back in his chair, trying not to think too hard about the grisly photos or the old lady sitting at the other end of the jury box. But when they brought in the priest, something deep within him changed. He had been raised Catholic, and even though he hadn't been in a church since Nicole's funeral, seeing a priest step to the witness stand and speak in Black's defense carried a lot of weight with him. But this, this was so much more. All thoughts went out of his head for a moment. He wasn't quite sure if he'd be able to think clearly about this case right now. And next they were going to have to decide the fate of Joe Black.