For over 40 years, Fran Diana Mason has travelled the world as an administrative assistant/bookkeeper for small businesses. Now retired, she considers herself a "professional people watcher." "People," she says, "are much more interesting than birds." Her love of haunting courtrooms began when she overheard two lawyers on the subway recounting a tale of heartbreak they had experienced that day in Bail Court. Ms. Mason attended court the next day, notebook in hand, and was instantly addicted to the drama. When the courts slow down in the summer, Ms. Mason vacations in Spain with her 6-year-old...