John Grisham 25 страница

The kitchen was covered with food, and the guest of honor was seated in his usual chair at the head of the table with his wife and children seated around him. Reverend Agee returned thanks with a short prayer of hope and home-coming. A hundred friends waited on the family. Ozzie and Hastings filled their plates and retreated to the front porch, where they swatted mosquitoes and planned strategy for the trial. Ozzie was deeply concerned about Carl Lee's safety while they moved him from the jail to court and back each day. The defendant himself had proven clearly that such journeys are not always safe.

After supper the crowd spilled out into the front yard. The children played while the adults stayed on the porch, as close as possible to Carl Lee. He was their hero, the most famous man most of them would ever see, and they knew him personally. To his people he was on trial for one reason only. Sure he killed those boys, but that wasn't the issue. If he was white, he would receive civic awards for what he did. They would half-heartedly prosecute him, but with a white jury the trial would be a joke. Carl Lee was on trial because he was black. And if they convicted him, it would be because he was black. No other reason. They believed that. They

listened carefully as he talked about the trial. He wanted their prayers and support, and wanted them all to be there and watch it and to protect his family.

They sat for hours in the sweltering humidity; Carl Lee and Gwen in the swing rocking slowly, surrounded by admirers all wanting to be near this great man. When they began to leave they all embraced him and promised to be there Monday. They wondered if they would see him again sitting on his front porch.

At midnight Ozzie said it was time to go. Carl Lee hugged Gwen and the kids one last time, then took his seat in Ozzie's car.

Bud Twitty died during the night. The dispatcher called Nes-bit, who told Jake. He made a note to send flowers.

Sunday. One day before trial. Jake awoke at 5: 00 A. M. with a knot in his stomach that he attributed to the trial, and a headache that he attributed to the trial and a late Saturday night session on Lu-cien's porch with his law clerk and former boss. Ellen had decided to sleep in a guest room at Lucien's, so Jake spent the night on his couch in the office.

He lay on the couch and heard voices from the street below. He staggered in the dark to the balcony, and stopped in amazement at the scene around the courthouse. D-Day! The war was on! Patton had arrived! The streets around the square were lined with transport trucks, jeeps, and soldiers busy running here and there in an effort to get organized and look military. Radios squawked, and potbellied commanders yelled to their men to hurry and get organized. A command post was set up near the gazebo on the front lawn. Three squads of soldiers hammered on stakes and pulled ropes and strung up three enormous canvas camouflage pavilions. Barricades were set up on the four corners of the square, and sentries took their positions. They smoked cigarettes and leaned on the street lights.

Nesbit sat on the trunk of his car and watched the fortifying of downtown Clanton. He chatted with a few of the guardsmen. Jake made coffee and took him a cup. He was awake now, safe and secure, and Nesbit could go home and rest until dark. Jake returned to the balcony and watched the activity until dawn. Once the troops were unloaded, the transport trucks were moved to the National Guard armory north of town, where the men would sleep. He estimated their number at two hundred. They piddled around the courthouse and walked in small groups around the square, looking in shops, waiting for daylight and the hope of some excitement.

Noose would be furious. How dare they call the National Guard without asking him. It was his trial. The mayor had mentioned this, and Jake had explained that it was the

mayors responsiomiy 10 Keep laniun saie, iiui me iriai judge's. Ozzie concurred, and Noose was not called.

The sheriff and Moss Junior latum arrived and met with the colonel in the gazebo. They walked around the courthouse, inspecting troops and pavilions. Ozzie pointed in various directions and the colonel seemed to agree with whatever he wanted. Moss Junior unlocked the' courthouse so the troops would have drinking water and toilet facilities. It was after nine before the first of the vultures stumbled onto the occupation of downtown Clanton. Within an hour they were running everywhere with cameras and microphones gathering important words from a sergeant or a corporal.

" What is your name, sir? "

" Sergeant Drumwright. "

" Where are you from? "

" Booneville. "

" Where's that? "

" 'Bout a hundred miles from here. "

" Why are you here? "

" Governor called us. "

" Why did he call you? "

" Keep things under control. "

" Are you expecting trouble? "

" No. "

" How long will you be here? "

" Don't know. "

" Will you be here until the trial's over? "

" Don't know. "

" Who knows? "

" The governor, I reckon. "

And so on.

Word of the invasion spread quickly through the quiet Sunday morning, and after church the townfolk streamed to the square to verify for themselves that the army had indeed captured the courthouse. The sentries removed the barricades and allowed the curious to drive around their square and gawk at the real live soldiers with their rifles and jeeps. Jake sat on the balcony, drinking coffee and memorizing the notecards of his jurors.

He called Carla and explained that the National Guard

had been deployed, but he was still sate, in tact, ne naa never felt so safe. As he talked to her, he explained, there were hundreds of heavily armed army militiamen across Washington Street just waiting to protect him. Yes, he still had his bodyguard. Yes, the house was still standing. He doubted if the death of Bud Twitty had been reported yet, so he did not tell her. Maybe she would not hear of it. They were going fishing on her father's boat, and Hanna wanted her daddy to go. He said goodbye, and missed the two women in his life more than ever.

Ellen Roark unlocked the rear door of the office and placed a small grocery sack on the table in the kitchen. She pulled a file out of her briefcase and began looking for her boss. He was on the balcony, staring at notecards and watching the courthouse. " Evenin', Row Ark. "

" Good evening, boss. " She handed him a brief an inch thick. " It's the research you requested on the admissibility of the rape. It's a tough issue, and it got involved. I apologize for the size of it. "

It was as neat as her other briefs, complete with a table of contents, bibliography, and numbered pages. He flipped through it. " Damn, Row Ark, I didn't ask for a textbook. "

" I know you're intimidated by scholarly work, so I made a conscious effort to use words with fewer than three syllables. "

" My, aren't we frisky today. Could you summarize this in a dissertation of, say, thirty pages or so? "

" Look, it's a thorough study of the law by a gifted law student with a remarkable ability to think and write clearly. It's a work of genius, and it's yours, and it's absolutely free. So quit bitching. "

" Yes, ma'am. Does your head hurt? "

" Yes. It's been aching since I woke up this morning. I've typed on that brief for ten hours, and I need a drink. Do you have a blender? "

" A what? "

" Blender. It's a new invention we have up North. They're kitchen appliances. "

. " There's one in the shelves next to the microwave. "

she disappeared. It was almost dark, and the traffic had thinned around the square as the Sunday drivers had grown bored with the sight of soldiers guarding their courthouse. After twelve hours of suffocating heat and foglike humidity in downtown Clanton, the troops were weary and homesick. They sat under trees and on folding canvas chairs, and cursed the governor. As it grew darker, they strung wires from inside the courthouse and hung floodlights around -the pavilions. By the post office a carload of blacks arrived with lawn chairs and candles to start the nightly vigil. They began pacing the sidewalk along Jackson Street under the suddenly aroused stares of two hundred heavily armed guardsmen. The lead walker was Miss Rosia Alfie Gatewood, a two-hundred-pound widow who had raised eleven children and sent nine to college. She was the first black known to have sipped cold water from the public fountain on the square and live to tell about it. She glared at the soldiers. They did not speak.

Ellen returned with two Boston College beer mugs filled with a pale green liquid. She sat them on the table and pulled up a chair.

" What's that? "

" Drink it. It'll help you relax. "

" I'll drink it. But I'd like to know what it is. "

" Margaritas. "

Jake studied the top of his mug. " Where's the salt? "

" I don't like salt on mine. "

" Well, I don't either then. Why margaritas? "

" Why not? "

Jake closed his eyes and took a long drink. And then another. " Row Ark, you are a talented woman. "

" Gofer. "

He took another long drink. " I haven't had a margarita in eight years. "

" I'm very sorry. " Her twenty-ounce mug was half empty.

" What kind of rum? "

" I would call you a dumbass if you weren't my boss. "

" Thank you. "

" It's not rum. It's tequila, with lime juice and Coin-treau. I thought every law student knew that. "

" How can you ever forgive me? I'm sure I knew it when I was a law student. " •

She gazed around the square.

" This is incredible! It looks like a war zone. "

Jake drained his glass. and licked his lips. Under the pavilions they played cards and laughed. Others sought'refuge from the mosquitoes in the courthouse. The candles turned the corner and made a pass down Washington Street.

" Yes, " Jake said with a smile. " It's beautiful, isn't it? Think of our fair and impartial jurors as they arrive in the morning and are confronted with that. I'll renew my motion for a change of venue. It'll be denied. I'll ask for a mistrial, and Noose will say no. And then I'll make sure the court reporter records the fact that this trial is being conducted in the middle of a three-ring circus. "

" Why are they here? "

" The sheriff and the mayor called the governor, and convinced him the National Guard was needed to preserve peace in Ford County. They told him our hospital is not large enough for this trial. "

" Where are they from? "

" Booneville and Columbus. I counted two hundred and twenty around lunch. "

" They've been here all day? "

" They woke me at five this morning. I've followed their movements all day. They were pinned down a couple of times, but reinforcements arrived. A few minutes ago they met the enemy when Miss Gatewood and her friends arrived with their candles. She stared them down, so now they're playing cards. "

Ellen finished her drink and left for more. Jake picked up the stack of notecards for the hundredth time and flashed them on the table. Name, age, occupation, family, race, education-he had read and repeated the information since early morning. Round Two arrived with haste, and she took the cards.

" Correen Hagan, " she said, sipping.

He thought a second. " Age, about fifty-five. Secretary for an insurance agent. Divorced, two grown children. Education, probably high school, no more. Native of Florida, for what that's worth. "

" Rating? "

" I think I gave her a six. "

" Very good. Millard Sills. "

" Owns a pecan orchard near Mays. About seventy years old. His nephew was shot in the head by two blacks during a robbery in Little Rock several years ago. Hates blacks. He will not be on the jury. "

" Rating? "

" Zero, I believe. "

" Clay Bailey. "

" Age, about thirty. Six kids. Devout Pentecostal. Works at the furniture plant west of town. "

" You've given him a ten. "

" Yeah. I'm sure he's read that part in the Bible about an eye for an eye, etc. Plus, out of six kids, I'd think at least two would be daughters. "

" Do you have all of them memorized? "

He nodded and took a drink. " I feel like I've known them for years. "

" How many will you recognize? "

" Very few. But I'll know more about them than Buck-ley. "

" I'm impressed. "

" What! What did you say! I have impressed you with my intellect! "

" Among other things. "

" I feel so honored. I've impressed a genius in criminal law. The daughter of Sheldon Roark, whoever he is. A real live summa cum laude. Wait'111 tell Harry Rex. "

" Where is that elephant? I miss him. I think he's cute. "

" Go call him. Ask him to join us for a patio party as we watch the troops prepare for the Third Battle of Bull Run. "

She headed for the phone on Jake's desk. " What about Lucien? "

" No! I'm tired of Lucien. "

Harry Rex brought a fifth of tequila he found somewhere deep in his liquor cabinet. He and the law clerk argued violently over the proper ingredients of a good margarita. Jake voted with his clerk.

They sat on the balcony, calling names from index cards, drinking the tangy concoction, yelling at the soldiers, and singing Jimmy Buffet songs. At midnight, Nesbit loaded Ellen in his patrol car and took her to Lucien's. Harry Rex walked home. Jake slept on the couch.

Monday, July 22. Not long after the last margarita Jake bolted from the couch and stared at the clock on his desk. He had slept for three hours. A swarm of wild butterflies fought violently in his stomach. A nervous pain shot through his groin. He had no time for a hangover.

Nesbit slept like an infant behind the wheel. Jake roused him and jumped in the back seat. He waved at the sentries, who watched curiously from across the street. Nesbit drove two blocks to Adams, released his passenger, and waited in the driveway as instructed. He showered and shaved quickly. He chose a charcoal worsted wool suit, a white pinpoint button-down, and a very neutral, noncontro-versial, expressionless burgundy silk tie with a few narrow navy stripes for good measure. The pleated pants hung perfectly from his trim waist. He looked great, much more stylish than the enemy.

Nesbit was asleep again when Jake released the dog and jumped in the back seat.

" Everything okay in there? " Nesbit asked, wiping the saliva from his chin.

" I didn't find any dynamite, if that's what you mean. "

Nesbit laughed at this, with the same irritating, laughing response he made to almost everything. They circled the square and Jake got out in front of his office. Thirty minutes after he left, he turned on the front lights and made the coffee.

He took four aspirin and drank a quart of grapefruit juice. His eyes burned and his head ached from abuse and fatigue, and the tiring part had not yet begun. On the conference table he spread out his file on Carl Lee Hailey. It had been organized and indexed by his law clerk, but he wanted to break it down and put it back together. If a document or case can't be found in thirty seconds, it's no good. He smiled at Jier talent for organization. She had files and sub-files on everything, all ten seconds away at a fingertip. In a one-inch, three-ring notebook she had a summary of Dr. Bass's qualifi-

cations and the outline of his testimony. She had made notes on anticipated objections from Buckley, and provided case authority to fight his objections. Jake took great pride in his trial preparation, but it was humbling to learn from a third-year law student.

He repacked the file in his trial briefcase, the heavy black leather one with his initials in gold on the side. Nature called, and he sat on the toilet flipping through the index cards. He knew them all. He was ready.

A few minutes after five, Harry Rex knocked on the door. It was dark and he looked like a burglar.

" Whatta you doing up so early? " Jake asked.

" I couldn't sleep. I'm kinda nervous. " He thrust forward a loaded paper sack with grease spots. " Dell sent these over. They're fresh and hot. Sausage biscuits, bacon and cheese biscuits, chicken and cheese biscuits, you name it. She's worried about you. "

" Thanks, Harry Rex, but I'm not hungry. My system is in revolt. "

" Nervous? "

" As a whore in church. "

" You look pretty haggard. "

" Thanks. "

" Nice suit though. "

" Carla picked it out. "

Harry Rex reached into the sack and produced a handful of biscuits wrapped in foil. He piled them on the conference table and fixed his coffee. Jake sat across from him and flipped through Ellen's brief on M'Naghten.

" She write that? " Harry Rex asked with both cheeks full and his jaws grinding rapidly.

" Yeah, it's a seventy-five-page summary of the insanity defense in Mississippi. It took her three days. "

" She seems very bright. "

" She's got the brains, and she writes fluidly. The intellect is there, but she has trouble applying what she knows to the real world. "

" Whatta you know about her? " Crumbs fell from his mouth and bounced on the table. He brushed them onto the floor with a sleeve.

" She's solid. Number two in her class at Ole Miss. I

called Nelson Battles, Assistant Dean of the Law School, and she checked out fine. She has a good chance of finishing number one. "

" I finished ninety-third outta ninety-eight. I would've finished ninety-second but they caught me cheating on an exam. I started to protest, but I figured ninety-third was just as good. Hell, I figured, who cares in Clanton. These people were just glad I came back here to practice when I graduated instead of going to Wall Street or some pjace like that. "

Jake smiled at the story he had heard a hundred times.

Harry Rex unwrapped a chicken and cheese biscuit. " You look nervous, buddy. "

" I'm okay. The first day is always the hardest. The preparation has been done. I'm ready.. It's just a matter of waiting now. "

" What time does Row Ark make her entrance? "

" I don't know. "

" Lord, I wonder what she'll wear. "

" Or not wear. I just hope she's decent. You know what a prude Noose is. "

" You're not gonna let her sit at counsel table are you? "

" I don't think so. She'll stay in the background, sort of like you. She might offend some of the women jurors. "

" Yeah, keep her there, but outta sight. "

Harry Rex wiped his mouth with a huge paw. " You sleeping with her? "

" No! I'm not crazy, Harry Rex. "

" You're crazy if you don't. That woman could be had. "

" Then have her. I've got enough on my mind. "

" She thinks I'm cute, don't she? "

" She says she does. "

" I think I'll give it a shot, " he said with a straight face, then he smiled, then he burst into laughter with crumbs spraying the bookshelves.

The phone rang. Jake shook his head, and Harry Rex picked up the receiver. " He's not here, but I'll be glad to give him the message. " He winked at Jake. " Yes sir, yes sir, uh huh, yes sir. It's a terrible thing, ain't it. Can you believe a man would do it? Yes sir, yes sir, I agree one hundred percent. Yes sir, and what's your name, sir? Sir? " Harry Rex smiled at the receiver and laid it down.

" What'd he want? "

" Said you was a shame to the white race for being that nigger's lawyer, and that he didn't see how any lawyer could represent a nigger such as Hailey. And that he hoped the Klan got ahold of you, and if they didn't he hoped the bar association looked into it and took away your license for helping niggers. Said he knew you were no 'count because you were trained by Lucien Wilbanks who lives with a nigger woman. "

" And you agreed with him! "

" Why not? He was really sincere, not hateful, and he feels better now that it's off his chest. "

The phone rang again. Harry Rex snatched the receiver. " Jake Brigance, Attorney, Counselor, Consultant, Adviser, and Guru at Law. "

Jake left for the restroom. " Jake, it's a reporter! " Harry Rex yelled.

" I'm on the potty. "

" He's got the runs! " Harry Rex told the reporter.

At six-seven in Wilmington-Jake called Carla. She was awake, reading the paper, drinking coffee. He told her about Bud Twitty, and Mickey Mouse', and the promise of more violence. No, he wasn't afraid of that. It did not bother him. He was afraid of the jury, of the twelve who would be chosen, and their reaction to him and his client. His only fear, at the moment, was of what the jury might do to his client. Everything else was irrelevant. For the first time, she did not mention coming home. He promised to call that night.

When he hung up, he heard a commotion downstairs. Ellen had arrived, and Harry Rex was talking loudly. She's wearing a see-through blouse with a miniskirt, thought Jake as he walked downstairs. She was not. Harry Rex was congratulating her on dressing like a Southern woman with all the accessories. She was wearing a gray glen plaid suit with a V-necked jacket and short slim skirt. The silk blouse was black, and apparently the necessary garment was underneath. Her hair was pulled back and braided in some fashion. Incredibly, traces of mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick were visible. In the words of Harry Rex, she looked as much like a lawyer as a woman could look.

" Thanks, Harry Rex, " she said. " I wish I had your taste in clothes. "

" You look nice, Row Ark, " Jake said.

" So do you, " she said. She looked at Harry Rex, but said nothing.

" Please forgive us, Row Ark, " Harry Rex said. " We're impressed because we had no idea you owned so many types of garments. We apologize for admiring you and we know how much this infuriates your little liberated heart. Yes, we're sexist pigs, but you chose to come to the South. And in the South we, as a rule, drool over well-dressed attractive females, liberated or not. "

" What's in the sack? " she said.

" Breakfast. "

She tore it open and unwrapped a sausage and biscuit. " No bagels? " she asked.

" What's that? " asked Harry Rex.

" Forget it. "

Jake rubbed his hands together and tried to sound enthusiastic. " Well, now that we've gathered here three hours before trial, what would y'all like to do? "

" Let's make some margaritas, " said Harry Rex.

" No! " said Jake.

" It'll take the edge off. "

" Not me, " said Ellen. " This is business. "

Harry Rex unwrapped a biscuit, the last of the sack. " What happens first today? "

" After the sun comes up, we start the trial. At nine, Noose will say a few words to the jurors and we start the selection process. "

" How long will it take? " asked Ellen.

" Two or three days. In Mississippi, we have the right to interrogate each juror individually in chambers. That takes time. "

" Where do I sit and what do I do? "

" She certainly sounds experienced, " Harry Rex said to Jake. " Does she know where the courthouse is? "

" You do not sit at counsel table, " said Jake. " Just me and Carl Lee. "

She wiped her mouth. " I see. Just you and the defen-

dant sitting alone, surrounded by the forces of evil, facing death alone. "

" Something like that. "

" My father uses that tactic occasionally. "

" I'm glad you approve. You'll sit behind me, next to the railing. I'll ask Noose to allow you into chambers for the private discussions. "

" What about me? " asked Harry Rex.

" Noose doesn't like you, Harry Rex. He never has. He'd have a stroke if I asked if you could go in chambers. It'd be best if you pretended we'd never met. "

" Thanks. "

" But we do appreciate your assistance, " Ellen said.

" Up yours, Ellie Mae. "

" And you can still drink with us, " she said.

" And furnish the tequila. "

" There will be no more alcohol in this office, " Jake said.

" Until the noon recess, " said Harry Rex.

" I want you to stand behind the clerk's table, just loiter about like you always do, and take notes on the jury. Try to match them with the notecards. There'll probably be a hundred and twenty. "

" Whatever you say. "

Daybreak brought the army out in force. The barricades were reinstalled, and on each corner of the square soldiers clustered around the orange and white barrels blocking the street. They were poised and anxious, watching every car intently, waiting for the enemy to attack, wanting some excitement. Things stirred a little when a few of the vultures in their compact wagons and minivans with fancy logos on the doors appeared at seven-thirty. The troops surrounded the vehicles and informed everyone there would be no parking around the courthouse during the trial. The vultures disappeared down the side streets, then moments later reappeared on foot with their bulky cameras and equipment. Some set up camp on the front steps of the courthouse, others by the back door, and another group in the rotunda outside the main door of the courtroom on the second floor.

Murphy, the janitor and only real eyewitness to the killings of Cobb and Willard, informed the press, as best he could, that the courtroom would be opened at eight, and not a minute before. A line formed and soon circled the rotunda.

The church buses parked somewhere off the square, and the marchers were led slowly down Jackson Street by the ministers. They carried FREE CARL LEE signs and sang " We Shall Overcome" in a perfect chorus. As they neared the square, the soldiers heard them and the radios began squawking. Ozzie and the colonel conferred quickly, and the soldiers relaxed. The marchers were led by Ozzie to a section of the front lawn where they milled about and waited under the watchful eyes of the Mississippi National Guard.

At eight, a metal detector was moved to the front doors of the courtroom, and a trio of heavily armed deputies began slowly searching and admitting the crowd of spectators that now filled the rotunda and trailed off into the halls. Inside the courtroom, Prather directed traffic, seating people on the long pews on one side of the aisle while reserving the other side for the jurors. The front pew was reserved for the family, and the second row was filled with courtroom artists who immediately began sketching the bench and the bar and the portraits of Confederate heroes.

The Klan felt obligated to make its presence known on opening day, especially to the prospective jurors as they arrived. Two dozen Kluxers in full parade dress walked quietly onto Washington Street. They were immediately stopped and surrounded by soldiers. The potbellied colonel swaggered across the street and for the first time in his life came face to face with a white-robed and white-hooded Ku Klux Klansman, who happened to be a foot taller. He then noticed the cameras, which had gravitated to this confrontation, and the bully in him vanished. His usual bark and growl was instantly replaced by a high-pitched, nervous, trembling stutter that was incomprehensible even to himself.

Ozzie arrived and saved him. " Good mornin', fellas, " he said coolly as he stepped beside the faltering colonel. " We've got you surrounded, and we've got you outnumbered. We also know we can't keep you from being here. "

" That's right, " said the leader.

" If you'll just follow me and do as I say, we won't have any trouble. "

They followed Ozzie and the colonel to a small area on the front lawn, where it was explained that this was their turf for the trial. Stay there and stay quiet, and the colonel would personally keep the troops off them. They agreed.

As expected, the sight of the white robes aroused the blacks who were some two hundred feet away. They began shouting: " Free Carl Lee! Free Carl Lee! Free Carl Lee! "