The Professor (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers #1)(97)

It will all be worth it, Jack thought, as he closed his eyes and waited to hear the magic words.



The word “No” was almost out of Tom’s mouth when a loud crashing sound broke through the silence, causing Tom to stop cold. Tom, Rick and everyone in the galley turned to look at the back of the courtroom, where the sound had rang out.

“Oh, my God,” Rick said.

A woman and two teenage boys stood just inside the double doors. The woman was dressed elegantly, wearing a black blouse over a crème-colored skirt.

“It’s her,” Rick said, his voice cracking with relief, as he walked towards the woman. Tom didn’t have to ask who “her” was. He turned back to the bench.

“Your honor, the plaintiff calls Ms Faith Bulyard.”





88


As the door slammed behind her, Faith just stood there a moment. Her entire body shook with nerves and exhaustion. She had not slept since her nap yesterday afternoon. Last night, after dinner in Little Italy, she had broken down and listened to her messages. Then she understood why Jack had called.

She knew exactly what she had to do. She would not live the rest of her life in fear of Jack Willistone. He was a bully, and you couldn’t negotiate with a bully and you couldn’t just ignore one. I have to fight back. And the only way to fight was to go to Henshaw. But, first, she had to tell her boys the truth.

It had been the hardest thing she had ever done, but she did it. After two hours of anguishing over what to say and how to say it, Faith told Junior and Danny everything. That their father was gay, that he had cheated on her with other men, and that he had probably killed himself because Jack Willistone threatened to reveal his sexuality. Now, Jack was threatening Faith with the same stuff, and it had to stop.

Both boys cried, but Junior’s sadness had turned to anger. It was as if he had aged a decade in fifteen minutes. “Nobody is ever going to threaten my momma,” Junior had said, hugging her as tightly as he ever had in his life.

Now, here they were, at the Henshaw County Courthouse, surrounded by hundreds of people, all of them staring at them.

Am I in the right place? Faith wondered. Why are there so many people here?

From the front of the courtroom, a young man walked hurriedly towards her. He wore a smile of relief, and Faith recognized him as the boy who came to her house.

“Ms Bulyard,” he said, grabbing her hand and shaking it. “Thanks so much for coming.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” she said. “It was all we could do just to get here.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, his eyes moving past Faith to the boys.

“These are my two sons. Buck, Jr. and Danny.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Rick Drake,” Rick said, shaking their hands.

“Are you ready?” he asked, turning back to Faith.

“Right now?” she asked, feeling her heartrate jump.

“Yes. You’re our last witness.” He looked her in the eye. “Are you ready to testify?”

Faith didn’t blink. “That’s why we came.”



Jack Willistone could not believe his eyes. He had sent this bitch to New York f*cking City. Why the hell would she come back? Behind Faith were two teenaged boys. Jack had never seen the younger one, but he recognized the older one right off. Buck Bulyard, Jr. Again, Jack couldn’t believe his eyes. What is this crazy bitch thinking?

Jack stood, wanting Faith to see him as she walked past. But she just stared straight ahead. He was helpless.

This cannot be happening.



Faith kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, walking tall with her boys at her heels. She knew Jack was somewhere, watching her, but she’d deal with him later. When she got to the front, two men rose from their seats and let Danny and Junior sit down. Then a tall, stately-looking man gestured towards the bench, and Faith stepped forward, seeing the Judge for the first time.

“Raise your right hand,” the Judge ordered, and Faith did so.

“Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Faith sucked in a deep breath. “I do.”



“Ms Bulyard,” Tom began, forcing himself to ignore the shooting pain in his groin. You can’t pull up lame, old man, he told himself. Not at the finish line. “On September 2, 2009, where were you employed?” Tom asked, looking at the jury, then to the back of the courtroom, where Powell Conrad and Bocephus Haynes stood side by side behind the members of the 1961 team. Powell and Bo had left their seats, so that Faith Bulyard’s sons could sit down. Tom wiped his forehead and met Bo’s eye, then glanced down to Billy Neighbors. Another flare of pain nearly brought Tom to his knees, but he steadied himself by grabbing the counsel table.

“The Ultron Gasoline Plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama,” Faith said.

Tom nodded, and cleared his throat, and another shooting pain sent his hand to his knees.

“Professor McMurtrie, are you all right?” Cutler asked.

Tom blinked several times, trying to gather himself. His legs shook and, for a minute, he thought he was going to fall. Feeling a hand on his arm, he looked up and saw Rick Drake’s blurry face.

“Professor? Do you want me to take over?” Rick asked, and the words came out contorted as if spoken through a piece of paper. Tom almost nodded. He almost said yes. Then, forcing his eyes to move, he again looked to the back of the courtroom.