Due Process (Joe Dillard #9)(49)

“So we’re looking at aggravated assault, shooting into an occupied dwelling, misdemeanor vandalism, and a hate crime enhancement at sentencing because of the cross,” Leon said. “Deputy Littleton told me you heard one of them yell out ‘nigger lover.’ That right?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Just more evidence for the hate crime enhancement. No idea how many there were?”

“No, but my guess would be three or four. They had to get the hole dug, put the cross in it, douse it with some kind of accelerant, and ignite it. Then there was the trigger man who started blasting away with the assault rifle.”

“Say you think it was a diesel pick-up?”

“I’m sure of it. The sound is as distinctive as that AK-47.”

“We’ll be checking all the security cameras at businesses within a few miles of here. We might get lucky. It happened around three-thirty?”

“Rio woke me up at three-thirty-two. I looked at the clock. They were gone less than ten minutes later.”

“Not much traffic on the roads around here that time of night,” Leon said. “I hope a diesel truck shows up on a camera close by.”

“This thing is getting out of control, Leon,” I said. “I was afraid it would. Did you know my client is staying here?”

“No. I didn’t. Why in the world would you take that kind of risk?”

“I just thought it would be best. I thought he’d be safer here than in Collierville with his parents or just out on his own. I thought I could protect him. I guess I was wrong.”

“He’s still alive,” Leon said. “You think whoever did this knew he was here?”

“I have no idea. They might have just been going after his lawyer. Maybe they didn’t know that was his car. It doesn’t matter, though. I’m getting him out of here. I’ll talk to his parents and find him a safer place.”

“Might be hard,” Leon said. “There’s witness protection, but I’ve never heard of defendant protection. After last night, you best find a cave to hide him in.”

“I’ll do the best I can. Did you ever talk to Erlene about the girl making the rape allegations?”

“I tried, brother Dillard, I swear I did. I went to her house. She was cold to me, rude even. She wouldn’t even let me in the door. Never treated me like that before. Not once.”

“But you asked her about the girl?”

“Oh, yeah, I asked her all right. And as soon as I did, fire started coming out of her eyes. She said she hoped the girl took the university for every dime it had. What was strange was that she didn’t mention the boys who are charged with committing the crime. She didn’t say, ‘I hope those boys rot in prison,’ or anything like that. She just rattled on about what a bunch of lowlifes the people that run the university are and that they deserve to pay. I got the distinct impression she’d had a run-in with them before.”

“I’m going to take another shot at her,” I said. “She knows something. She might even be behind this whole thing.”

“Why would Erlene orchestrate a false rape claim against three black players?” Leon asked. “Doesn’t make a bit of sense.”

“When it comes to Erlene, you just never know what’s going through that devious mind of hers. No offense. I know you care about her.”

“None taken,” he said. “And I don’t care about her all that much anymore. The shine just sort of wore off her. Besides, I keep getting reports that she’s moving more and more coke out of that hole she calls a business. I’m probably going to wind up stinging her.”

“Why don’t you do it now?” I said. “It could give you some leverage in trying to unravel what really happened at that party.”

Leon paused and sipped his coffee. He set the cup back down on the table and said, “That party ain’t my case, brother Dillard.”

“Maybe not, but what did or didn’t happen at that party has now caused a bunch of ripple effects. One of those effects is that your good buddy Joe Dillard’s house was shot up. His life, his wife’s life, his client’s life and his dogs’ lives were all endangered, and somebody burned a damned cross in his yard. I was hoping that might piss you off enough to forget about jurisdictional squabbles.”

Leon picked the cup back up, drained it, and stood. He put his cowboy hat back on his head.

“You know what, brother Dillard? You’re right. When you put it that way, you’re absolutely right. It pisses me off beyond words, and I’m gonna get out there right now and start doing something about it.”





FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11

Kevin came walking into the kitchen around 8:00 a.m., looking haggard and worried.

“Breakfast?” I said. “I’m a good cook.”

“No thanks,” he said. “I don’t think I can eat right now.”

“You drink coffee?”

“Not much. I’d drink some orange juice if you have it.”

“In the fridge,” I said. “Help yourself.”

After Leon left, I’d gone into the bedroom and hung a bag of sodium chloride from an IV tower and hooked it up to Caroline’s PICC line. We’d decided we’d had enough of home health care nurses for the time being. I fixed her a peach and banana smoothie with an egg in it, just like I did three or four times a week. After that, I’d called Jack and talked to both him and Charlie and had told them what happened. Jack wanted to come out, but I said there wasn’t anything he could do. I wanted him to go the office. I was supposed to meet Stony at nine, and I asked Jack and Charlie to take that meeting for me and find out what she’d learned about Mike Armstrong. I also called Stony and told her I wouldn’t be at the meeting and asked her if she’d share what she’d learned with Jack and Charlie. She agreed.