Juror #3(39)

“How can that be?”

Suzanne ignored her. To her brother, she said, “Lee, get the best private investigator in the South. I can give you some leads.”

Mr. Greene nodded and squeezed his eyes shut.

Mrs. Greene leaned sideways in her seat and caught my eye. Making a vague gesture with her manicured hand, she said, “Ruby, do you really live here? In this old dime store?”

My spine stiffened. “Yes, ma’am, I do.”

Lee interjected, “Ruby’s lived in worse places.” He lifted the cigarette to his lips and took a pull, then exhaled a plume of smoke.

Lee’s father’s complexion was turning a dangerous scarlet shade. “Good God almighty, what does it matter where the girl lives? My family is in crisis, our good reputation in tatters.” He slammed his fist on the top of my desk, and I jerked in surprise. “Suzanne, what do you intend to do about this? How will you clear my boy’s name?”

Suzanne slapped a file onto Mr. Greene’s clenched fingers, and he hastily removed his hand from the desktop. When she spoke, her voice was stern.

“I’m going to do it one step at a time. This isn’t a magic act; it’s the legal profession. We’ll put one foot in front of the other.” She dropped her cigarette into my coffee mug. It was still burning. A white snake of smoke wafted out. “Now do I have your attention? Can we get back to a reasonable discussion?”

No one spoke. Suzanne barreled on.

“Lee, have you been in touch with your firm in Jackson? Are they standing by you?”

“The law firm has suspended me. Indefinitely.” The hand holding his cigarette trembled.

“That won’t do. We’ll have to come up with something to occupy you. When we go to trial, we don’t want the DA to paint you as idle.”

I spoke up. “Maybe Lee could do pro bono work. Take cases for free.”

He snorted as Suzanne shook her head. “I think Legal Aid would be hesitant to take him on, considering the charge he’s facing.”

Lee’s mother clapped her hands like a child. “I know just the thing. Lee can spend his time at Big Brothers Big Sisters. We donate every year.”

Her husband grasped her hands and gently pushed them into her lap. “Honey, they won’t entrust a child to his care.”

The cigarette in Lee’s hand shook until he dropped it into the cup, but his expression was stony. “Daddy’s right, Mama. No one is seeking out my company. The only creature who’s glad to see me right now is old Georgie.”

I remembered Georgie well: he was Lee’s aged golden retriever, his longtime pet. During our courtship, I sometimes wondered whether Lee preferred Georgie’s company to mine.

But it gave me an idea. “Lee loves animals. Maybe he can work gratis at an animal shelter.”

Suzanne snapped her fingers. “Bingo! I’ll call the Humane Society in Barnes County.”

His father muttered, “My only son, working at the dog pound.” When Suzanne pinned him with a look, he cleared his throat and said, “Have you seen the medical reports?”

“The blood test is negative for drug use and only shows residual alcohol. But his system could have flushed the drugs out before we got him to a lab. So it doesn’t explain the memory loss.” She shook another cigarette out of the pack. “Lee, what was the name of the man you met with in Vicksburg that night? The one you had dinner with?”

“Cary Reynolds. An old frat brother. He wanted legal advice.”

Suzanne made a note with her free hand, while the other brandished a fresh Marlboro. “We’ll talk to this Reynolds fellow, see if he can fill in some of the blanks.”

Mrs. Greene spoke again. “If Lee doesn’t remember doing anything wrong, how can they put him in jail?”

Lee’s head dropped, and he heaved a sigh. He knew the answer, even if his mother didn’t.

Suzanne said, “Honey, if you think that’s a defense to murder, you’re wrong.”

Mrs. Greene gasped and covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Mr. Greene squeezed his wife’s hand and asked, “This trumped-up charge about a streetwalker overdosing on drugs—how serious can they be? What kind of penalty are we looking at, Suzanne?”

“Brother Lee, they’ve charged it as capital murder.”

“But—a dead prostitute, for God’s sake. What’s the maximum penalty?”

I lowered my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see the faces of Lee’s parents when Suzanne answered.

“Death.”





Chapter 35



THE OFFICE SMELLED smoky after the Greenes departed. I opened the windows over my sofa bed, hoping the fresh air would clear the lobby.

The effect was not immediate. I popped a nugget of nicotine gum and headed back to the courthouse, thinking I’d give the office a little time to air out.

I cruised past security and was surprised to see Thomas Lafayette sitting on a wooden bench in the courthouse lobby, reading a newspaper. I walked over to say hello, since I had time to kill.

“Hey, Lafayette. Is this the new annex for the DA’s office?”

He looked up from the paper and made a face. “My clerk came down with a stomach bug. Didn’t make it to the bathroom. They’re cleaning the carpet.” He turned a page of the paper. “I wouldn’t go in there for a while if I was you.”