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Jake thought a second "They could conceivably be paroled in thirteen years Seven for the rape, three for the kidnapping, and three for the aggravated assault That&039;s assues and sentenced to the ot a record"

"Yeah, but he&039;s not habitual unless he&039;s got two prior convictions"

"Thirteen years," Looney repeated, shaking his head

Jake stared through theThe square was coetables parked next to the sidewalk around the courthouse lawn, and the old fared the sates and hoods Watermelons from Florida were placed next to the dusty slick tires, and the far under the Vietnam monument, where they sat on benches and chewed Red Man and whittled while they caught up on the gossip They&039;re probably talking about the rape, Jake thought It was daylight now, and time for the office The deputies were finished with their food, and Jake excused hiht of driving home to check on Hanna

At three minutes before seven, he unlocked his office and turned on the lights

Carl Lee had difficulty sleeping on the couch in the waiting rooht, after the doctor warned that she looked bad She did Gwen had kissed the little bandaged face while Carl Lee stood at the foot of the bed, subdued,but stare blankly at the sure surrounded by machines, tubes, and nurses Gas later sedated and taken to her mother&039;s house in Clanton The boys went home with Gwen&039;s brother

The crowd had dispersed around one, leaving Carl Lee alone on the couch Ozzie brought coffee and doughnuts at two, and told Carl Lee all he knew about Cobb and Willard

Jake&039;s office was a two-story building in a row of two-story buildings overlooking the courthouse on the north side of the square, just down fro was built by the Wilbanks family back in the 1890s, back when they owned Ford County And there had been a Wilbanks practicing law in the building from the day it was built until 1979, the year of the disbarent Jake had sued for botching a claim for Tim Nunley, the mechanic down at the Chevrolet place To the as the bank with the s around the square were two-story brick except the banks The one next door had also been built by the Wilbankses and had just two floors, but the one on the southeast corner of the square had three floors, and the newest one, on the southwest corner, had four floors

Jake practiced alone, and had since 1979, the year of the disbarment He liked it that way, especially since there was no other lawyer in Clanton coood lawyers in town, butwith four floors Jake detested the Sullivan firm Every lawyer detested the Sullivan firht of the ant jerks Jake had everfarmers, the banks, the insurance companies, the railroads, everybody with money The other fourteen lawyers in the county picked up the scraps and represented people- living, breathing human souls, most of whom had very little money These were the "street lawyers"-those in the trenches helping people in trouble Jake was proud to be a street lawyer

His offices were huge He used only five of the ten roo Downstairs there was a reception rooe and junk room Upstairs, Jake had his vast office and another smaller office he referred to as the war room It had no s, no telephones, no distractions Three offices sat empty upstairs and tnstairs In years past these had been occupied by the prestigious Wilbanks fir before the disbarment Jake&039;s office upstairs, the office, was i, hardwood floors, huge fireplace, and three desks-his work desk, a small conference desk in one corner, and a rolltop desk in another corner under the portrait of William Faulkner The antique oak furniture had been there for almost a century, as had the books and shelves that covered one wall The view of the square and courthouse was i the French doors and walking onto a ston Street Jake had, without a doubt, the finest office in Clanton Even his bitter enemies in the Sullivan firm would concede that e, Jake paid the sum of four hundred dollars a month to his landlord and former boss, Lucien Wilbanks, who had been disbarred in 1979

For decades the Wilbanks family ruled Ford County They were proud, wealthy people, pro, politics, and especially law All the Wilbanks ue schools They founded banks, churches, schools, and several served in public office The firm of Wilbanks & Wilbanks had been the ious in north Mississippi for many years

Then caeneration There was a sister and some nieces, but they were expected only to s were expected of Lucien as a child, but by the third grade it was evident he would be a different Wilbanks He inherited the law firm in 1965 when his father and uncle were killed in a plane crash Although he was forty, he had just recently, several months prior to their deaths,-completed his study of the law by correspondence courses Somehow he passed the bar exa Big clients, like insurance companies, banks, and farmers, all left and went to the newly established Sullivan firm Sullivan had been a junior partner in the Wilbanks firm until Lucien fired him and evicted him, after which he left with the other junior partners and most of the clients Then Lucien fired everyone else-associates, secretaries, clerks-everyone but Ethel Twitty, his late father&039;s favorite secretary

Ethel and John Wilbanks had been very close through the years In fact she had a younger son who greatly resembled Lucien The poor fellow spent most of his tily referred to him as his retarded brother After the plane crash, the retarded brother appeared in Clanton and started telling folks he was the illegitimate son of John Wilbanks Ethel was humiliated, but couldn&039;t control him Clanton seethed with scandal A lawsuit was filed by the Sullivan fir a portion of the estate Lucien was furious A trial ensued, and Lucien vigorously defended his honor and pride and faorously defended his father&039;s estate, all of which had been left to Lucien and his sister At trial the jury noted the striking resemblance between Lucien and Ethel&039;s son, as several years younger The retarded brother was strategically seated as close as possible to Lucien The Sullivan lawyers instructed hi just like Lucien They even dressed him like Lucien Ethel and her husband denied the boy was any kin to the Wilbanks, but the jury felt otherwise He was found to be an heir of John Wilbanks, and arded one third of the estate Lucien cursed the jury, slapped the poor boy, and was carried screa from the courtroom and taken to jail The jury&039;s decision was reversed and disation if Ethel ever changed her story Thus, Ethel Twitty remained with the Wilbanks firrated He never intended to practice law like his ancestors He wanted to be a criminal lawyer, and the old firm&039;s clientele had become strictly corporate He wanted the rapes, the ly cases no one else wanted He wanted to be a civil rights lawyer and litigate civil liberties Butradical of a laith unpopular cases and causes, and lots of attention

He grew a beard, divorced his wife, renounced his church, sold his share of the country club, joined the NAACP and ACLU, resigned froe of Clanton He sued the schools because of segregation, the governor because of the prison, the city because it refused to pave streets in the black section, the bank because there were no black tellers, the state because of capital punishanized labor He fought and won many criminal cases, and not just in Ford County His reputation spread, and a large following developed a blacks, poor whites, and the few unions in north Mississippi He stuful death cases There were some nice settlements The firm, he and Ethel, was more profitable than ever Lucien did not need the ht about it Ethel did the counting

The law became his life With no family, he became a workaholic Fifteen hours a day, seven days a week, Lucien practiced laith a passion He had no other interests, except alcohol In the late sixties he noticed an affinity for Jack Daniel&039;s By the early seventies he was a drunk, and when he hired Jake in 1978 he was a full-fledged alcoholic But he never let booze interfere with his work; he learned to drink and work at the saerous lawyer in that condition Bold and abrasive by nature, he was downright frightening when he was drinking At trial he would ee, abuse the witnesses, then apologize to the jury He respected no one and could not be inti People" walked lightly around Lucien He knew it and loved it He became more and more eccentric The more he drank, the crazier he acted, then people talked about him even more, so he drank even more

Between 1966 and 1978 Lucien hired and disposed of eleven associates He hired blacks, Jews, Hispanics, women, and not one kept the pace he de and berating the young lawyers Some quit the first month One lasted two years It was difficult to accept Lucien&039;s craziness He had the money to be eccentric-his associates did not

He hired Jake in 1978 fresh from law school Jake was frohteen miles west of Clanton He was clean-cut, conservative, a devout Presbyterian with a pretty anted babies Lucien hired him to see if he could corrupt hi reservations because he had no other offers close to home

A year later Lucien was disbarred It was a tragedy for those very feho liked him The small union at the shoe factory north of town had called a strike It was a union Lucien had organized and represented The factory began hiring neorkers to replace the strikers, and violence followed Lucien appeared on the picket line to rally his people He was drunker than norroup of scabs attempted to cross the line and a brawl erupted Lucien led the charge, was arrested and jailed He was convicted in city court of assault and battery and disorderly conduct He appealed and lost, appealed and lost

The State Bar Association had groeary of Lucien over the years No other attorney in the state had received as many complaints as had Lucien Wilbanks Private reprimands, public reprimands, and suspensions had all been used, all to no avail The Complaints Tribunal and Disciplinary Coeous conduct unbeco a member of the bar He appealed and lost, appealed and lost

He was devastated Jake was in Lucien&039;s office, the big office upstairs, ord came from Jackson that the Supre up the phone and walked to the doors overlooking the square Jake watched hi He walked slowly down the stairs, stopped and stared at Ethel, as crying, and then looked at Jake He opened the door and said, "Take care of this place I&039;ll see you later"

They ran to the frontand watched hied old Porsche For several ently on Lucien&039;s cases while Ethel kept the office from chaos Some of the cases were settled, some left for other lawyers, some went to trial

Sixday in court and found Lucien asleep on the Persian rug in the big office "Lucien! Are you all right?" he asked

Lucien ju leather chair behind the desk He was sober, tanned, relaxed

"Jake, my boy, how are you?" he asked warmly

"Fine, just fine Where have you been?"

"Cay what?"

"Drinking ruirls"

"Sounds like fun Why did you leave?"

"It got boring"

Jake sat across the desk "It&039;s good to see you, Lucien"

"Good to see you, Jake How are things around here?"

"Hectic But okay, I guess"

"Did you settle Medley?"

"Yeah They paid eighty thousand"

"That&039;s very good Was he happy?"

"Yes, seeo to trial?"

Jake looked at the floor "No, he hired Fredrix I think it&039;s set for trial next month"

"I should&039;ve talked to hiuilty, isn&039;t he?"

"Yes, very It doesn&039;t uilty Reazed at the courthouse "What are your plans, Jake?"

"I&039;d like to stay here What are your plans?"

"You&039;re a good man, Jake, and I want you to stay Me, I don&039;t know I thought aboutto the Caribbean, but I won&039;t It&039;s a nice place to visit, but it gets old I have no plans really I may travel Spend some reed Lucien turned and waved his arms around the room "I want you to have all this, Jake I want you to stay here and keep so Move into this office; use this desk that inia after the Civil War Keep the files, cases, clients, books, everything"

"That&039;s very generous, Lucien"

"Most of the clients will disappear No reflection on you -you&039;ll be a great lawyer someday But most of my clients have followed me for years"

Jake didn&039;t want most of his clients "How about rent?"

"Pay ht at first, but you&039;ll make it I don&039;t needvery kind"

"I&039;hed aardly

Jake quit s "What about Ethel?"

"It&039;s up to you She&039;s a good secretary who&039;s forgotten more law than you&039;ll ever know I know you don&039;t like her, but she would be hard to replace Fire her if you want to I don&039;t care"

Lucien headed for the door "Call me if you need me I&039;ll be around I want you to randfather&039;s Put my junk in some boxes, and I&039;ll pick it up later"

Cobb and Willard aith throbbing heads and red, swollen eyes Ozzie was yelling at theh the bars to the right was a cell where the state prisoners were held awaiting the trip to Parchlared at the thite boys as they struggled to clear their eyes To the left was a smaller cell, also full of blacks Wake up, Ozzie yelled, and stay quiet, or he would integrate his jail

Jake&039;s quiet tiht-thirty He was jealous with this tinored the phone, and refused to ht-thirty he would have enough work dictated to keep Ethel busy and quiet until noon By nine he was either in court or seeing clients He would not take calls until eleven, when he es-all of the a phone call-another rule Jake worked systematically and efficiently with little wasted time These habits he had not learned froht-thirty Ethel made her usual noisy entrance downstairs She made fresh coffee and opened the mail as she had every day for the past forty-one years She was sixty-four and looked fifty She was plump, but not fat, well kept, but not attractive She choht from home and read Jake&039;sto another woman He checked his appointance," Ethel announced through the interco, Ethel" She preferred to be called Mrs

Twitty Lucien and everyone else called her that But Jake had called her Ethel since he had fired her shortly after the disbarment

"There&039;s a lady here to see you"

"She doesn&039;t have an appointment"

"Yes, sir, I know"

"Make one for to after ten-thirty I&039;m busy now"

"Yes, sir But she says it&039;s urgent"

"Who is it?" he snapped It was always urgent when they dropped in unannounced, like dropping by a funeral hoent question about Uncle Luke&039;s will or the case set for trial in three months

"A Mrs Willard," Ethel replied

"First name?"

"Earnestine Willard You don&039;t know her, but her son&039;s in jail"

Jake saw his appointments on time, but drop-ins were another matter Ethel either ran theance was very busy, she would explain, but he could work you in day after tomorrow This impressed people

"Tell her I&039;m not interested"

"But she says she must find a lawyer Her son has to be in court at one this afternoon"

"Tell her to see Drew Jack Tyndale, the public defender He&039;s good and he&039;s free"

Ethel relayed the ance, she wants to hire you Someone told her you&039;re the best criminal lawyer in the county" The amusement was obvious in Ethel&039;s voice

"Tell her that&039;s true, but I&039;m not interested"

Ozzie handcuffed Willard and led him down the hall to his office in the front section of the Ford County jail He removed the handcuffs and seated him in a wooden chair in the center of the cra chair across the desk and looked down at the defendant

"Mr Willard, this here is Lieutenant Griffin with the

Mississippi Highway Patrol Over here is Investigator Rady with my office, and this here is Deputy Looney and Deputy Prather, whoht but I doubt if you remember it I&039;m Sheriff Walls"

Willard jerked his head fearfully to look at each one He was surrounded The door was shut Two tape recorders sat side by side near the edge of the sheriffs desk

"We&039;d like to ask you some questions, okay?"

"I don&039;t know"

"Before I start, I wanna hts First of all, you have the right to remain silent Understand?"

"Uh huh"

"You don&039;t have to talk if you don&039;t want to, but if you do, anything you say can and will be used against you in court Understand?"

"Uh huh"

"Can you read and write?"

"Yeah"

"Good, then read this and sign it It says you&039;ve been advised of your rights"

Willard signed Ozzie pushed the red button on one of the tape recorders

"You understand this tape recorder is on?"

"Uh huh"

"And it&039;s Wednesday, May 15, at eight forty-three in the mornin&039;"

"If you say so"

"What&039;s your full name?"

"James Louis Willard"

"Nickname?"

"Pete Pete Willard"

"Address?"

"Route 6, Box 14, Lake Village, Mississippi"

"What road?"

"Bethel Road"

"Who do you live with?"

"My momma, Earnestine Willard I&039;m divorced"

"You know Billy Ray Cobb?"

Willard hesitated and noticed his feet His boots were back in the cell His white socks were dirty and did not hide his two big toes Safe question, he thought

"Yeah, I know him"

"Was you with him yesterday?"

"Uh huh"

"Where were y&039;all?"

"Down at the lake"

"What time did you leave?"

" &039;Bout three"

"What were you drivin&039;?"

"I wasn&039;t"

"What were you ridin&039; in?"

Hesitation He studied his toes "I don&039;t think I wanna talk no more"

Ozzie pushed another button and the recorder stopped He breathed deeply at Willard "You ever been to Parchman?"

Willard shook his head