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The abandoned feed mill sat near the abandoned railroad tracks halfway down the tallest hill in Clanton, two blocks north and east of the square Beside it was a neglected asphalt and gravel street that ran downhill and intersected Cedar Street, after which it became much smoother and wider and continued doard until finally it tered into Quincy Street, the eastern boundary of the Clanton square
From his position inside an abandoned silo, the marksman had a clear but distant view of the rear of the courthouse He crouched in the darkness and ai, confident no one in the world could see him The whiskey helped the confidence, and the aim, which he practiced a thousand tiht, when he noticed activity around the nigger&039;s lawyer&039;s office
A comrade waited in a pickup hidden in a run-doarehouse next to the silo The engine was running and the driver chain-s sounds from the deer rifle
As the arton, the h the scope he could barely see the head of the nigger&039;s lawyer as it bobbed and weaved aardly areen, which was surrounded and chased by a dozen reporters Go ahead, the whiskey said, create so as best he could, and pulled the trigger as the target approached the rear door of the courthouse
The rifle shot was clear and unround rolling and the other half grabbed Jake and threw hiuish The reporters and
TV people crouched and stu to record the carnage The soldier clutched his throat and screaain Another shot Then another
"He&039;s hit!" someone yelled The soldiers scrambled on all fours across the driveway to the fallen one Jake escaped through the doors to the safety of the courthouse He fell onto the floor of the rear entrance and buried his head in his hands Ozzie stood next to hiunun behind the back seat, and disappeared with his comrade into the countryside They had a funeral to attend in south Mississippi
"He&039;s hit in the throat!" someone screamed as his buddies waded around the reporters They lifted hiot hit?" Jake asked without reuardsuess," he answered as he clasped his hands behind his head and stared at the floor "Where&039;s my briefcase?"
"It&039;s out there on the driveway We&039;ll get it in a min- ute" Ozzie removed his radio fro about all men to the courthouse
When it was apparent the shooting was over, Ozzie joined the mass of soldiers outside Nesbit stood next to Jake "You okay?" he asked
The colonel rounded the corner, yelling and swearing "What the hell happened?" he deot hit"
"Where is he?" the colonel said -
"Off to the hospital," a sergeant replied, pointing at a jeep flying away in the distance
"How bad is he?"
"Looked pretty bad Got him in the throat"
"Throat! Why did they move him?"
No one answered
"Did anybody see anything?" the colonel demanded
Sounded like it ca up past Cedar Street "Why don&039;t you send a jeep up there to look around"
"Good idea" The colonel addressed his eagerof terse commands, punctuated liberally with obscenities The soldiers scattered in all directions, guns drawn and ready for combat, in search of an assassin they could not identify, as, in fact, in the next county when the foot patrol began exploring the abandoned feed mill
Ozzie laid the briefcase on the floor next to Jake "Is Jake okay?" he whispered to Nesbit Harry Rex and Ellen stood on the stairs where Cobb and Willard had fallen
"I don&039;t know He ain&039;t moved in ten ht?" the sheriff asked
"Yes," he said sloithout opening his eyes The soldier had been on Jake&039;s left shoulder "This is kinda silly, ain&039;t it?" he had just said to Jake when a bullet ripped through his throat He fell into Jake, grabbing at his neck, gurgling blood and screa Jake fell, and was tossed to safety
"He&039;s dead, isn&039;t he?" Jake asked softly
"We don&039;t know yet," replied Ozzie "He&039;s at the hospital"
"He&039;s dead I know he&039;s dead I heard his neck pop"
Ozzie looked at Nesbit, then at Harry Rex Four or five coin-sized drops of blood were splattered on Jake&039;s light gray suit He hadn&039;t noticed them yet, but they were apparent to everyone else
"Jake, you&039;ve got blood on your suit," Ozzie finally said "Let&039;s go back to your office so you can change clothes"
"Why is that important?" Jake mumbled to the floor They stared at each other
Dell and the others from the Coffee Shop stood on the sidewalk and watched as they led Jake fronoring the absurdities thrown by the reporters Harry Rex locked the front door, leaving the bodyguards on the sidewalk Jake went upstairs and removed his coat
"Row Ark, why don&039;t you o upstairs and stay with hie, we&039;ve had some excitement," Ozzie explained as Noose unpacked his briefcase and removed his coat
"What is it?" Buckley asked
"They tried to kill Jake this mornin&039;"
"What!"
"When?" asked Buckley
" &039;Bout an hour ago, somebody shot at Jake as he was coe We have no idea who did it They ery now"
"Where&039;s Jake?" asked His Honor
"Over in his office He&039;s pretty shook up"
"I would be too," Noose said sympathetically
"He wanted you to call hiot here"
"Sure" Ozzie dialed the nue
"It&039;s Noose," Harry Rex said, handing the phone to Jake
"Hello"
"Are you okay, Jake?"
"Not really I won&039;t be there today"
Noose struggled for a response "Do what?"
"I said I won&039;t be in court today I&039;m not up to it"
"Well, uh, Jake, where does that leave the rest of us?"
"I don&039;t care, really," Jake said, sipping on his secondyour pardon?"
"I said I don&039;t care, Judge I don&039;t care what you do, I won&039;t be there"
Noose shook his head and looked at the receiver "Are you hurt?" he asked with feeling
"You ever been shot at, Judge?"
"No, Jake"
"You ever seen a et shot, hear him scream?"
"No, Jake"
"You ever had somebody else&039;s blood splashed on your suit?"
"No, Jake"
"I won&039;t be there"
Noose paused and thought for a moment Come on over, Jake, and let&039;s talk about it"
"No I&039;erous out there"
"Suppose we stand in recess until one Will you feel better then?"
"I&039;ll be drunk by then"
"What!"
"I said I&039;ll be drunk by then,"
Harry Rex covered his eyes Ellen left for the kitchen
"When do you think you ht be sober?" Noose asked sternly Ozzie and Buckley looked at each other
"Monday"
"What about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow&039;s Saturday"
"Yes, I know, and I&039;d planned to hold court toot a jury sequestered, re"
"That&039;s good to hear What do I tell the jury right now? They&039;re sitting in the jury roo on us The courtroo out there by hi on you What do I tell these people?"
"You&039;ll think of so up Noose listened to the unbelievable until it was evident that he had in fact been hung up on He handed the phone to Ozzie
His Honor looked out theand relasses "He says he ain&039;t comin&039; today"
Uncharacteristically, Buckley reot to hi?"
"Naw, not Jake," Ozzie replied "He&039;s just tore up over that boy gettin&039; shot like he did He was right next to Jake, and caught the bullet that was aie"
"He wants us to re," Noose said to Buckley, who shrugged and again said nothing
As word spread, a regular carnival developed on the sidewalk outside Jake&039;s office The press set up ca so neorthy inside Friends stopped by to check on Jake, but were informed by various of the reporters that he was locked away inside and would not come out Yes, he was unhurt
Dr Bass had been scheduled to testify Friday h the rear door a few minutes after ten, and Harry Rex left for the liquor store
With all the crying, the conversation with Carla had been difficult He called after three drinks, and things did not go well He talked to her father, told him he was safe, unhurt, and that half of the Mississippi National Guard had been assigned to protect him Settle her down, he said, and he would call back later
Lucien was furious He had fought with Bass to keep hiht so he could testify Friday Now that he would testify Saturday, there was no way to keep hi they had missed Thursday, and was furious
Harry Rex returned with a gallon of liquor He and Ellen redients She rinsed the coffeepot, filled it with Bloody Maryof Swedish vodka Harry Rex added a lavish dose of Tabasco He made the rounds in the conference roohtful ulped frantically and ordered more Lucien and Harry Rex debated the likely identity of the gunman Ellen silently watched Jake, who sat in the corner and stared at the bookshelves
The phone rang Harry Rex grabbed it and listened intently He hung up and said, "That was Ozzie The soldier&039;s outta surgery Bullet&039;s lodged in the spine They think he&039;ll be paralyzed"
They all sipped in unison and said nothing They nore Jake as he rubbed his forehead with one hand and sloshed his drink with the other The faint
sound of so at me rear door interrupted brief memorial
"Go see who it is," Lucien ordered Ellen, who left to see as knocking
"It&039;s Lester Hailey," she reported to the conference room
"Let him in," Jake mumbled, almost incoherently
Lester was introduced to the parry and offered a Bloody Mary He declined and asked for so hiskey in it
"Good idea," said Lucien "I&039;et soood to ulped the reed a weak smile at Lester, then returned to the study of the bookshelves Lucien threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table, and Harry Rex left for the liquor store
When she awoke hours later, Ellen was on the couch in Jake&039;s office The roo smell to it Sheaway in the war room, on the floor, partially under the war desk There were no lights to extinguish, so she carefully walked down the stairs The conference room was littered with empty liquor bottles, beer cans, plastic cups and chicken dinner boxes It was 9:30 PM She had slept five hours
She could stay at Lucien&039;s, but needed to change clothes Her friend Nesbit would drive her to Oxford, but she was sober Plus, Jake needed all the protection he could get She locked the front door and walked to her car
Ellen alhts behind her As usual, she was driving seventy-five She parked on the shoulder and walked to her taillights, where she searched her purse and waited on the trooper
Two plainsclotheshts
"You drunk,tobacco juice
"No, sir I&039; to find hts and fished for the
license Suddenly, she was knocked to the ground A heavy quilt was thrown over her and both men held her down A rope rapped around her chest and waist She kicked and cursed, but could offer little resistance The quilt covered her head and trapped her arhtly
"Be still, bitch! Be still!"
One of thenition and opened the trunk They threw her inside and slaed in the old Lincoln and it roared away, trailed by the BMW They found a gravel road and followed it deep into the woods It turned into a dirt road that led to a s burned by a handful of Kluxers
The two assailants quickly donned their robes and round and the quilt ree pole a few feet from the cross where she was tied, her back to the Kluxers, her face to the pole
She saw the white robes and pointed hats, and tried desperately to spit out the oily, cotton rag crah
The flaloave of heat that began to roast her as she wrestled with the pole and eure left the others and approached her She could hear hi bitch," he said in a crisp Midwestern voice He grabbed the rear of her collar and ripped the white silk blouse until it hung in shreds around her neck and shoulders Her hands were tied firmly around the pole He re the re bitch You nigger-loving bitch"
Ellen cursed hiroans
He unzipped the navy linen skirt on the right side She tried to kick, but the heavy rope around her ankles held her feet to the pole He placed the tip of the knife at the bottoh the herabbed around the waist and pulled it off like a ician The Kluxers stepped forward
He slapped her on the butt, and said, "Nice, very nice" He stepped back to adrunted and twisted but could not resist The slip fell to reat ceremony, he cut the straps, then sliced it neatly down the back He yanked it off and threw it at the foot of the burning cross He cut the bra straps and removed it She jerked and the moans became louder The silent semicircle inched forward and stopped ten feet away
The fire was hot now Her bare back and legs were covered with sweat The light red hair was drenched around her neck and shoulders He reached under his robe again and brought out a bullwhip He popped it loudly near her and she flinched Hethe distance to the pole
He cocked the bullwhip and aimed at the bare back The tallest one stepped forith his back to her He shook his head Nothing was said, but the whip disappeared
He walked to her and grabbed her head With his knife, he cut her hair He grabbed handfuls and hacked away until her scalp was gapped and ugly It piled gently around her feet She moaned and did not asoline was splashed inside the BMW with Massachusetts tags and somebody threw a one, Mickey Mouse slid from the bushes He untied her and carried her to a sathered the re and tried to cover her When her car finished burning beside the dirt road, he left her He drove to Oxford, to a pay phone, and called the Lafayette County sheriff
Saturday court was unusual but not unheard of, especially in capital cases where the jury was locked up The participants didn&039;t ht the end one day nearer
The locals didn&039;t mind either It was their day off, and for most Ford Countians it was their only chance to watch the trial, or if they couldn&039;t get a seat, at least hang around the square and see it all first-hand Who knows, there
By seven, the cafes doere at full capacity serving nonregulars For every customer arded a seat, tere turned away and left to loiter around the square and the courthouse and wait for a seat in the courtroom Most of them paused for ato catch a gliarts told of being clients of this faet sat at his desk and sipped a bloody concoction left from yesterday&039;s party He smoked a Roi-Tan, ate headache powders, and rubbed the cobwebs froet about the soldier, he had told hiet about the Klan, the threats, forget everything but the trial, and specifically Dr WT Bass He uttered a short prayer, so sober on the witness stand The expert and Lucieh had stayed through the afternoon, drinking and arguing, accusing each other of being a drunk and receiving a dishonorable discharge from their respective professions Violence flared briefly at Ethel&039;s desk when they were leaving Nesbit intervened and escorted them to the patrol car for the ride home The reporters burned with curiosity as the two blind drunks were led from Jake&039;s office by the deputy and put in the car, where they continued to rage and cuss at each other, Lucien in the back seat, Bass in the front
He reviewed Ellen&039;s masterpiece on the insanity defense Her outline of questions for Bass needed only h unim-
pressive, it would suffice for Ford County The nearest psychiatrist was eighty lanced at the DA and looked sympathetically at Jake, who sat next to the door and watched the faded portrait of so over Buckley&039;s shoulder