"a little order please,"
judge mcclure said. "it seems like we got a little conflict here
folks. the sherrif's report says that miss mccord's house was broken
into, a fifth of wild turkey violated, the telescope was being moved to
the river by mr. johnson and heron, miss mccord's friend was shot in the
right shoulder while trying to get the personal property. mr. wells
contends that johnson and heron were merely hunting, admired the
telescope and were accosted by carlee's friends, and all the charges are
a pack of lies. is that about the story?"
"not quite, uncle jeeter,
your honor, but more or less," barry said.
"mr. simpson, will you
please approach?" jeeter asked.
"yes sir." simpson
approached mr. mcclure.
"did you actually get shot
in the right shoulder, or not?"
"i did, sir."
"are you willing to sign
an affidavit to that effect?"
"of course i am, sir."
"and what do you think
about my nephews contentions, sir?"
"i think he's a snotnosed
son-of-a-bitch, if i may say so, sir."
jeeter grined. "sheriff,
get a team up there to miss mccord's place, get me plaster prints from
the river up. i need to know if they entered the house, footprints
will do. i'm ordering mr. simpson to go to the hospital and document
that gunshot wound, at the courts expense, and i want some information
on that alleged handgun."
"right away sir,"
sheriff tate said.
"cleveland, please escort
the boys in orange back downstairs, their attorney may accompany them,
if he wants. this case is being held over for the grand jury, and the
future investigation."
"we'll post bond, uncle
jeeter," said barry.
judge mcclure raised his left
eyebrow. "take that up with the grand jury, son, this ain't the
place."
"you're railroading these
guys, uncle jeeter!" barry snapped.
"have you fully
investigated this case, barry?"
"what do you mean, uncle?"
"i mean, the things that
lawyers do, have you talked to carlee, been out to her house?"
"no need to uncle jeeter."
"please meet me in my
quarters, barry," judge mcclure said wearily. "kathy, get
hold of the district attorney for me, honey." he headed to his
quarters. cleveland escorted the men on orange downstairs. pork pie,
simpson and i kept our seats.
************
"have a seat barry."
barry did. "now son, and i hope you won't take offence at this."
barry was silent. "why are you on this case?"
"i was appointed uncle
jeeter."
"i'm sending a team out to
carlee's, the evidence they bring back will substantiate what the
police report said. do you believe that barry?"
"i don't know, sir."
"say that they do,"
mcclure said.
"well, then, i'll not able
to defend them, if they lied to me."
"yes you will, you're
appointed."
"i'll just tell them that
i can't defend them, if that's true."
"did they teach you in law
school, that everyone has a right to a defence?"
"yeah, but..."
"do you know these guys,
barry?"
"i've seen 'em around."
"do you know about their
court records?"
"no sir."
"next time, find out a
little something about you clients before you volunteer, barry."
"i was appointed uncle
jeeter."
"pack of lies, barry, you
volunteered!" jeeter snapped. "now i've got work to do.
excuse me please."
"you should wear better
clothes to your office, uncle jeeter."
"don't push your luck,
son. investigate some, next time." barry was dismissed.
************
a few minutes passed, the light
began to fade. "my god in heaven." jeeter mcclure said.
"jeeter?"
"oh, forgive me skyler, i
was sitting here, thinking, alone."
"an honorable past time,
jeeter." skyler was the district attorney, and the two men had
known one another for many years.
"why thank you skyler,
actually it is."
"what did you need from
me, jeeter?"
"i need for you to go with
me to carlee mccord's. a case skyler, probably."
"good morning, mr. arnold."
"hi kathy, you're looking
good."
kathy smiled. "coffee?"
she asked.
"thank you kathy, but mr.
arnold and i have some work to do," he said cheerfully.
"never wish to intefere
with men at work," she replied, smiling.
"skyler, let's run up to
carlee's."
"sure jeeter," he
answered.
"hate to bother on
saturdays."
"nobody else does, jeeter."
jeeter smiled. "carlee,
we're going up to your spread."
"mr. mcclure?" i
asked.
"what dear?"
"thanks."
jeeter smiled. "do you
know skyler arnold?"
"no sir, pleased to meet
you."
his hand was warm in mine. "nice
to meet you ma'me."
"red necks, skyler,
damnit, can read 'em like a book," jeeter said, as he drove.
"what's the problem,
jeeter?"
"johnson and heron, you
know them?"
"i've tried them 25 or 30
times." he laughed.
"well they're at it again,
shot a fellow, tried to steal a telescope."
"they'll get theirselves
in real trouble someday, jeeter."
"they're in real trouble
now skyler, if they're guilty, i'm going to put them out of business,
here."
"there's a question about
it?"
"my nephew poses one."
skyler smiled. "well,
we'll just have to see," he said. yellow tape was strung all over
the place. the sheriff and his men were on the inside.
"can't get in, folks?"
jeeter asked.
"i need to get in there,
carlee," pork pie said.
"just a minute, pork,"
i replied.
"you laverne 'pork pie'
anderson?"
"in person. who are you?"
"skyler arnold."
"never heard of you."
"well, that's because i'm
insignificant," skyler said. pork stood back. i admired him for
doing that. i knew he wanted to say plenty, but didn't.
"mr. mcclure," the
sheriff said.
"yes jimmy?"
"they were here alright,
blood on the ground, footprints, leading from that telescope to the
house, looks like what miss mccord's group said was the truth."
"alright jimmy, let's wrap
it up, get plaster prints, retain some blood samples. are there any
prints in the house?"
"yes sir, but they've been
contaminated."
"can you raise a
reasonable print?"
"i think so sir."
"then do it," mcclure
said. "you satisfied skyler?"
"sure, can we go now?"
"may as well."
"i want to see andy's babe
first," skyler said, and smiled.
************
jeeter and shyler slowly drove
back to the court house. "beautiful horse, jeeter," skyler
said.
"yeah, sure is. hey,
there's my nephew."
"hey, you guys find
anything up there?" barry asked.
"you want him skyler?"
skyler chuckled. "nope,
you're doing ok."
"now's the time for some
serious plea bargining." he smiled.
"hey uncle jeeter,"
barry said. "didn't find nothin' incriminating up there, did you?"
"oh no, son, only enough
to burn your boys for about five to ten years."
"you're kidding, uncle
jeeter?"
"nope, listen, didn't you
know, barry?"
"no sir, i took them at
their word."
"skyler?"
skyler looked at barry. "listen
boy, i've been against these two plenty of times, never good, they're
repeaters, that's it. they'll need a good attorney."
"why thank you sir."
skyler just rolled his eyes. "lets
get a drink jeeter."
"good idea." jeeter
said. jeeter and skyler sat down in the small kitchen in back of
jeeter's office. jeeter opened a bottle of jack daniels and poured two
generous shots. "ice?"
"a small amount, please."
jeeter put in a small amount. "it's a little early," skyler
offered.
"true, but it's good."
jeeter said. "you gonna try this one, skyler?"
"not if i can find someone
else to do it," skyler said. "i'm afraid of your nephew."
he smiled.
jeeter removed his hat. "the
thrill of battle doesn't interest you, skyler?"
"nah, just getting the job
done. mind you, i want redbone and goodie off the streets as well as
the next guy, but the younger fellows can do that."
jeeter smiled. "with your
instructions?"
"oh god, please don't
think for a moment that i wouldn't do anything without my instructing,"
skyler said.
jeeter drank his drink. "how
long have you been d.a., skyler?"
"well, you should know,
judge, you were on the bench when i took office."
"skyler, skyler, how long
do we allow people like redbone and goodie to keep on pushing others
around?"
"i don't know, jeeter,
it's been too long now."
"how many times have you
tried them?"
"oh, 'bout seven."
"that's too damn many,
let's do it."
************
simpson went down to talk with
mr. crabb. pork pie and i went inside. "what will happen now,
pork?" i asked.
"pour me a drink and i'll
tell you, angel." i made him a large one. "i'll tell you
something baby, i like that guy, mcclure, looks like a regular hay
seed, but he's smart cookie, i'll bet he burns them two."
"simpson may have to be in
court," i said. "could he stay a while, i mean with me?"
pork pie downed his drink. "well,
we'll see."
simpson reappeared on cue. "i
forgot to pick up mr. crabb's wire, would you drive me back to the
electrical shop ma'me?"
"sure simpson." i
changed into a pair of red shorts with 'sexy' on the tail of them, and
a white tee that said 'see tail end.' my mocassins were fine. "you
like, simpson?" i smiled and said, spinning round.
simpson smiled. "very nice
miss, good enough for the electric store."
"simpson, can you stay a
few days."
"i suppose, ma'me, why?"
"they'll need you in
court."
"i could return. mr.
anderson doesn't do well when i'm away."
"oh."
"it's alright ma'me, you
two can share me."
i laughed. "simpson,
you'll do, i guess."
we drove to the electric shop. "be
right back," he said. he returned a couple of minutes later and
sat the wire in the back seat.
"simpson?"
"yes ma'me?"
"what's going on in
louisville?"
he smiled. "nothing, it's
mostly here, melissa's manning the house."
"oh, shit."
"i know," he smiled.
we drove slowly back.
"simpson, may i tell you
something?"
"surely, miss."
"i don't know how to tell
you, exactly."
"you'll think of a way,
miss." we pulled up in the driveway. simpson walked toward mr.
crabb. "your wire sir."
"you and cat have a good
time out there dude? i needed this shit an hour a go."
"i'm sorry sir, i simply
forgot it when we were at the court house."
"alright simpson." he
snatched the wire from simpson. same ole crabb, i thought.
"hey, you too!"
another precinct of bad manners heard from, how would i survive these
two? "you know, those bastards oughta hang."
"hmmm?"
"that goddamn redbone and
what's his face."
"pork pie, they've already
been arrested."
"not for drinkin' all the
wile turkey up!"
"oh hell, pork, there's
more in the pantry." i got a fresh fifth and laid it on the bar
for pork.
"now that's more like it,"
he said. "i'll tell somethin' else, that son-of-a-bitch that's
putting in the security system sucks, too."
i smiled, so, pork pie had seen
mr. crabb's bad side. "you're right, pork."
"why in the hell does he
call you cat?"
"when he was installing my
hot tub, i had on a tee shirt with my e-mail address on it."
"well, someone ought to
knock his ass off."
god, i just hoped he wasn't
thinking of it. i changed the subject. "pork, what are we going
to do with andy's babe?"
"the horse is being taken
care of baby," he replied. "ya know, i just can't help
thinking about those guys. wonder what they'd do if i jest walked out
there and gave crabb a dose of what he needs?"
"pork pie, he simpson's
friend!" i snapped.
"the son-of-a-bitch just
rubs me the wrong goddamn way, carlee."
"i know pork, he does me
too, but please, give it a break, he'll be gone soon."
"the babe don't like him
either." he switched his cigar from the right side of his mouth
to the left. "motherfucker!" he was turning red again. it
looked bad.
"ah, simpson tells me that
melissa is taking care of your house, pork."
"son-of-a-bitch!"
god, even changing the subject wasn't helping.
"drink your drink, pork."
he did and i went outside. "you guys are working kind of late,"
i said.
"so fuckin' what?"
mr. crabb stated.
"you're overworked, mr.
crabb, maybe you should quit for the day?"
"go fuck yourself, cat."
mr. crabb said.
"please, mr. crabb, you're
out of line!" simpson snapped.
"and fuck you too, buddy."
crabb said.
"miss, please go to the
house."
"what are you going to do
simpson?"
"defend your honor, ma'me."
"simpson, please," i
said.
"come on, defend!"
mr. crabb shouted.
"let me first write you a
check for your services, sir." simpson got out a check book and
began to write.
"four thousand and forty
two dollars," crabb said, and simpson wrote, then handed mr.
crabb the check, followed by a punch in the eye. mr. crabb looked
dumbfounded.
"care for another one?"
simpson asked.
"yeah!"
"very well, sir."
simpson pointed his finger. the laser was turned to high, and fire
came out of mr crabbs chest.
"goddamn!" mr. crabb
shouted.
"more?" simpson
asked.
"shit no, i got the
message." mr. crabb said grimly, as he walked to his pick up.
i waited a few moments, then
hugged simpson. "you did it again, simpson," i smiled and
said.
"modern technology madam,
must use some shortcuts these days."
"come on, i'll make you a
drink."
"that would be nice,"
he said. i made us all a round.
pork pie was sitting on the
love seat, half asleep. "what happened to that bastard crabb?"
"gone sir," simpson
said.
"damn buzz, i smell smoke,
you didn't burn him, did ye?"
"a little, sir."
"haven't you got us in
enough trouble with the damn laser, buzz? i thought i sent you here to
get rid of it?"
"it's not attached any
longer sir, i find other ways to use it."
"yeah, pork he used it to
save andy's babe at the river."
"carlee, simpson's laser
thing is exactly why were here in the first place!" pork pie
snapped.
"not exactly, sir,"
said simpson, with a grin.
"sakajawea!" pork
said. "hell, drink up be somebody."
************
"skyler, when does the grand jury meet?"
"whenever we want it to,
jeeter," skyler answered.
"let's make it soon, get
this show on the road."
"what's the hurry, jeeter?"
"i'm tired if these
fuckin' rednecks runnin' rough shod over honest people," jeeter
said.
"going to change the world
now, jeeter?"
"maybe so, we've got to
start somewhere."
"excuse me, i thought
that's what we've been working our asses off for, over the years?"
"have you read these two's
police report?"
"not recently."
"shit, if them guys hadn't
have been there, anything could have happened to carlee, i hate to
think about it," jeeter said.
"god, i don't know which
is worse, laverne 'pork pie' anderson or your two guys in the
basement," skyler said, and smiled.
"and my nephew, as green
as goose shit, defending them."
"now jeeter, is it those
two guys, or your nephew you want to get even with?"
"hell, i 'bout paid his
way through law school, my sister's only son, you know."
"very big of you, jeeter."
"the most shameful thing i
ever done, skyler, the boy didn't learn shit in those three years, nor
the four years prior to that, or his years of high school. and these
bastards he's working for, ain't no better!"
"now jeeter, calm down,
we'll call the grand jury in and get things started; let me make you
another drink."
"thanks skyler."
skyler made jeeter a big one. "miss
kathy?"
"yes sir?"
"call in the grand jury
for monday, seven am, please."
"yes sir, mr. arnold, i'll
start calling today."
"thank you kathy, and try
to calm your boss down a little," he said, as he smiled.
"mr. arnold, i've never
seen him so upset."
"i know kathy, i know."
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