Unintended Consequences - By Marti Green Page 0,77
compassion.
She and Tommy headed to their respective desks. With Indiana an hour earlier than New York time, they were hopeful they’d still be able to reach the people they were looking for. Dani pulled out her reference guide to each state’s gubernatorial office and dialed the number for Joe Guidry, the governor’s chief of staff. He answered the phone directly. She identified herself and filled him in on what had happened with George Calhoun. She finished with her purpose in calling: “Joe, this guy is innocent, and if we have one more week, I’m sure we can prove it beyond any doubt whatsoever. We’re hoping that Governor Timmons can stand by on Monday in case the Supreme Court turns us down.”
All she heard was Joe’s breathing.
“You still there?”
“Yeah. I’m just thinking. Let me understand. You’ve been turned down by two federal courts, your request of the state court for exhumation has been turned down, and if the big Court turns you down, you want the governor to put her neck out there and give this convicted child-murderer a break. Does that about sum it up?”
“It’s not exactly how I’d put it. I’m not asking her to let the guy go free, not yet anyway. All I need is seven days. Seven days to wrap it up with a nice bow and ribbon and I’ll throw in the real murderer, who’s been living unpunished for nineteen years.” Dani realized she’d probably gone too far. Bruce was right; she shouldn’t jump to conclusions about the Conklins. Still, she didn’t pull back the pledge. If that’s what it took to get a stay, she’d say anything at this point.
“I don’t know what the governor will want to do. The best I can promise you is that she’ll listen to you on Monday. Call us after the Supreme Court rules.”
It was the most she could hope for—Governor Timmons would hear her out. She walked back to Bruce’s office and saw Tommy inside. “Did you reach Cannon?” she asked.
“Nope. Just got his voice mail. I left an urgent message, then called the general number for the sheriff’s office and left a second message. Hopefully he’ll call me back.”
Dani filled Tommy and Bruce in on her conversation with Joe Guidry.
“There’s nothing more you guys can do tonight. Go home and get some rest,” Bruce said.
As if she could.
It was almost 8:30 when Dani arrived home. An accident on the FDR had slowed the usual Friday-night exodus from the city to a standstill. By the time she pulled up to her house, her body ached from head to toe. Doug greeted her at the door with a glass of wine.
“Rough day?”
“A rough six weeks.”
He put his arm around her and led her to the couch. On the cocktail table lay a platter of her favorite cheeses with crackers. Next to it was a bowl of ruby-red cherries, her favorite fruit.
“Where’s Jonah?”
“Sound asleep.”
Dani settled into the couch and let the wine relax her. The windows were open and a soft breeze moved the curtains like ripples on a lake. It felt so good to be home.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Doug asked.
“No. Not tonight. Tonight I want to pretend that I’m back in law school, that last year, when I was excited about entering the legal profession. I remember how I thought I would do so much good as a lawyer. Everything seemed black and white then, remember? Bad guys were convicted, good guys were never even arrested. Wasn’t that how it was supposed to be?”
Doug cut a piece of cheese and placed it on a cracker and handed it to her. “I don’t think even then we were that naïve.”
“I was. I thought the law really meant something. That truth and justice were the goal, not wins and losses.”
“Truth and justice are the goal. But finding the truth is difficult. You’re sure your client is innocent, that all the facts you’ve uncovered prove he is. But the people opposing you believe in a different truth. They believe your facts are suggestive, perhaps, but not conclusive. And to set a convicted child-murderer free, there must be indisputable facts. Whose truth is right?”
“Okay, different people look at facts differently. I get that. But death is irreversible. When there isn’t agreement on what is the truth, then keep the prisoner alive while the search for the truth—a truth that can’t be challenged—goes on. How can anyone be comfortable with killing a man who might be innocent?”