Unintended Consequences - By Marti Green Page 0,94

you meet with Sunshine, be gentle. This has got to be a shock for her.”

“I think it’s going to be a shock for a lot of people.”

CHAPTER

36

Dani called Joe Guidry and the words rushed out of her mouth like a swirling tornado. “We’ve found her, Angelina Calhoun. We can prove she’s not the girl found murdered. You can’t let the execution go forward. He’s innocent, just as we’ve said.”

“Whoa. Slow down. You have someone who claims to be Angelina Calhoun?”

“No, not exactly. She probably has no memory of her first few years. But you’ve seen the affidavit from that nurse at the Mayo Clinic. And we’ve gotten word from the doctor who treated Sunshine Harrington that her medical records match Angelina Calhoun’s.”

“So you have Sunshine Harrington.”

“Yes, sort of. She’s on her way home. She lives in New York, just two blocks from our office. Isn’t that incredible? My associate spoke to her and she’s waiting at her apartment.”

“That’s all interesting, but without DNA, how can you be certain they’re the same person.”

“Well, we can’t, of course. Not a hundred percent. But how could the governor let an execution go forward now? You have to give us time to get the DNA tested.”

“How much time?”

“One more week. That should do it.”

“I’ll have to get back to you.”

Dani gave him the phone number for the warden’s office. She was torn between waiting for Joe’s call and going back to the cell to let George know the latest development. She decided to wait. She didn’t want to raise George’s hopes only to deflate them if they didn’t get the extra time. She went outside the office to let Coates know she was off the phone.

“So, what’s the story?” he asked.

“We found a woman we believe is George’s daughter, Angelina. That means the little girl found in the woods is someone else and George didn’t kill her.”

Coates went into his office and sat at his desk. He motioned for Dani to take a seat across from him. “So, does this mean the governor will stop the execution?”

“I’m waiting to hear back from her.”

The warden opened his bottom right desk drawer, thumbed through some files and pulled two out. “These are the reasons I was happy George Calhoun contacted you.” He placed both folders in front of Dani. “Both of these men were on death row in this prison. The first one, Johnny Tubbs, was before my time here. He’d been convicted on eyewitness testimony. His attorney came from the public defender’s office, a kid still wet behind the ears. He never investigated Tubbs’s alibi, never examined the prosecution’s evidence. After a two-day trial, the jury sentenced Tubbs to die. He spent five years on death row. The kid was lucky, though. Two weeks before his execution date, some good-hearted attorney who’d volunteered his time got Tubbs a stay, then a new trial. He showed that none of the prosecution’s evidence supported Tubbs as the perpetrator. If this attorney hadn’t taken on Tubbs’s case, Indiana would have executed an innocent man.” Coates pointed to the second file. “Carl Jones. I was already working here, assigned to death row. Carl had been on death row fifteen years by the time I arrived. He was a quiet man, meek almost. He’d been convicted of murdering a shop owner and customer in the course of a robbery. When decent lawyers got involved, they were able to show that the witnesses against him had lied. Jones came within two days of execution before he got a stay and retrial. If a lawyer hadn’t believed in him, it would’ve been my job to walk him to the room where he’d get a lethal injection. I would have been escorting an innocent man to his death. That’s a hard thing for a man to live with. So”—he took a deep breath—“you and I are on the same page now. I’d welcome the governor calling and telling me to hold off so you can get your testing done. Like I told you the first time we spoke, I like a man to get every chance possible to prove he’s innocent.”

Just as the warden finished, his phone rang. He answered it and handed it to Dani. “Joe Guidry,” he whispered.

“Joe, give me some good news.”

“I’m just calling to let you know I haven’t been able to reach the governor yet. She’s been tied up in a meeting. I had a note sent in to her, but she hasn’t come out yet. I don’t