a couple of ham sandwiches from home, planning to have lunch in his office. But once there, he realized he was too churned up to eat. Pouring himself two fingers of bourbon in a Dixie cup, he slumped at his desk. He knew better than to return to the courtroom with alcohol on his breath, but what the hell, he needed a drink.
He’d struck a few blows for the prosecution, but he was off his game, too tired and stressed to think straight. He’d hoped to get a few slipups out of the daughter, but Erin had turned out to be almost as poised and cool as her mother. Drew Middleton hadn’t been much help, and even Stella had faltered under Tori’s sharp cross-examination.
Will would be the afternoon’s remaining witness. All along, Clay’s best hope of a guilty verdict had been to convince the jury that the defendant had tried to cover up the crime. Now, once Tori had introduced the audiotapes supporting Will’s motive, it would be the only remaining hope.
The jangle of his personal cell phone triggered a spasm in Clay’s stomach. It was Stella. And he knew better than to let the call go to voice mail.
“You were dead on your feet out there, Clay.” She sounded like she was talking through clenched teeth. “You let the Tyler woman ask me too many questions. And that little brat of hers made you look like a fool. You need to up your game. I want that bastard brought to his knees!”
“I’m doing everything I can, Stella.”
“Not by me, you aren’t.”
“I’ll get my chance at Will this afternoon. Don’t worry, I’ll give it all I’ve got.”
“You damned well better. If Will Tyler walks out of that court a free man, you’re finished.”
The call ended in silence.
The clenching sensation in Clay’s gut had become a sharp pain. Maybe he was getting an ulcer. Scrolling down, he punched in Abner’s cell phone. The sheriff had gone back to work after his testimony. Now Clay was going to need him again.
“Are you alone?” he asked when Abner answered.
“For now. How’s the trial going?”
“Still dicey. I’ll want you back here to confirm that the knife was bagged at the scene and found to have been wiped clean of prints.”
“No.”
“What?” Clay almost dropped the phone. “Why, for God’s sake?”
“You know why. I’ve been doing some soul-searching, Clay. If anybody finds out I wiped that knife myself before it was dusted for prints, and then lied about it under oath, I could go to jail. I’ve got a new grandson, a fine boy, to raise. I want to be there for him.”
“Damn it, Abner.” Clay gripped the phone harder. “I could ruin you!”
“That wouldn’t be very smart. Evidence tampering, if it came out, would guarantee Will Tyler’s acquittal. And I wouldn’t be slow to let folks know you were in on the scheme. Call me to the stand, and I’ll resign. Then I’ll tell the truth. Your choice, Mr. Prosecutor.”
With a muttered obscenity Clay ended the call. What a time for Abner to get noble! But the little toad was right about one thing. Clay couldn’t touch him without incriminating himself.
Clay glanced at his watch. The lunch break was over. It was time to be back in court. And he had nothing left.
* * *
Will shifted forward in his chair as Tori introduced two audiotapes into evidence and played them for the jury. The first was a recording of the radio announcement, describing the fugitive. The second was the tape of Will’s urgent call to the 911 dispatcher, when he believed he’d killed the robber. More than any other evidence, these tapes supported Will’s reason for shooting the man on the motorcycle and confirmed that he’d truly believed he was facing a dangerous criminal. Now it was time for Tori to call her first, and only, witness.
“The defense calls Will Tyler.”
By the time Will told his story on the stand, most of it was old news. When he was finished, Tori had just one question for him.
“Please explain to the court why you covered the body and why you called me first, before you called the sheriff.”
“In answer to both questions, I wanted to spare my daughter,” Will said. “The sight of a dead man with a bloody hole in his chest would’ve haunted her for the rest of her life. I didn’t want that picture in her mind. As for the call, I didn’t know she’d witnessed the shooting. I only wanted to get