A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3) - John Grisham Page 0,105

of a payment?”

“Something like half would make them happy. Half of seventy thousand dollars. It is, of course, unsecured and the bank didn’t want to make the loan in the first place. Stan says they’ve never been in the litigation business and are afraid of it. Can’t blame ’em for that.”

“I thought they agreed to wait until the case settled.”

“Stan did, verbally, but his boss is leaning on him. Remember, they sold out three years ago to a bigger bank in Jackson. Stan gets frustrated with some of the decisions down there.”

Carla took another sip and breathed deeply. “Okay. I thought Judge Noose had a plan to make sure you got paid.”

“He does but it’s a lousy plan. I’m supposed to wait until the trial is over and then sue the county for my time and expenses. He promises to rule in my favor and force the county to pay.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Everything. It means I get nothing for months, nothing to pay the overhead while the practice dries up and the town boycotts me. When I’m forced to sue the county, that’ll make the newspaper, so more bad press. And there is really no way Noose can force the county to pay more than a thousand bucks. If the supervisors dig in, and they will, we’re screwed.”

She nodded as if she understood, took another sip, and eventually said, “Lovely.”

“Yes. Noose thinks it’s really clever, but then he’s desperate for a lawyer to represent the kid.”

“Dare I ask how much cash we have right now?”

“Not much. Five thousand in the office account. Eight thousand in our money market. Ten-plus in savings.” He slurped some more wine. “Pretty pathetic, if you think about it. Twelve years as a lawyer and only eighteen thousand dollars socked away.”

“We have a good life, Jake. We both work. We live better than most. There is equity in the house, right?”

“A little. We’ll have to squeeze out every penny of it to pay Stan.”

“A second mortgage?”

“There’s no way around it.”

“What did Harry Rex say?”

“Well, when he stopped cussing me we called Stan and they got into it. Harry Rex maintains it’s a line of credit with no due date so the bank will just have to wait. Stan cussed right back and said he would call the entire loan. When I hung up they were still cussing.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

A moment passed as they listened to the crickets. The street was quiet except for the buzz of insects and the distant barking of a dog. Carla asked, “Did Josie ask for money?”

“No, but she needs to get away from the church. They’re tired of living there and you can’t blame them. Kiera is mid-term and starting to show. She won’t be able to hide it much longer. You can imagine how much fun the busybodies will have when they realize she’s pregnant.”

“And Josie’s found a place?”

“She says she’s looking, but she’s also working part-time jobs now. She can squeeze together a hundred bucks a month for rent. Plus, they don’t have a stick of furniture.”

“So we’re paying rent, too?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure we’ll have to help. And, she has a pile of medical bills that she’ll have to bankrupt.”

“What about medical care for Kiera?”

“Oh, that too.”

After another long pause, Carla said, “I have a question.”

“Okay.”

“Did you buy more than one bottle of wine?”

25

Three days after classes ended, and Hanna and Carla were set free for the summer, the Brigances loaded themselves and the dog into the car and headed for the beach, their annual vacation. Carla’s parents had semiretired to the Wilmington area and owned a spacious condo on the water in Wrightsville Beach. Hanna and Carla loved the sand and the sun. Jake appreciated the rent-free accommodations.

Her father, still “Mr. McCullough” to Jake, liked to refer to himself as an “investor” and could bore anyone with the latest earnings reports. He also wrote a column for a minor financial magazine that Jake had once, long ago, subscribed to in a vain effort to understand what the guy was up to. His real motive for the subscription had been to figure out if his father-in-law had serious money. So far, Mr. McCullough’s net worth was a mystery, but it was obvious he and his wife were quite comfortable. Mrs. McCullough was a pleasant lady in her mid-sixties who was active in all manner of garden clubs, turtle savers, and hospital volunteers.

The summer before, and the summer before that, the Brigances had flown from Memphis to