A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3) - John Grisham Page 0,128

a week, cash and tips.

Carla had spent four hours with Drew that week and gave a glowing account of his progress. After a slow start, he was showing an interest in science and Mississippi history, though he had no use for math. Talk of him saddened Josie and her eyes watered. She planned to drive to the jail on Sunday for a long visit.

All four agreed that they were hungry. Kiera changed into jeans and put on sandals, and they drove to the Ole Miss campus, which on a Saturday in June was deserted. They parked near the Grove, the shaded, park-like expanse that was the heart of the school. They found a picnic table under an ancient oak, and Carla unpacked sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks. As they ate, Jake pointed to the law school over there, the Student Union not far away, and described the Grove on game day, when it was packed with tens of thousands of tailgaters. And over there, under that tree near the stage, was where he surprised his girlfriend with an engagement ring and asked her to marry him. Luckily, she said yes.

Kiera loved the story and wanted all the details. It was obvious that she was enthralled with the idea of such a future, of going to college, of having some handsome boy propose to her, of having a life far different from what she had known. She got prettier each time Carla saw her. The unwanted pregnancy agreed with her, at least on the surface. Carla wondered if she had ever set foot on a college campus before. She adored Kiera, and her heart ached at what the girl was facing. The fear of giving birth, of letting go of her child, the stigma of being raped and pregnant at fourteen. She needed counseling, and plenty of it, but it wasn’t happening. The best scenario was that she would give birth in late September, then enroll as a freshman at Oxford High School as if nothing had happened. A law school buddy of Jake’s was the city attorney and would facilitate matters.

After lunch, they took a long walk through the campus. Jake and Carla alternated as tour guides. They passed the football stadium, the Lyceum, the chapel, and they bought ice cream in the Student Union. On a sidewalk along Sorority Row, Carla pointed out the Phi Mu House where she had lived as a sophomore and junior. Kiera whispered to her, “What’s a sorority?”

Several times during the languid walk, Carla wondered what would happen if they adopted the baby. Would they be forced to forget about Kiera and Josie? Jake felt strongly that they would. He believed the safest adoptions were those where all contact with the real mother was cut off. At the same time, though, he feared that the Gambles would be a part of their lives for years to come. If Drew got convicted, Jake would be tied up with appeals forever. A hung jury, and there would be another trial, then perhaps another. Only an acquittal would rid them of the family, and that was highly unlikely.

It was all so complicated, and unpredictable.

* * *

—

ON SUNDAY MORNING, the Brigance family dressed in their finest and left for church. At the edge of town, Hanna asked from the backseat, “Hey, where are we going?”

Jake said, “We’re visiting another church today.”

“Why?”

“Because you always say that the sermons are boring. Half the time you fall asleep. There are at least a thousand churches around here and we thought we’d try another one.”

“But I didn’t say I wanted to go somewhere else. What about my friends in Sunday school?”

“Oh, you’ll see them again,” Carla said. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Going to church is an adventure?”

“Just hang on. I think you’ll like this place.”

“Where is it?”

“You’ll see.”

Hanna said nothing more and sulked as they drove through the countryside. When they parked in the gravel lot next to Good Shepherd, she said, “This is it? It’s so small.”

“It’s a country church,” Carla said. “They’re always smaller.”

“I don’t think I like it.”

Jake said, “If you’ll be sweet, we’ll take you to lunch at Nana’s.”

“Lunch at Nana’s? All right!”

Jake’s mother had called that morning with the invitation they were always anticipating. She had picked fresh corn and tomatoes from her garden and was in the mood to cook.

Some men were finishing their cigarettes under a shade tree to one side. Some women were chatting at the front door. The Brigances were met