A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3) - John Grisham Page 0,65

to the stand at trial, but you can’t make them talk right now. They’re just potential witnesses.” Jake’s tone was more aggressive, his words sharper. The tension was rising considerably.

Portia, taking notes, thought to herself: I can’t wait to become a lawyer.

Everyone took a deep breath. Ozzie flashed his best politician’s smile and said, “Okay, let’s get on with it.”

Rady opened his notebook and gave Josie a smile so drippy Jake wanted to slap him. He said, “First of all, Ms. Gamble, I’d like to ask if you are able to talk, and if so, for how long? I understand the surgery was only a few days ago.”

Josie nodded nervously and said, “Thank you. I’m okay. The stitches and wires came out this morning and I can talk a little.”

“Are you in pain?”

“Not too bad.”

“Are you taking medication for pain?”

“Just some ibuprofen.”

“Okay. Can we start with you and your background, that sort of thing?”

Jake immediately interrupted with “Let’s try this. We’re working on what we hope to be a complete biographical sketch of the Gamble family. Birthdates, birthplaces, homes, addresses, marriages, employers, relatives, criminal records, the good, the bad, the ugly. Some of it they remember, some is not so clear. We need it for our side. Portia is in charge of it and it has priority. When it is complete we’ll give you a copy. Full disclosure. You can read it and if you then want to interrogate these witnesses again, we’ll talk about it. This will save us at least an hour today and there won’t be any gaps. Fair enough?”

Rady and Ozzie exchanged looks, skeptical ones. Ozzie said, “We’ll try it.”

Rady flipped a page and said, “Okay, let’s go back to Saturday night, March 24, just over a week ago. Can you tell us what happened? Tell us your story about that night.”

Josie took a sip of water through a straw and glanced nervously at Jake, who had given her strict instructions about what to cover and what to leave alone. She began with “Well, it was late, and Stu wasn’t home.” As instructed, she spoke slowly, and seemed to struggle with each word. The swelling didn’t help. She described what it was like to wait and wait while expecting the worst. She was downstairs. The kids were upstairs in their bedrooms, awake, waiting, afraid. Stu finally came home around two, very drunk, belligerent as usual, and they had a fight. She got hit and woke up in the hospital.

“You said ‘drunk as usual.’ Did Stu often come home drunk?”

“Yes, he was out of control. We had lived there about a year, and his drinkin’ was a real problem.”

“Do you know where he had been that night?”

“No, he would never tell me that.”

“But you knew he hung out in bars and such, right?”

“Oh, yes. I went with him a few times, in the earlier days, but I stopped because he would get in fights.”

Rady was careful here because the sheriff’s department was still looking for paperwork. On two occasions, Josie had called the dispatcher and said she was being beaten by Stuart Kofer. But when the deputies showed up, she refused to press charges. The reports were filed and then they disappeared. Jake would probably learn about this down the road, and Ozzie did not look forward to those questions. Missing paperwork, a cover-up, a sheriff’s department looking the other way while one of its own spiraled out of control. Jake would make them bleed in the courtroom.

“Didn’t you meet in a bar?”

“We did.”

“Around here?”

“No, it was a club up around Holly Springs.”

Rady paused and struggled with his notes. The wrong question could provoke the wrath of Jake. “So, you don’t remember the shooting?”

“No.” She shook her head and stared at the table.

“Didn’t hear a thing?”

“No.”

“Have you talked to your son since the shooting?”

She took a deep breath and fought to keep her composure. “We spoke by phone last night, the first time. He’s down in Whitfield, but you probably know that. Said the sheriff here drove him down on Friday.”

“How’s he doing, if I may ask?”

She shrugged and looked away. Jake helped out with “Just so you’ll know. I’ve talked to the counselors down there. Josie and Kiera will go to Whitfield tomorrow, the preacher is taking them, and they’ll see Drew and meet with the people who are treating him. It seems to be very important that they, the doctors, talk to the family and get the background.”

Ozzie and Rady nodded their approval.