A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3) - John Grisham Page 0,75

She said Kofer started molesting her back around Christmas, said he did it about five or six times and that he threatened to kill her if she told anyone. She didn’t tell Josie and of course this near ’bout killed her mother. A lot of tears today, Jake. Mine too. Can you imagine? Fourteen years old and getting raped by a thug that she was terrified of? Too frightened to tell anyone. Not sure when it would end. She said she thought about killing herself.”

“Did Drew know?” Jake asked. The answer could have enormous consequences.

“Don’t know. You need to ask her that, Jake. You need to talk to her and to Josie. They’re a mess, as you might guess. I mean, think about what they’ve been through in the past two weeks. The shooting, surgery, hospitals, Drew in jail, Whitfield and back, losing everything they had, which wasn’t much, but now they’re living in the back of our church. And all the talk about putting Drew in the gas chamber. They’re pitiful, Jake, and they really need your help. They trust you and want your advice. I’m doing the best I can, Jake, but I’m just a rookie preacher who never made it to college.” His voice cracked and his eyes watered. He looked away, shook his head, fought his emotions. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day with those two, Jake. A real long day, and they need to talk to you.”

“Okay, okay.”

“And there’s something else, Jake. Josie’s first reaction was that they would get an abortion. She feels pretty strong about it, at least for now. And I’m not in favor, for obvious reasons. I’m deadset against it. Josie seems to have some strong feelings. So do I. If Kiera gets an abortion then she’s outta my church.”

“Let’s worry about that later, Charles. You said she saw a doctor in Tupelo?”

“Yes. Josie likes the guy who operated on her, so she called his nurse. They called someone else and the guy did a favor and got her in. Said she’s healthy and all, but she’s just a kid.”

“And Meg knows all this?”

“Meg was in the room, Jake. Meg is right there with them.”

“Okay, it’s real important to keep this as quiet as possible. My head is spinning as I try to think of all of the ramifications. I know how gossip flies around in a small church.”

“Right, right.”

Almost as fast as it flies around in a coffee shop. Jake asked, “Is she showing?”

“I couldn’t tell anything. I mean, I tried not to stare, but I don’t think so. Why don’t you come see for yourself, Jake? They’re at the church waiting for you.”

* * *

—

KIERA WAS NAPPING upstairs when Jake entered the rear door that opened into the kitchen. At one end of a long table was a stack of textbooks and notepads, proof that the student was getting tutored at some level. Meg and Josie were at the table working on a large jigsaw puzzle. The McGarrys’ four-year-old, Justin, was playing quietly in a corner.

Josie stood and hugged Jake as if they’d been close for years. Meg went to the counter and rinsed out the coffeepot to brew a fresh one. Though the windows were up and the curtains were moving with the breeze, the room had the heavy feel and smell of a long day’s drama.

It took twenty-two minutes to drive from the Clanton square to the Good Shepherd Bible Church, and in that short period Jake had tried, unsuccessfully, to first identify all the new legal issues, and then to untangle them. Assuming she was really pregnant and that Kofer was the father, how would this be presented at Drew’s trial? Since she was present at the shooting, she would undoubtedly be called as a witness for the prosecution. Could her pregnancy be mentioned? What if her mother insisted on an abortion? Would the jury know about that? If Drew knew Kofer was raping his sister, wouldn’t that seriously impact his defense? He killed to stop it. He killed out of retribution. Regardless of why he killed, Lowell Dyer could argue persuasively that he knew exactly what he was doing. How could they prove the child was Kofer’s? What if someone else was the father? With Kiera’s troubled background, wasn’t it possible she had started having sex early? Could there be a boyfriend somewhere? Was Jake obliged to inform Lowell Dyer that his star witness had been impregnated by the deceased? Depending on