A time to kill

"Yes sir. Your Honor, the State will accept jurors number one, two, three, four, use our first challenge on number five, accept numbers six, seven, eight, nine, use our second challenge on number ten, accept numbers eleven, twelve, thirteen, use our third challenge on number fourteen, and accept number fifteen. That's twelve, I believe."

Jake and Ellen circled and made notes on their lists. Noose methodically recounted. "Yes, that's twelve. Mr. Bri-gance."

Buckley submitted twelve white females. Two blacks and a white male had been stricken.

Jake studied his list and scratched names. "The defense will strike jurors number one, two, three, accept four, six, and seven, strike eight, nine, eleven, twelve, accept thirteen, strike fifteen. I believe that's eight of our challenges."

His Honor drew lines and check marks down his list, calculating slowly as he went. "Both of you have accepted jurors number four, six, seven, and thirteen. Mr. Buckley, it's back to you. Give us eight more jurors."

"The State will accept sixteen, use our fourth challenge on seventeen, accept eighteen, nineteen, twenty, strike twenty-one, accept twenty-two, strike twenty-three, accept twenty-four, strike twenty-five and twenty-six, and accept

twenty-seven and twenty-eight. That's twelve with four challenges remaining."

Jake was flabbergasted. Buckley had again stricken all the blacks and all the men. He was reading Jake's mind.

"Mr. Brigance, it's back to you."

"May we have a moment to confer, Your Honor?"

"Five minutes," Noose replied.

Jake and his clerk stepped next door to the coffee room, where Harry Rex was waiting. "Look at this," Jake said as he laid the list on a table and the three huddled around it. "We're down to twenty-nine. I've got four challenges left and so does Buckley. He's struck every black and every male. It's an all-white female jury right now. The next two are white females, thirty-one is Clyde Sisco, and thirty-two is Barry Acker."

"Then four of the next six are black," Ellen said.

"Yeah, but Buckley won't take it that far. In fact, I'm surprised he's let us get this close to the fourth row."

"I know you want Acker. What about Sisco?" asked Harry Rex.

"I'm afraid of him. Lucien said he's a crook who could be bought."

"Great! Let's get him, then go buy him."

"Very funny. How do you know Buckley hasn't already bought him?"

"I'd take him."

Jake studied the list, counting and recounting. Ellen wanted to strike both men-Acker and Sisco.

They returned to chambers and sat down. The court reporter was ready. "Your Honor, we will strike number twenty-two and number twenty-eight, with two challenges remaining."

"Back to you, Mr. Buckley. Twenty-nine and thirty."

"The State will take them both. That's twelve with four challenges left."

"Back to you, Mr. Brigance."

"We will strike twenty-nine and thirty."

"And you're out of challenges, correct?" Noose asked.

"Correct."

"Very well. Mr. Buckley, thirty-one and thirty-two."

"The State will take them both," Buckley said quickly. looking at the names of the blacks coming after Clyde Sisco.

"Good. That's twelve. Let's select two alternates. You will both have two challenges for the alternates. Mr. Buck-ley, thirty-three and thirty-four."

Juror thirty-three was a black male. Thirty-four was a white female Jake wanted. The next two were black males.

"We'll strike thirty-three, accept thirty-four and thirty-five."

"The defense will accept both," Jake said.

Mr. Pate brought the courtroom to order as Noose and the lawyers took their places. His Honor called the names of the twelve and they slowly, nervously made their way to the jury box, where they were seated in order by Jean Gillespie. Ten women, two men, all white. The blacks in the courtroom mumbled and eyed each other in disbelief.

"Did you pick that jury?" Carl Lee whispered to Jake.

"I'll explain later," Jake said.

The two alternates were called and seated next to the jury box.

"What's the black dude for?" Carl Lee whispered, nodding at the alternate.

"I'll explain later," Jake said.

Noose cleared his throat and looked down at his new jury. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have been carefully selected to serve as jurors in this case. You have been sworn to fairly try all issues presented before you and to follow the law as I instruct. Now, according to Mississippi law, you will be sequestered until this trial is over. This means you will be housed in a motel and will not be allowed to return home until it's over. I realize this is an extreme hardship, but it's one the law requires. In just a few moments we will recess until in the morning, and you will be given the chance to call home and order your clothes, toiletries, and whatever else you need. Each night you will stay in a motel at an undisclosed location outside of Clanton. Any questions?"

The twelve appeared dazed, bewildered by the thought of not going home for several days. They thought of families, kids, jobs, laundry. Why them? Out of all those people in the courtroom, why them?