A time to kill

"I'm sure she does. I think he sends her money."

"Can you get it for me? I need to talk to Lester."

"Sure, Jake. If she's got it, I'll get it."

By Wednesday Jake's office had returned to normal. Clients began to reappear. Ethel was especially sweet, or as sweet as possible for a cranky old nag. He went through the motions of practicing law, but the pain showed. He skipped the Coffee Shop each morning and avoided the courthouse by making Ethel do the filing or checking or whatever business required his presence across the street. He was embarrassed, humiliated, and troubled. It was difficult to concentrate on other cases. He contemplated a long vacation, but couldn't afford it. Money was tight, and he was not motivated to work. He spent most of his time in his office doing little but watching the courthouse and the town square below.

He dwelt on Carl Lee, sitting in his cell a few blocks away, and asked himself a thousand times why he had been betrayed. He had pushed too hard for money, and forgot there were other lawyers willing to take the case for free. He hated Marsharfsky. He recalled the many times he had seen Marsharfsky parade in and out of Memphis courtrooms proclaiming the innocence and mistreatment of his pitiful, oppressed clients. Dope dealers, pimps, crooked politicians, and slimy corporate thugs. All guilty, all deserving of long prison terms, or perhaps even death. He was a yankee, with an obnoxious twang from somewhere in the upper Midwest. It would irritate anybody south of Memphis. An accomplished actor, he would look directly into the cameras and whine: "My client has been horribly abused by the Memphis police." Jake had seen it a dozen times. "My client is completely, totally, absolutely innocent. He should not be on trial. My client is a model citizen, a taxpayer." What about his four prior convictions for extortion? "He was framed by the FBI. Set up by the government. Besides, he's paid his debt. He's innocent this time." Jake hated him, and to his recollection, he had lost as many as he had won.

By Wednesday afternoon, Marsharfsky had not been seen in Clanton. Ozzie promised to notify Jake if he showed up at the jail.

Circuit Court would be in session until Friday, and it would be respectful to meet briefly with Judge Noose and explain the circumstances of his departure from the case. His Honor was presiding over a civil case, and there was a

good chance Buckley would be absent. He had .to be absent. He could not be seen or heard.

Noose usually recessed for ten minutes around three-thirty, and precisely at that time Jake entered chambers through the side door. He had not been seen. He sat patiently by the window waiting for Ichabod to descend from the bench and stagger into the room. Five minutes later the door flung open, and His Honor walked in.

"Jake, how are you?" he asked.

"Fine, Judge. Can I have a minute?" Jake asked as he closed the door.

"Sure, sit down. What's on your mind?" Noose removed his robe, threw it over a chair, and lay on top of the desk, knocking off books, files, and the telephone in the process. Once his gawky frame had ceased moving, he slowly folded his hands over his stomach, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. "It's my back, Jake. My doctor-tells me to rest on a hard surface when possible."

"Uh, sure, Judge. Should I leave?"

"No, no. What's on your mind?"

"The Hailey case."

"I thought so. I saw your motion. Found a new lawyer, huh?"

"Yes, sir. I had no idea it was coming. I expected to try the case in July."

"You owe no apologies, Jake. The motion to withdraw will be granted. It's not your fault. Happens all the time. Who's the new guy Marsharfsky?"

"Yes, sir. From Memphis."

"With a name like that he should be a hit in Ford County."

"Yes, sir." Almost as bad as Noose, thought Jake.

"He has no Mississippi license," Jake explained, helpfully.

"That's interesting. Is he familiar with our procedure?"

"I'm not sure he's ever tried a case in Mississippi. He told me he normally associates a local boy when he's out in the country."

"In the country?"

"That's what he said."

"Well, he'd better associate if he comes into my court.

I've had some bad experiences with out-of-state attorneys, especially from Memphis."

"Yes, sir."

Noose was breathing harder, and Jake decided to leave. "Judge, I need to go. If I don't see you in July, I'll see you during the August term of court. Take care of your back."

"Thanks, Jake. Take care."

Jake almost made it to the rear door of the small office when the main door from the courtroom opened and the Honorable L. Winston Lotterhouse and another hatchet man from the Sullivan firm strutted into chambers.

"Well, hello, Jake," Lotterhouse announced. "You know K. Peter Otter, our newest associate."

"Nice to meet you K. Peter," replied Jake.

"Are we interrupting anything?"

"No, I was just leaving. Judge Noose is resting his back, and I was on my way out."

"Sit down, gentlemen," Noose said.