A time to kill

"Yes, sub. He's a good man." Carl Lee studied the frail, feeble old man with the cane. His body was weak and tired, but his mind was sharp, his voice strong.

"We're proud of you too, Carl Lee. I don't condone violence, but at times it's necessary too, I guess. You did a good deed, my son."

"Yes, suh," answered Carl Lee, uncertain of the appropriate response.

"I guess you wonder why I'm here."

Carl Lee nodded. The reverend tapped his cane on the floor.

"I'm concerned about your acquittal. The black community is concerned. If you were white, you would most likely go to trial, and most likely be acquitted. The rape of a child is a horrible crime, and who's to blame a father for rectifying the wrong? A white father, that is. A black father evokes the same sympathy among blacks, but there's one problem: the jury will be white. So a black father and a white father would not have equal chances with the jury. Do you follow me?"

"I think so."

"The jury is all important. Guilt versus innocence. Freedom versus prison. Life versus death. All to be determined by the jury. It's a fragile system, this trusting of lives to twelve average, ordinary people who do not understand the law and are intimidated by the process."

"Yes, suh."

"Your acquittal by a white jury for the killings of two white men will do more for the black folk of Mississippi than any event since we integrated the schools. And it's not just Mississippi; it's black folk everywhere. Yours is a most famous case, and it's being watched carefully by many people."

"I just did what I had to do."

"Precisely. You did what you thought was right. It was right; although it was brutal and ugly, it was right. And most folks, black and white, believe that. But will you be treated as though you were white? That's the question."

"Ana 11 I'm convicted?"

"Your conviction would be another slap at us; a symbol of deep-seated racism; of old prejudices, old hatreds. It would be a disaster. You must not be convicted."

"I'm doin' all I can do."

"Are you? Let's talk about your attorney, if we may."

Carl Lee nodded.

"Have you met him?"

"No." Carl Lee lowered his head and rubbed his eyes. "Have you?"

"Yes, I have."

"You have? When?"

"In Memphis in 1968.1 was with Dr. King. Marsharfsky was one of the attorneys representing the garbage workers on strike against the city. He asked Dr. King to leave Memphis, claimed he was agitating the whites and inciting the blacks, and that he was impeding the contract negotiations. He was arrogant and abusive. He cursed Dr. King-in private, of course. We thought he was selling out the workers and getting money under the table from the city. I think we were right."

Carl Lee breathed deeply and rubbed his temples.

"I've followed his career," the reverend continued. "He's made a name for himself representing gangsters, thieves, and pimps. He gets some of them off, but they're always guilty. When you see one of his clients, you know he's guilty. That's what worries me most about you. I'm afraid you'll be considered guilty by association."

Carl Lee sunk lower, his elbows resting on his knees. "Who told you to come here?" he asked softly.

"I had a talk with an old friend."

"Who?"

"Just an old friend, my son. He's concerned about you too. We're all concerned about you."

"He's the best lawyer in Memphis."

"This isn't Memphis, is it?"

"He's an expert on criminal law."

"That could be because he's a criminal."

Carl Lee stood abruptly and walked across the room, his back to the reverend.

"He's free. He's not costin' me a dime."

"His fee won't seem important when you're on death row, my son."

Moments passed and neither spoke. Finally, the reverend lowered his cane and struggled to his feet. "I've said enough. I'm leaving. Good luck, Carl Lee."

Carl Lee shook his hand. "I do appreciate your concern and I thank you for visitin'."

"My point is simply this, my son. Your case will be difficult enough to win. Don't make it more difficult with a crook like Marsharfsky."

Lester left Chicago just before midnight Friday. He headed south alone, as usual. Earlier his wife went north to Green Bay for a weekend with her family. He liked Green Bay much less than she liked Mississippi, and neither cared to visit the other's family. They were nice people, the Swedes, and they would treat him like family if he allowed it. But they were different, and it wasn't just their whiteness. He grew up with whites in the South and knew them. He didn't like them all and didn't like most of their feelings toward him, but at least he knew them. But the Northern whites, especially the Swedes, were different. Their customs, speech, food, almost everything was foreign to him, and he would never feel comfortable with them.