Booze, Blood & Justice by Rod Wallsmith

Author:Rod Wallsmith [Wallsmith, Rod]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781467090001
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Published: 2007-03-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

The last week of June spectators lined Main Street as the local high school band marched by, signaling the opening parade of the annual Cottonway Tomato Festival. For the first time, the school band consisted of both black and white students.

Above the celebration, in the offices over Dinwiddie Jewelers, Mitchell Ambrose Carrington, his strong forearms bulging below the rolled up sleeves of his oxford cloth shirt, prepared his witnesses to testify in the trial which began the following week. Tension filled the room.

“I want to lay it on the table for you,” Mitchell said, looking at J.B. Colefield. “With Billy Ray’s credibility as a witness destroyed by his arrest, the burden falls to the testimony of you and Sylvia.”

Billy Ray sat in a chair against the wall staring at the floor. He felt Colefield’s eyes boring into him.

“Well, why in hell is he even here?” J.B. shouted. “His lack of judgment will probably put me in the electric chair.”

Billy Ray stood. ‘Look, Mitchell, it would probably be better if I go.”

“No, hell no you stay right here,” Mitchell said. “Billy Ray is part of my team. He stays. We need his expertise.”

“Umph,” J.B. grunted.

“When it’s your turn,” Mitchell said, pointing at Sylvia. “You will confirm the existence of the threatening phone calls. Plus, you will testify about the car- load of youths who entered your driveway shouting obscenities and throwing things at the house. Then you will testify that you told Chief Price and Detective Sanders about those incidents and remember their writing that information down on their report form as you spoke.

“All right,” Sylvia said, slowly. Her demeanor reminded Billy Ray of the night of the shooting when she came down the stairway. She seems drugged, he thought, maybe too many sleeping pills last night.

“Then comes you J.B., all you have to do is simply answer my questions. Please remember, both of you, I do not want elaboration. Don’t try to help me by adding to your answer. If I ask you a yes or no question, then By God, you better give me a yes or no answer.”

Mitchell balled one of his hands into a fist and pounded the conference table. “Carve that into your brain, yes or no, nothing else unless I ask you for it. And that applies to the District Attorney’s questions as well.”

He glanced at Billy Ray and pointed to the stacks of file folders strewn across the conference table. “And you Detective. I want you studying these files. Sleep with them, if you have to, but I want you familiar with every word. There may be something I’ve missed that could turn this case.”

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