Sycamore Row - John Grisham

“The three of us. We took care of Seth. He never allowed people to get close. You said
you never met him. I’m not surprised because Seth avoided people. He hated small talk.
He was not a warm person. He was a loner who didn’t want anyone knowing his
business or doing things for him. He’d get his own coffee. If I took it to him he wouldn’t
say thanks. He trusted Dewayne to run his business, but they didn’t spend much time
together. Kamila’s been here a couple of years and Seth really liked to flirt with her.
She’s a tart, but a sweet girl, and he liked her. But that’s it. Just the three of us.”
“In his last days, did you see him do anything out of the ordinary?”
“Not really. He felt bad. He napped a lot. He seemed upbeat on that Friday. We’ve
talked about it, the three of us, and it’s not unusual for people who’ve made the decision
to commit suicide to become relaxed, even look forward to the end. I think Seth knew on
that Friday what he was about to do. He was tired of it all. He was dying anyway.”
“Did he ever discuss his will?”
She found this funny and uttered a quick laugh. “Seth didn’t talk about his private
matters. Never. I’ve worked here for six years and I’ve never heard him say a word
about his children, grandchildren, relatives, friends, enemies—”
“Lettie Lang?”
“Not a word. I’ve never been to his house, never met that woman, know nothing
about her. I saw her picture in the paper this week, first time I’ve seen her face.”
“It’s rumored Seth liked the ladies.”
“I’ve heard those rumors, but he never touched me, never came on. If Seth Hubbard
had five girlfriends, you’d never know it.”
“Were you aware of what he was doing with his businesses?”
“Most of it. A lot of stuff crossed my desk. It had to. He warned me many times about
confidentiality. But I never knew it all; not sure anybody did. When he sold out last
year, he gave me a bonus of $50,000. Dewayne and Kamila got bonuses too, but I have
no idea how much. He paid us well. Seth was a fair man who expected his people to
work hard and he didn’t mind paying them. And there’s something else you should
know. Seth was not a bigot like most white people around here. We have eighty
employees on this yard: half white, half black, all paid the same scale. I’ve heard all of
his furniture factories and lumber yards work the same way. He wasn’t much for
politics, but he despised the way black people have been treated in the South. He was
just a fair man. I came to respect him a great deal.” Her voice cracked and she went for
the tissue.
Jake glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it was almost noon. He’d been
there for two and a half hours. He said he had to go, but would return early the
following week with a Mr. Quince Lundy, the new court-appointed administrator. On
the way out, he spoke to Dewayne and got a pleasant good-bye from Kamila.
As he drove back to Clanton, his mind spun with the possible scenarios that involved
some thug posing as a big-firm Jackson lawyer and trying to intimidate potential
witnesses; and doing so just days after the suicide and before the first court hearing.
Whoever he was, he would never be seen again. More than likely, he worked for one of
the lawyers representing Herschel or Ramona or their kids. Wade Lanier was Jake’s top