Sycamore Row - John Grisham

32
Eight days after the Roston tragedy, and just as it was beginning to wind down and
folks were discussing other matters, it bolted back onto center stage in the weekly
edition of The Ford County Times. On the front page, under a bold headline—COUNTY
MOURNS LOSS OF ROSTON BROTHERS—were large class photos of Kyle and Bo.
Below that and beneath the fold were photos of their wrecked car, their coffins being
carried out of their church, and their classmates holding candles at a vigil outside
Clanton High School. Dumas Lee had missed little. His stories were long and detailed.
On page two was a large photo of Simeon Lang, his face ominously bandaged,
leaving the courthouse in handcuffs the previous Thursday with his attorney of record,
Mr. Arthur Welch of Clarksdale. The story that accompanied the photo made no mention
of Jake Brigance, primarily because Jake had threatened Dumas and the newspaper
with a libel suit if it even remotely implied that he represented Simeon. There was
mention of the old but still pending DUI charge from the previous October, but Dumas
did not pursue it or imply that it had been improperly handled. He was terrified of
litigation and usually backed down quickly. The two obituaries were lengthy and
heartbreaking. There was a story from the high school with glowing comments from
classmates and teachers. There was one from the accident scene with Ozzie providing
the details. The eyewitness had a lot to say and got his photo in the newspaper. The
parents were silent. An uncle asked that their privacy be respected.
Jake had read every word by 7:00 a.m., and felt exhausted. He skipped the Coffee
Shop because he was tired of the endless prattling about the tragedy. He kissed Carla
good-bye at 7:30 and went to the office, hoping for a return to his normal routine. His
goal was to spend most of the day working on cases other than Hubbard. He had a
handful of clients in real need of some attention.
Just after 8:00, Stillman Rush called with the news that he had just been fired by
Herschel Hubbard. Jake listened thoughtfully. On the one hand he was delighted to see
Stillman hit the back door because he really didn’t care for the guy, but on the other
hand he was bothered by Wade Lanier’s powers of manipulation. In his only other major
trial, that of Carl Lee Hailey, Jake had gone toe-to-toe with Rufus Buckley, then an
accomplished district attorney. And while Buckley was quite skilled in the courtroom
and smooth on his feet, he was not overly bright, not a crafty manipulator or a clever
schemer. Not at all like Wade Lanier, who seemed to be always one step ahead. Jake
was convinced Lanier would do anything, lie, cheat, steal, cover up, whatever it took to
win at trial, and he had the experience, quick wit, and bag of tricks to do so. Jake