Sycamore Row - John Grisham

“No, Lucien, I’m more concerned with verification. There’s no way to do it unless we
go talk to him. Keep in mind he has a chunk of money on the line here. He might be
more cooperative than we think.”
Lucien took a deep breath and began pacing around the table. Portia was too
inexperienced, and she was also a young black female, not the type to pry secrets out of
an old white man who was running from something, or everything. That left him, the
only available member of the firm. He walked to the door and said, “I’ll go. Get me all
the information you can.”
“Are you sure, Lucien?”
There was no response as he closed the front door behind himself. Jake’s only thought
was, I hope he can stay sober.
Ozzie stopped by late Thursday afternoon for a quick visit. Harry Rex and Portia were
in the war room poring over juror names and addresses. Jake was upstairs at his desk,
on the phone, wasting time trying to track down a few more of Wade Lanier’s forty-five
witnesses. So far the task had been frustrating.
“Wanna beer?” Harry Rex asked the sheriff. A fresh Bud Light sat nearby.
“I’m on duty and I don’t drink,” Ozzie replied. “I hope you’re not driving. I’d hate to
see you busted for a DUI.”
“I’d just hire Jake to postpone it forever. You got some names?”
Ozzie handed him a sheet of paper and said, “A few. That Oscar Peltz guy we were
talkin’ about yesterday, from down near Lake Village, well, he goes to the same church
with the Roston family.” Portia picked up the card with “OSCAR PELTZ” written in a
black marker across the top.
“I’d stay away from him,” Ozzie said.
Harry Rex looked at his notes and said, “We had him as a five anyway, not too
attractive.”
“Mr. Raymond Griffis, lives down from Parker’s Country Store, south of here. What do
you have on him?”
Portia picked up another card and said, “White male, age forty-one, works for a
fencing contractor.” Harry Rex added, “Divorced, remarried, father died in a car wreck
about five years ago.”
Ozzie said, “Stay away from him. I got a source says his brother was involved with the
Klan three years ago during the Hailey trial. Don’t think the brother ever joined up, but
he was a bit too close. They might be presentable on the surface, but could be a rough
bunch.”
“I had him as a four,” Harry Rex said. “I thought you were going after all the black
folks.”
“That’s a waste of time. All black folks get automatic tens in this trial.”
“How many are on the list, Portia?”
“Twenty-one, out of ninety-seven.”