Sycamore Row - John Grisham

Braves play, what hotel did you and your father usually stay in?”
Herschel squinted and his mouth opened but nothing came out. Hotels have records
that can be checked. Finally, he recovered and said, “Uh, well, we stayed in different
hotels.”
“Did you go to Atlanta last year?”
“No, Dad was too sick.”
“The year before?”
“I think so, yes.”
“Okay, so you went in eighty-seven. Which hotel?”
“I can’t remember.”
“All right. Who did the Braves play?”
Games and schedules are records that can be checked. “Well, gee, I’m not sure, you
know. Maybe it was the Cubs.”
Jake said, “We can check on that. What was the date?”
“Oh, I’m terrible with dates.”
“Okay, in eighty-six. Did ya’ll make it to Atlanta for a game or two?”
“I think so, yes.”
“Which hotel?”
“Maybe the Hilton. Not sure.”
“Who’d the Braves play?”
“Well, let’s see. I can’t be sure, but I know we saw them play the Phillies one year.”
“In eighty-six, who played third base for the Phillies?”
Herschel swallowed hard and looked straight ahead, as if staring at headlights. His
elbows were twitching and he kept glancing at the jurors. His lying had caught up with
him. Lanier’s fictional masterpiece had holes in it.
Finally, “Don’t know.”
“You don’t recall Mike Schmidt, the greatest third baseman in the game. He’s still
there and on his way to the Hall of Fame.”
“Sorry, no.”
“Who played center field for the Braves?”
Another painful pause. It was obvious Herschel didn’t have a clue.
“Ever hear of Dale Murphy?”
“Sure, that’s him. Dale Murphy.”
For the moment, Herschel gave every indication of being a liar, or at least a great
embellisher. Jake could poke and prod around the rest of his testimony, but there was
no guarantee he could score again. Instinctively, he decided to sit down.
Ramona was next, and she was crying not long after she was sworn in. She still
couldn’t believe her beloved “daddy” had been so lost and distraught that he took his
own life. With time, though, Lanier settled her down and they plowed through their
scripted testimony. She had always been Daddy’s girl and she just couldn’t get enough of
the old guy. He adored her and her children and came to visit them often down in
Jackson.
Once again, Jake grudgingly admired Wade Lanier. He had prepared Ramona well for