Sycamore Row - John Grisham

13
Dumas Lee owned the front page of The Ford County Times on Wednesday, October 12.
The hearing the day before was evidently the only news in the county. A bold headline
announced, BATTLE LINES DRAWN OVER HUBBARD WILL, and Dumas kicked off the
lead story in his finest tabloid fashion: “A courtroom full of expectant heirs and their
eager lawyers squared off yesterday in front of Chancellor Reuben Atlee as the opening
shots were fired in what promises to be an epic battle for the fortune of the late Seth
Hubbard, who hung himself on October 2.”
A photographer had been busy. In the center of the front page was a large photo of
Lettie Lang as she was walking into the courthouse, with both Booker Sistrunk and
Kendrick Bost tugging at her as if she were an invalid. Under the photo, she was
described as “Lettie Lang, age 47 of Box Hill, former housekeeper of Seth Hubbard and
presumed beneficiary under his last, handwritten, and suspicious will, accompanied by
her two lawyers from Memphis.” Next to it were two smaller, candid shots of Herschel
and Ramona, also walking somewhere near the courthouse.
Jake read the paper at his desk early Wednesday morning. He sipped coffee, read
every word twice looking for mistakes, and was surprised to see Dumas got his facts
straight for a change. But he cussed him for using the word “suspicious.” Every
registered voter in the county was a potential juror. The majority would either read the
paper or hear someone talking about it, and out of the gate Dumas had declared the will
to be suspicious. The scowling, smirking faces of the well-dressed intruders from
Memphis didn’t help matters either. As Jake stared at the photo, he tried to imagine a
jury of nine whites and three blacks trying to find sympathy for Lettie as $20 million
hung in the balance. They would find little. After a week in the courtroom with Booker
Sistrunk, they would see through his intentions and void the will. A jury might grow to
dislike Herschel and Ramona, but at least they were white and weren’t being led by a
shyster with the appeal of a TV preacher.
Jake reminded himself that they were, for the moment, on the same team, or at least
the same side of the courtroom. He vowed to quit. If Judge Atlee allowed Sistrunk to
stay in the game, Jake would withdraw and go look for an ambulance to chase.
Anything would be better than a brutal trial in which he was destined to lose. He needed
the fees but not the headaches.
There was a commotion downstairs, then footsteps. There was an unmistakable
rhythm and clatter to the way Harry Rex climbed the old wooden stairs to Jake’s office.
His steps were slow and heavy and each seemed determined to shatter boards. The