Billy (29 page)

"What
is
so
terrible?"
Wilbur
Braxton
asks.

"
lt's just terrible
,
" Megan says, then
c
atches herself and
her father's look
and says, "Accordi ng to these
allegations
,
'Two Negro
boys,
ages Len and eleven, ar
e
bei ng held
in the Banes
County
jail
for
the
slabbing
death
of
Lori Pasko,
age
fifteen, of Banes
Cou nty.
Both
of
the
Negroes are believed
to have lived in the Patch area.'
"

Wi lbur Braxton nods and then
ask
to
see the paper,

reaches into his
vest
pocket and
gets
his
bifocals out. and slow
l
y
pu ts them
on, and
begins to read.

B l L L
y
I
127

"Daddy," Megan says quickly, then
catches
her thought and remains quiet, knowing that her father has told her:
Al
ways give someone the time they need to understand what the allegations are, and they understand the point of
your
ques tions you are asking. Then, if they do not answer promptly and precisely, you can
assume
that they are not about to tell the truth, and not merely that they are not informed.

Megan watches her father read, watches for the expression to change on his face.
It
did not. It remains impassive, as it always does when a ju ry
enters
a
courtroom.

Wilbur
Braxton
was
raised in the outski rts
of
Banes County, near the Greene County line. He'd
spent
his
early
law
years
in Jackson, only returning to Banes when his father died and left the estate in his name. Rufus Braxton was
a cot
ton giant, with more cotton fields than most folks
ever seen.
Wilbur Braxton took over the busi ness as a family tradi tion. Wilbur Braxton had married late, he was forty-five when he married Francine Hemper of Jackson,
she
had just turned twenty-three. Francine died at Megan
'
s birth, that was twenty one years ago. Now, Wilbur Braxton,
years show
i n h is th i n, tall structure, showed his dark hair as dark
cold gray, showed
his face with wide wrinkles of ti me, but it
was
the
coughing
spells that seemed to mark his time, left him
shaking
with
embarrassment
and took the words from his mouth
some

times, cut his wind.

For her father's
sake,
Mega n Brax ton tries not to
show out
wardly concern for her father's failing health
,
but it is
only for
her father's sake, not hers.

"Appears
to he an
interesting case.
Lots of unansw
ere
d questions, of course," Wilbur Brax ton
says
softly
as he
folds
the paper.

"You won't get i t, Daddy, wi ll
you?"

128 I Albert French

"I certainly
hope not.
It
could extend me beyond my capa bilities."

Megan was silent,
she
wanted to let her father know he was
still capable,
but
she
did not want to encourage him.

"Of course,
if I'm
called
upon, I'll have no
choice,
matter of principle. I'm quite
sure
Ed Jamison isn't going to want to touch it. You know he has plans to run against Merritt Elrod
come
fall. Don't think he has a chance at it, but he's a young man and won't see it that way. Now, Jack Davenport is up and coming, has a good
record,
and Carl Herbert's a fine fellow too, he might be available, but taking this
case
against Ely Hampton is not going to be an easy task. Ely is a tough pros ecutor." Wilbur Braxton kept his
soft
tone as he spoke. Megan had put her head down to avoid his
eyes
and hide the concern on her face, then
she changed
the
subject
quickly.
"Daddy,
I think Stepper is
coming
up lame. He's been fa voring his right front like it's a little sore. Do
you
think Josh put the shoes on too tight? I'm a little worried, with the show
coming
up." Mega n brought her
father's
attention to her

words. She had
that way
with him.

"Well,
let's don't jump to any
conclusions.
We'll take a look
at
him when we
get
back, maybe
get
Josh to pull that
shoe and
soak that
foot some,
keep him
in
the
stall and see
how he goes in the morning," Wilbur Braxton
said, sighed,
glanced out the wi ndow,
and
kept his
stare.

8

Morning light
s
start
e
d comin
g
on b
efo
r
e
d
a
wn
,
B
a
n
es fo
lk
s
were getting r
e
ad
y
for Mond
ay, c
o
ffee
pot
s
p
er
k
e
d
a
nd
o
l
d
coon dogs stretched. B
y
the time first light
c
am
e,
folks wer
e
into their day.
In
an hour or so
,
Banes
s
tr
ee
t
s g
ot busy
,
mo
s
t folks headin down to th
e s
aw-yard
,
oth
er fo
lk
s
h
av
in
g
on
e
l
as
t
c
up of coff
e
e b
e
for
e
op
e
nin
g
th
e
ir
s
t
ree
t
s
hop
s
. Pi
c
kin fi
e
ld
s
w
e
re fillin up, bla
c
k backs wer
e a
lr
ea
d
y
b
e
nt
, o
ld mul
es
th
a
t w
e
r
e
n
'
t r
ea
d
y
to mov
e ye
t ju
s
t didn
'
t
wa
nt to pull th
em wag
ons
,
put up with folk
s,
h
a
d fi
e
ld m
e
n holl
e
rin
, "
H
ee,
h
ee,
hee, gitty awn
.
Gitt
y
awn h
e
r
e.
H
ee, g
it
o
n up h
ere
.
"

Ban
e
s was
s
ur
g
in
g
into it
s
d
ay
wh
e
n Sh
e
riff T
o
m
wa
lk
e
d u
p
th
e
courthouse
s
t
e
p
s
. His walk
was
bri
s
k
,
h
e
k
e
pt hi
s eyes
straight ah
e
ad
,
didn
'
t turn to th
e
m
ca
ll
s
of
"
H
ey, S
h
e
riff
, w
li
a
t
y
a goin ta do with th
e
m ni
ggers ya g
ot
? S
h
e
riff T
o
m
,
h
ear
y
a

129

1.30 I Albert Fre11cli

got
them k illin ni gger
s
down there." He walked into the
shade
of the
courthouse
hallways and into the
solictor's
office
and
filed his papers
with
the clerk, then a
s
ked, "Ely in
yet?"
Mrs. Caroline Hempfield nodded yes to Sheriff Tom, and he went
straight
into Ely Hampton's
office.

Ely Hampton was a
short
stern-faced man, not known for his humor, had straight ways and quick
wit,
always seemed to be doin something, talked real fast when he spoke, then
shut
up just as fast when he wanted answers. He was fifty-three,
still
had all his hair
except
for the little round bald
spot
on the back of his head, kept his face clean-shaved,
got
a shave over Hanner's cuttin
shop every
morning, sometimes twice a day.