“All right, then. Was the tape Viola made for Henry in the video camera when you went to your neighbor’s house to rest?”

“No, it wasn’t. It was in the drawer of the bedside table, by Viola’s bed.”

This answer takes my breath away. I’ve always assumed that this tape was the one removed from the camcorder on the night Viola died.

“I see,” Shad says, obviously aware of every answer he’s leading her to.

“Daddy, are you okay?” Annie whispers.

Without a sound, I nod and mouth, Everything’s okay to my daughter.

“After you got home and found your sister had passed away, did you think about the video camera at all?”

“No, sir. It flew plumb out of my head.”

“When did you next think about it?”

“A little while later, when Lincoln asked me about it.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Why Henry Sexton had put it there on the tripod.”

“And what did your nephew do then?”

“He opened up the camera to see if there was a tape inside.”

“And was there?”

“No, sir.”

“I see.” Shad pauses to let this sink in. “To the best of your knowledge, had there been a tape in it when you left for the neighbor’s house earlier that evening?”

“I know there was. Because Viola asked me to put one in before I left.”

My heart is hammering now.

“Why did she do that?”

“I don’t rightly know. But it took me about five minutes to load the thing. I’m no good with that kind of gadget. Cell phones and such.”

“I’m not either, Miss Cora. So there was no tape in the camera when you returned?”

“No, sir.”

“And so far as you know, no one else but Dr. Cage visited your house in the interim?”

“The what?”

“The period in between the time you left, and then returned to find Viola dead.”

“Right. That’s right.”

“So, the tape had been removed from Henry Sexton’s camera, leaving only the hard drive, which was set to record if the tape ran out.”

“Yes, sir. Whoever killed my sister stole that tape for sure.”

Now the courtroom sounds like a swarm of hornets taking flight. Judge Elder silences them with a single warning.

“Miss Cora, I’m going to let you go now, but I may have to call you back up later. Is that all right?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you. I feel better gettin’ all that family business off my chest after all these years. It’s a sore trial, carrying those kinds of secrets alone.”

“Tender the witness, Judge.”

“Come on, Quentin,” I murmur, hoping against hope. “Get up, damn it.”

“Daddy?” Annie whispers. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

I signal yes and motion for Annie to stay where she is.