But Junius Jelks isn’t finished. Just as Quentin opens his mouth to tender the witness, Jelks looks down at my father and says, “Doc, I don’t know if you injected that poison or not, but you damn sure killed Viola. I drug on her my whole life, but you broke her heart before I ever laid eyes on her. It was you who killed her. At least my conscience is clean on that.”

Quentin gapes at Junius Jelks, probably reflecting, as most trial lawyers have, that even a good witness can be a double-edged sword. “Your witness,” he says finally.

Shad sits blinking in confusion, like a young boxer after catching a surprise hook from an aging champion.

As Quentin rolls back toward the defense table, Rusty catches his eye and gives him a covert thumbs-up. Quentin doesn’t deign to acknowledge the signal. Even in the wheelchair, his regal bearing makes it clear that he exists above both the criticism and praise of men like Rusty Duncan.

Shad stands and approaches the witness box, walking right past the lectern and taking a combative stance that makes clear he feels only disdain, even disgust, for Junius Jelks.

“Why are you telling us all this now, Mr. Jelks?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, sir, that a man like you doesn’t do anything for free. What have you been promised in exchange for your testimony?”

Jelks smiles in tacit agreement. “I see. Well, nobody paid me, if that’s what you mean.”

“Did anyone make you promises of any kind?”

“Well, sure. Mr. Avery there promised to look into my case and see if he might be able to get my sentence reduced, on account of what that judge done. How he went to jail for taking bribes, and such. But that’s all.”

“That’s all?” Shad asks with theatrical verve, looking at the jury.

“Is that illegal?” Jelks asks, with perfectly acted sincerity, and only then does Shad realize that he has stepped on a spring-loaded land mine.

Judge Elder is staring at Shad as though waiting for the answer, but Shad isn’t about to give one unless ordered to from the bench.

“Mr. Johnson?” he prompts.

“Yes, Judge?”

“The witness asked a question. I think the jury would probably like to know the answer.”

Shad looks at the floor and swallows what must have been an acid retort, but when he raises his head, he says, “No, that’s not strictly illegal. However, it certainly raises the probability that this witness would never have come forward without such an inducement.”

“And the jury will be instructed to consider that,” says Judge Elder, “in due course. Please continue.”

“Mr. Jelks,” Shad muses, “what if your testimony today results in you losing your inheritance? How will you feel about that?”