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Back The Hallows Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The time before trial was a flurry of activity for me. Back in Miami, everyone knew to stay out of my way. When I got into the office in the mornings, there was a bagel and coffee sitting on my desk, and for lunch one of the staff would bring me a sandwich and soup, lay it on the desk without a word, and leave. Dinner was take-out Chinese and then some bourbon when the day was done at two or three in the morning while I sat in my office staring at the ocean. We had a mock courtroom, and the weeks before trial were spent there, running through arguments over and over until I knew every word I was going to say to that jury.

I didn’t have any of that here. So I spent the days reviewing case notes, checking in with witnesses, practicing my arguments in front of a mirror, and helping Jia and Will realize that a trial was won or lost in preparation and how you framed the case to the jury in the opening arguments would determine which way the case would go when they read that verdict.

During the week before the trial, Gates and I went out a few times. Occasionally we had home-cooked meals at her house and a couple of times drove to Vegas for fancy sushi. My favorite thing was her laugh: I could always make her laugh, from the time we were kids. When I saw her at that restaurant, she stuck out like a diamond among coals. It wasn’t just her physical beauty. Gates had whatever that beauty is on the inside that radiates out of some women. Men didn’t have it. Whatever it was, I could sit in awe of it all day. Sometimes at night back in my condo, I wondered how the hell I had left her behind.

56

56

Something had been bothering me the past three weeks since my meeting with Nina, and I couldn’t shake it: Anderson and Roscoe Mallory were lying about how Anderson’s eye got hurt. The fact that the doctor told Nina that Anderson had likely taken a beating with fists, rather than running into a pipe, meant I was onto something, but I couldn’t see what.

I parked at the high school and went in. Roscoe was out on the football field coaching about thirty young men. He had his arms folded and a clipboard hung from his fingers. One of the boys missed a pass, and Roscoe said, “Damn it, keep your eyes on the ball.” He tossed the clipboard behind him near a gym bag and shook his head as he talked to one of the other coaches.

“Tatum,” he said when he saw me. “What’re you doing here?”

He held out his hand and we shook. “Oh, you know, nothing I like more than visiting the one place that holds my most painful childhood memories.”