The Pink Pony

by Charles Cutter

  “Really?” Burr said.

  “I already told you this.”

  Ravenswood wasn’t much of a witness, but he was all Burr had, and Burr thought the street sweeper was believable. “Can you identify the man you saw go into The Pink Pony?”

  “That’s him over there, the guy with the hair all puffed out like a lion.” Ravenswood pointed at Lionel Worthy. The courtroom went aahh.

  “For the record,” Burr said, “Mr. Ravenswood is pointing at Lionel Worthy.”

  “Have you seen him since then?”

  “Not until today.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Ravenswood. I have no further questions.” Burr looked at Karpinen on the way back to the defense table. “The puck is in your end.”

  Karpinen walked up to the street sweeper. “Mr. Ravenswood, do you have a drinking problem?”

  “Not that I know of,” Ravenswood said.

  “I think we may have met before,” Karpinen said. “In fact, I believe I was the prosecuting attorney when you pled guilty to public intoxication. Which means drunkenness. Three separate times.”

  Ravenswood didn’t say a word.

  “Were you drinking the night you said you saw Mr. Worthy?”

  “I never drink on the job.”

  “Mr. Ravenswood, did you see Mr. Lafayette the night that you said you saw Mr. Worthy?”

  “I did see that guy over there,” Ravenswood pointed at Worthy again.

  “So you said.” Then Karpinen pointed at Burr. “Did you see Mr. Lafayette?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What was he doing?”

  Burr jumped up. “Your Honor, this is irrelevant. My whereabouts has nothing to do with anything.”

  “Your whereabouts are always of interest to me, Mr. Lafayette,” Lindstrom said. “I’ll allow it.”

  “Thank you, Your Honor,” Karpinen said. “Mr. Ravenswood, did you see Mr. Lafayette outside The Pink Pony on the night you say you saw Mr. Worthy?”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “And what was he doing?”

  “He was walking around.”

  “Mr. Ravenswood, we need to get beyond the faceoff.”

  “What’s all this hockey business about?”

  Karpinen stood up as straight as his bum leg would allow. “Hockey is a metaphor for life.”

  Ravenswood looked at Karpinen like the prosecutor was the one with the drinking problem.

  “Never mind,” Karpinen said. “Mr. Ravenswood, did you see Mr. Lafayette steal the pink pony that was hanging in front of the bar?”

  “I saw him take it down, if that’s what you mean.”

  “And what did he do with it?”

  “He took it down to the docks and hoisted it up the flagpole.” Ravenswood snickered. The courtroom roared. Burr groaned. Brandstatter smiled like the Cheshire cat.

  How could a murder trial get to this point?

  “Quiet.” Lindstrom banged his gavel. “Mr. Ravenswood, there is nothing funny about stealing.”

  “It looked pretty funny to me,” Sidney Ravenswood said. He snickered again, as did the gallery. Karpinen turned around and glared at the courtroom. “I have no further questions, Your Honor.”

  “The defense calls Carole Hennessey,” Burr said. Lindstrom reminded her that she was still under oath. The late morning sun from the window highlighted the blond highlights in her auburn hair. Burr went right for the kill. “How much did Mr. Worthy pay you to send Karen Vander Voort away?”

  Carole looked at him, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Ms. Hennessey, I asked you a question.”

  Carole looked down at her hands.

  “Ms. Hennessey, how much did Mr. Worthy pay you to send Karen Vander Voort away?”

  “He didn’t pay me.”

  “I see.” Burr put his hands in his pants pockets. “You are aware that you could go to jail for lying under oath?”

  “Objection, Your Honor. Counsel is threatening the witness,” Karpinen said.

  Burr started in again before Lindstrom could rule. “It will be a simple matter to find out, Ms. Hennessey.”

  “Stop it, counsel,” Lindstrom said.

  “How much?” he said.

  Carole didn’t say anything. Neither did Burr. He looked out the window at the maple tree. There were still a few leaves hanging on for dear life. He looked back at Carole. “Ms. Hennessey, why would Mr. Worthy pay you to get rid of Ms. Vander Voort?”

  “I didn’t say he did.”

  “No, you didn’t, but if he did pay you, why would he?”

  “I object, Your Honor. This is sheer speculation,” Karpinen said.

  “Sustained,” Lindstrom said. “Mr. Lafayette, you are treading on thin ice.”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” Burr said. “Ms. Hennessey, let me review the bidding. You said Mr. Worthy didn’t pay you and you don’t know why he would. Am I right so far?” Carole still didn’t say anything. “The silence is deafening.”

  If I didn’t ruin it last night, I did now.

  “Ms. Hennessey, if you don’t tell me how much Mr. Worthy paid you, I am going to subpoena your bank records.”

  Karpinen jumped to his feet. “Objection, Your Honor.”

  Burr kept going. “How much?”

  “Objection.” Karpinen jumped up and down.

  “How much?” Burr said again.

  “Five-thousand dollars.”

  “I have no further questions,” Burr said.

  Karpinen asked Carole a few questions, but the damage had been done.

  Burr called Lionel Worthy.

  I’m going to win or lose right here.

  “Mr. Worthy, on the night of July 17th, why did you go into The Pink Pony after it closed?”

  “I didn’t go into The Pink Pony,” Worthy said.

  He’s awfully matter of fact.

  “Mr. Ravenswood said he saw you go in The Pink Pony after it closed. How do you explain that?”

  “He’s mistaken.”

  “Mr. Ravenswood testified under oath that he saw you go into The Pink Pony.” Burr looked behind him at Ravenswood, then back at Worthy. “Which one of you is lying?” Worthy didn’t say a word. “I asked you a question.”

  “Objection, Your Honor,” Karpinen said. “Asked and answered.”

  “Sustained,” Lindstrom said.

  “Mr. Worthy, how do you explain the fact that your fingerprints were found on the Christmas lights?”

  Karpinen bolted to his feet. “Objection, Your Honor,” Karpinen said. “That evidence has already been ruled inadmissible.”

  “Lafayette, this is an outrage.” Lindstrom wagged his gavel at him. “If you bring this up one more time, I will eject you once and for all. Is that clear?”

  Burr did his best to look contrite. “Yes, Your Honor.”

  Lindstrom addressed the jury. “You will disregard Mr. Lafayette’s last question.”

  “Mr. Worthy, how much did you pay Ms. Hennessey to send Karen Vander Voort away?” Worthy flinched, not much, but he flinched.

  “I didn’t pay her anything.”

  “About five minutes ago, Ms. Hennessey testified that you paid her five-thousand dollars to send her away.”

  “I did no such thing,” Worthy said.

  “Mr. Worthy,” Burr put his hand in his pockets and rocked back and forth, heel to toe. “Mr. Ravenswood testified that he saw you go into The Pink Pony after it closed. At about the time Mr. Lyons was killed.” Burr stopped rocking and glared at Worthy. “And Ms. Hennessey has testified that you paid her five-thousand dollars to send Karen Vander Voort away. What do you say to that?”

  “I did no such thing,” Worthy said again. He flinched again. Still not much of a flinch but enough for the jury to notice.

  This is it.


  “Mr. Worthy, you’re now between a rock and a hard place.” Worthy sat there like the rock. “The way I see it, you’re either guilty of perjury or murder.” Burr looked over at the jury. They didn’t much care for Worthy. “Either way, you go to jail. Which is it? Perjury or murder?”

  Worthy reached in his jacket pocket and took out his cigarettes. He studied the red and white pack of Pall Malls. He turned it over in his hand. Then he put it back in his pocket. He turned the color of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s nose. He didn’t say boo, but he was clearly rattled.

  “Which is it, Mr. Worthy? Perjury or murder?”

  Silence.

  “I’m going to ask you one more time. Did you pay Carole Hennessy to send Karen Vander Voort away?”

  More silence.

  “Your Honor, please compel Mr. Worthy to answer the question.”

  Lindstrom looked down at Worthy. “Answer the question.”

  Worthy sat. And sat. And sat. Finally, “I exercise my Fifth Amendment rights.”

  “And why is that?” Burr looked at the jury, then back at Worthy. “Because answering the question might incriminate you?”

  “No,” Worthy said.

  “No, what, Mr. Worthy?”

  “No, I did not commit perjury or murder.”

  Worthy was regaining his composure. Burr knew he had to finish before Worthy put himself back together. “Mr. Worthy, did you do these things on your own or did someone pay you to do them?”

  “All of my actions are protected by attorney-client privilege.”

  “So, someone did pay you?”

  “No one paid me.”

  “So, you did these things on your own.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Worthy, but I thought that was exactly what you said.” Burr turned to Lindstrom. “Your Honor, I believe that Mr. Worthy strangled Mr. Lyons in The Pink Pony during the early morning hours of July 18th. I request the court order that Mr. Worthy’s fingerprints be taken.”

  “Objection, Your Honor,” Karpinen said. “Mr. Worthy is not on trial here.”

  “He’s about to be,” Burr said.

  Lindstrom pointed his gavel at Burr. “Mr. Lafayette, you are without a doubt the most combative attorney I have ever had the misfortune to have in my courtroom.” Lindstrom pointed his gavel at Worthy. “And you, sir, are the most belligerent witness I have ever had.” Lindstrom pointed his gavel back at Burr. “Mr. Lafayette, in the interest of justice, I am inclined to grant your request.”

  Burr exhaled. “Thank you, Your Honor.” He turned to Worthy. “Just to review, you have claimed attorney-client privilege. You have taken the Fifth Amendment. And your fingerprints are about to be taken. Let me ask you one more question. Were you with anyone after the bar closed that night?” Worthy didn’t say anything. “Mr. Worthy, were you with anyone after the bar closed?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  Bingo.

  “Mr. Worthy, why did you kill Mr. Lyons?”

  “I didn’t kill him. I swear I didn’t. I was outside on the street after the bar closed and I saw Anne Halverson go into the bar from the sidewalk. I waited for a few minutes. Then I went in.”

  Burr thought this was all going a little too fast, but he decided to let Worthy finish.

  “When I got inside the bar, I saw Jimmy sitting on a chair with the Christmas lights wrapped around his neck. She was strangling him.” Worthy pointed at Anne.

  * * *

  Karpinen didn’t question Worthy, not that Worthy would have said anything anyway. Lindstrom called for closing arguments. Karpinen laid out his proofs. He did his best to discredit Worthy’s testimony as unreliable. He outlined the elements of murder and called for the jury to convict Murdo of first-degree murder.

  Burr told the jury that there were any number of possible murderers, each of whom had a motive. All of Jimmy’s creditors. Jane and, of course, the villain the du jour, Lionel Worthy. Burr didn’t use Worthy’s testimony to incriminate Anne but rather to show that Worthy was lying to save his own skin. He said that there wasn’t enough to convict Murdo beyond a reasonable doubt. It wasn’t even close.

  Lindstrom instructed the jury on the ins and outs of murder and sent them off to deliberate.

  After Lindstrom dismissed them, Burr and company met with the Halversons underneath Burr’s maple tree. Burr looked up through the branches. He counted seven leaves hanging on for dear life.

  Murdo flipped his hair off his face. “I can’t fathom how any juror in their right mind could convict me, but did you have to do it at Anne’s expense?”

  Burr watched one of the leaves fall off the tree. He looked at Murdo. “I had no idea that Worthy would say that. He was desperate to save himself.”

  “We were together the whole night,” Anne said.

  Of course, you were.

  “Carole, Ravenswood and Worthy wouldn’t have been necessary if you would have let me call you as a witness.”

  “I don’t want to be the next one tried for murder.”

  “I don’t think anyone thinks you killed Jimmy, and I’m sure Karpinen doesn’t,” Burr said.

  “You didn’t have to humiliate me.”

  “Jimmy Lyons is dead. Murdo is as good as acquitted and you’re worried about being humiliated?”

  “What do we do now?” said Martha.

  “Now we wait,” Burr said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Burr, Jacob, Eve and Aunt Kitty sat in front of a fire at Windward. Zeke lay in front of the fireplace. They were all drinking martinis, except for Jacob, who was drinking tea. Burr wasn’t celebrating yet. As far as he was concerned, this was just another cocktail hour.

  Martha Halverson arrived by carriage twenty minutes later, unannounced. Burr answered the door.

  “May we speak alone?” she said.

  “Come join us in the living room.”

  “I should fire you on the spot,” she said, hissing.

  “You could, but your precious Murdo hasn’t been acquitted yet.” He led her into the living room and seated her in one of the wingback chairs. It was the most throne-like chair he could find. “A martini? Cognac?”

  “Cognac,” she said.

  “I’d like one, too,” Aunt Kitty said.

  Burr poured their cognacs. Martha set hers on the table beside her.

  I wonder what the queen of screw machines has on her mind?

  Martha raised her glass. “To justice.”

  Burr raised his glass. “To an acquittal.”

  “You’ve certainly done enough to acquit my son. In spite of what you did to Anne.” She looked at Aunt Kitty, then at Burr. “I hired you to prove my son didn’t kill Jimmy Lyons. I didn’t hire you to find out who did. There is a difference.”

  There surely is.

  Martha stood. “Would you mind terribly coming over for a few minutes. We’d like to have a private conversation.”

  “How about tomorrow?”

  “There’s a check waiting for you.”

  “We haven’t heard the verdict yet,” Burr said, immediately wishing he hadn’t.

  It’s never too soon to get paid.

  “We have confidence in you.” Martha started to the door. “You can ride with me.”

  * * *

  Burr pedaled on the trail that ran through the woods to the fort, Zeke just behind him. Riding in a carriage with Martha was more than he could stand, but if there was a check waiting for him at Aerie, he could put up with whatever they had to say.

  The moon ducked in and out of the clouds, but there was just enough light to see the trail. The leaves crunched underneath his tires. He smelled the cedars. He saw the water below him through the trees. “Zeke, we may have to take Main Street back.”

  “I have a flashlight you c
an use.”

  He skidded to a stop.

  “Anne, how nice to see you. I was just on my way to Aerie.”

  “I know.”

  “I was expecting you. But not here.”

  “I thought we might talk about what happened at The Pink Pony.”

  Burr climbed off his bike. Anne shined the flashlight in his eyes.

  “You’ve done all you needed to do to acquit Murdo.”

  Burr took a step to his right, but Anne kept the light in his eyes.

  “It was a great performance on your part, but you went too far. I didn’t hire that awful Lionel Worthy to do anything.”

  “You didn’t hire him. He blackmailed you.”

  “He did no such thing.”

  “Jimmy and Murdo were lovers. I think Worthy was blackmailing Jimmy, but he needed a new client once Jimmy was killed. That’s where you came in.”

  “Nonsense.” She kept the light on his eyes.

  He took a step toward her. “Worthy didn’t care who killed Jimmy. He just wanted a new fish. Maybe he saw you standing over Jimmy. Maybe he didn’t. I think he thought Murdo killed Jimmy and you found him after he was dead.”

  “That’s exactly what happened.”

  Burr took a step. “That’s not how it happened. You saw Jimmy and Murdo making eyes at each other in the bar and it made you wild. That’s why you sat on his lap. You loved Jimmy, too. God knows why. You were jealous because Jimmy liked Murdo more than he liked you. It was Murdo and Jimmy at the Townsend. Not you and Jimmy.” Burr tried to see the expression on Anne’s face, but the flashlight was still in his eyes.

  He took another step.

  “The two of them snuck back into the bar after it closed. Buehler was right about that. Is that when you decided not to testify? After you heard what he said? Because you thought Buehler might have seen you? Is that when you panicked?”

  Another step.

  “Because Karen Vander Voort, wherever she is, forgot to lock the door.”