Burying the Lede

by Joseph LeValley

  As a result, he now found himself in the familiar routine of pouring his own scotch into a tumbler of ice and digging through the refrigerator for something edible. As he was debating the merits of cold leftover pizza versus a cold leftover hoagie sandwich, he was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

  It wasn’t Pike’s nature to be grumpy, but he wasn’t happy about being bothered at home in the evening after a difficult day in court. He opened the door fully expecting to tell whoever was there to go away and leave him alone.

  The face that greeted him was that of Tony Harrington from the Crier.

  “Good evening,” Pike said, trying to sound less worn down than he felt. “Tony, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right, sir. I was wondering if we could visit for a few minutes.”

  “Well, Tony, I’m just fixing myself some dinner. And besides, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to be talking about the trial, assuming that’s why you’re here, at this crucial juncture. If I were to say something I shouldn’t and cause a mistrial at this point, Judge Schroeder would nail my hide to the courthouse door.”

  “I understand and I’m sorry to bother you at home. But please understand, I’m not here to interview you for the paper. I’d just like to talk, completely off the record.”

  Against his better judgment, Pike decided some company, even a reporter’s, was better than sitting in his kitchen alone. He pulled the door open to its full width. “Come on in.”

  Tony declined Pike’s offer of scotch but did accept a Coke before following Pike out to the deck on the back of the house. The evening was cool, but the lack of any breeze made it perfectly pleasant to relax in the well-padded deck chairs with cold drinks.

  Pike studied his young guest closely, deciding to keep quiet and let Tony decide when and how to open the conversation. Tony’s Coke was half finished before he finally broke the silence.

  “I assume you’re wondering why I’m here.” Another long pause. Pike waited and Tony finally continued, “It may surprise you to learn I’m wondering the same thing. Maybe I just need to hear it from you, from the person who knows him best at this point.” Another long pause, this time broken by Pike.

  “What is it you need to hear?”

  “Is he innocent?” Tony blurted the question and then said, even more awkwardly, “I think he is.” He paused before continuing, “You probably know, having seen the law enforcement reports, that I was there the night he was arrested. After seeing him in that setting, so utterly confused and…and…harmless, I don’t know, I just never believed he did it.”

  Pike leaned back in his chair and looked up at the cloudless sky as he absently tipped his glass back and forth, causing the ice to churn in the scotch. He wasn’t surprised. Somehow he had sensed Tony’s support in his reporting of the case. Pike was, however, completely baffled regarding how he should respond. After a few moments hesitation, he chose to be open.

  “Yes, Tony. I believe Ralph Wells really is innocent of these horrendous crimes. However, I’m sure you realize that no one ever can be completely certain. Only Ralph and the Ennises, God bless their souls, know for sure if he was involved. But you’re right. I feel I know him and I can’t imagine him killing two people in cold blood while their young daughters slept nearby. The circumstances just seem to exist in a universe completely different than the one in which Ralph lives.”

  “So what’s going to happen?”

  This question caught Pike completely off guard and actually caused him to laugh out loud. “Are you really asking me to predict the outcome of the trial?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m worried Wells is going to be convicted. Sorry, no offense, Mr. Pike, you’ve been terrific. It’s just…”

  “No offense taken. I understand better than anyone that the facts are the facts, and I’m excruciatingly aware of the real risk that the jury is going to make the wrong decision.” Saying this out loud caused Pike’s anxiety to spike. His stomach felt like he had swallowed the tumbler instead of its contents. Perhaps inviting Tony in had been a mistake after all.

  Tony was oblivious to Pike’s reaction and stared at his Coke as he continued, “I feel like I should have done something. It’s so frustrating to report the facts of the case when I have all these feelings that I have to keep to myself.”

  “Tony, stop. In the first place, it’s not your job to help Mr. Wells. It’s mine. And in the second place, you have no idea what frustration is. Imagine my angst about not being able to do more for Ralph. This is just the way it is. We all do our jobs to the best of our abilities and hope for the best. It’s all I can do and it’s all you can do.”

  “I appreciate your counsel, Mr. Pike. Really I do. But it doesn’t help much.”

  Pike chuckled again. “Of course not. No one who supports Ralph is happy about having to live with the situation, least of all Ralph. But we do.”

  “Does he talk to you about it? I mean, he seems so quiet and disconnected from what’s happening in the courtroom.”

  “I’m sorry, Tony, but now you’ve wandered into an area that clearly is off limits. I cannot and will not even hint at what transpires between me and my client.”

  “Of course,” Tony nodded. “I should have known better than to ask.” Another long silence and then, “When this is all done, regardless of the outcome, could you do me a favor?”

  Pike’s brow wrinkled in curiosity as he waited for Tony to explain.

  “Could you arrange for me to interview Ralph? I’m embarrassed that I haven’t done a more in-depth article about him before now.”

  “I certainly will be happy to ask him, but it will be entirely up to him whether he says yes or no. As you’ve noted, he’s a pretty quiet person.”

  Tony nodded again, “I understand completely. All I can ask is that you communicate my request to him. I just think that will be better than having him hear from me directly.”

  Tony stood. “Thanks for the Coke. I can see myself out.” He started to go, but turned and spoke to the back of Pike’s chair. “I’m sorry I bothered you, Mr. Pike. I should have realized you have a lot bigger things to think about than my frustrations. I appreciate your time.”

  “Tony.” Pike spoke but didn’t move from his chair.

  “Sir?”

  “I’m glad you came. I’m glad to know there are people who see this case the way I do, and I’m glad Ralph has your support.”

  “Well I…”

  “I’m not finished. I don’t know the answer to your question about what’s going to happen. Here’s what I do know: I promise you I will do everything in my power to give Ralph Wells a chance.”

  “I know you will, Mr. Pike. I never doubted that for a minute.”

  As Tony stepped off the deck and around the house to the front, Pike remained in his chair, swirling his ice and staring at the darkening sky.

  How did I end up with this mess? It wasn’t a real question. Pike knew exactly how it had happened. He remembered getting the call months ago from the clerk of court’s office, saying Judge Schroeder wanted to see him. It wasn’t common to be summoned to a judge’s office, but it wasn’t unheard of either. Pike told his secretary he would be gone for an hour or so and left immediately for the courthouse.

  Once there, Schroeder had waved him right in.

  “I suppose you’ve guessed why you’re here,” Schroeder had opened.

  “Actually, Your Honor, I don’t have a clue,” Pike had responded honestly.

  “You’re here, Mr. Pike, because I’m going to appoint you to represent Ralph Adam Wells in his defense of the two murder charges.”

  “But, Your Honor,” Pike had protested, “I checked the pro-bono list and Steve Tylerman’s name was at the top for the next felony case. Steve’s a perfectly capable attorney and in a law firm a lot bigger than mine. He would be a perfectly acceptable choice for Wells’ defense.”

  Pike wasn’t used to debating such matters with a judge, especially a hard-nosed, stubborn judge like
Schroeder. On the other hand, if he accepted the Wells case, it would completely dominate his small practice for most of a year, maybe more. Even worse, Pike had read the news stories about the case. The police had the murder weapon and other evidence that would be hard to dispute. Whoever took this case was likely to lose. Ahh, Pike thought, just as the judge confirmed what he was thinking.

  “Larry, I’m not giving this case to Steve Tylerman because he’s in the prime of his career. Whoever defends Wells runs the risk of alienating a big part of the community, and then is likely to lose. These are not exactly outcomes that help an attorney maintain a successful practice.”

  “Well, judge, I appreciate your honesty, but for those same reasons I am reluctant to step in and solve this problem for Steve.”

  “Come on, Larry, be a little pragmatic here. You have a small practice. A handful of clients a year is all you need to keep bread on the table. More importantly, you’re at the tail end of your career. If this goes really badly, you don’t have to deal with the fallout if you don’t want to. You could retire anytime.”

  “While that may be true, Your Honor, I’m not really interested in retirement. The law is all I have. More to the point, the fact that Steve is younger than me does not seem to be an appropriate basis on which to ask me to do this.”

  “Let’s be clear, Mr. Pike,” Schroeder responded, rising out of his chair and staring right into Pike’s eyes. “I’m not asking you to do this. I’m telling you that you will do it.”

  “And if I refuse?” Pike asked, staring right back without blinking.

  “Then the negative fallout of this case begins for you much sooner and much more directly. In short, I’m going to make your life in court as miserable as possible.”

  “Your Honor, if I may speak openly, that threat is unfair to me and, more importantly, it’s unfair to every client I bring into court.”

  “Life isn’t fair, Mr. Pike,” Schroeder said, easing himself back into his chair. He looked back at the paperwork on his desk, saying, “The court order will be in your mail tomorrow. You’re dismissed.”

  Pike had left without another word.

  Looking back on it now, from the chair of his deck on a cool fall evening, Pike still found the episode upsetting. However, he found some comfort in the fact that he had never let his resentment of the circumstances prevent him from giving his all to Ralph Wells. He had accepted the case and worked it as if Wells was his best friend in need of help. Unfortunately, just as he had told young Tony, the facts were the facts.

  Well, Pike thought, I have a promise to keep. I’m going to do all I can to give Mr. Wells a chance. He stood, walked over to the deck railing, and poured the remainder of his drink into the bushes. He then walked back into the house to put on a proper shirt and head back to the office to rework his closing argument.

  The cold pizza and hoagie still lay on the kitchen table as Pike went out the front door.

  Chapter 12

  Tony awoke early on Friday morning. Too early, he thought, as he rolled over and looked at the clock radio’s digital display: 6:45 a.m. “Ugh,” he said as he headed for the kitchen to start the coffee pot. He had spent Thursday evening, and even worse Thursday night, alone. He had worked late, struggling with how to describe in his story the defendant’s piss-poor performance without saying too bluntly the defendant had put on a piss-poor performance. He was alone because on Thursday evenings Lisa volunteered at the local community theater, helping with everything from set construction to ticket sales. After volunteering, she had gone home to spend the night in her own bed. She preferred to sleep at home most nights, not wanting her father to think she was actually living with Tony. Her dad knew, of course, that Lisa stayed overnight with Tony sometimes. Fortunately, it didn’t appear to be a problem. He was still cordial whenever Tony stopped at his home to see Lisa or if they bumped into each other somewhere in town. Her dad was apparently no prude, or at least was a realist about the likely behaviors of a woman of Lisa’s age.

  Tony was looking forward to the day with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Both stemmed from the fact that today the court would hear closing arguments in Wells’ trial. Closing arguments were a lot of work for a reporter who wanted to capture the theatrics and drama of the experience as well as try to summarize all of the facts in the case as presented from two distinctly different points of view. Tony wanted to do all of that, so he knew it would be another late night in the newsroom. Even worse, however, was his anticipation of how it would go. A slick prosecutor with an airtight case versus an elderly defense counsel with virtually no case at all.

  So, if those are facts, why do they gnaw at me? Tony wondered for the thousandth time. Wells did it and I should be glad he’s going to prison. In his mind, the words sounded empty, as if they weren’t real words at all, just made-up sounds designed to lull him into submission. As Tony slid his tie up and grabbed his pad and pen, he wondered if Pike would pull some miracle out of his closing remarks. Some statement so dramatic it would move everyone in the courtroom to feel like Tony did.

  Not a chance in hell, he thought, and walked out the back door to his SUV.

  ***

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” W. Rodney Nelson began after getting the word from Judge Schroeder to proceed. “The State of Iowa has asked a great deal of each of you. We’ve asked you to take time away from your jobs, your hobbies, and your loved ones and to sit attentively in the courtroom each day. We’ve asked you to look at dozens of pieces of evidence and listen to thousands of words of testimony, all while not growing tired as we attorneys got revved up and forgot when to stop talking.”

  At this, everyone smiled and a few chuckled.

  “Well, ladies and gentlemen,” Nelson continued, growing serious once again, “now the great State of Iowa is about to ask you to do the hardest thing of all. It is going to ask you to go into the jury room down the hall and bring to justice this man, Ralph Adam Wells. The State of Iowa knows Mr. Wells is young. The State of Iowa knows Mr. Wells has friends who like him and a wife who loves him. The State of Iowa knows that if you find Mr. Wells guilty of these crimes, as I believe you must and you will, it will be a great tragedy for his wife and his family. We don’t expect you to take this lightly; we don’t ask you to take it lightly. You have a serious responsibility and we want you to take it seriously.”

  Nelson paused for effect. “So. Let’s talk for a moment about that responsibility. While I’ve acknowledged that when you find a young man guilty of such horrendous crimes, it is a tragedy, but let me remind you that letting a ruthless, cold-blooded killer remain free on the streets of our community would be the far greater tragedy. You cannot return to this courtroom with anything except two findings of guilty… guilty of murder in the first degree, because if you don’t, that is exactly what you will be doing. You will be letting a monster go free.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, whether or not Ralph Adam Wells looks like a monster to you, I maintain that is exactly what he is. That is what the evidence says he is. And that is the bottom line regarding what the State of Iowa asks of you today. You are charged with looking at the evidence in this case and determining what the evidence says about Mr. Wells’ guilt. And if it isn’t obvious to you already, let me assure you the evidence is absolutely, unquestionably clear.”

  Nelson then walked through a summary of the State’s case, moving quickly so as to not irritate the jury, but holding up each exhibit as the item was referenced in his remarks. Tony took only a few notes. He knew the list by heart at this point: Wells’ gun killed the victims, the young girl in the house saw a man wearing Wells’ clothes leave the house immediately after the killings, Wells had no alibi for the night of the killings, Wells’ own sister testified he was in a state of mind to do the killings and had a motive for wanting one of the victims dead.

  As Nelson continued, he recapped the photos of the crime scene, the testimony of the experts, and a dozen other pieces of evidence. At the end of all this, he paus
ed once again and then walked to the prosecution’s table. From it, he picked up a photograph, blown up to three times the size of a normal portrait. Tony could see it clearly as Nelson turned to face the jury again. In full color, Jerry and Anne Ennis could be seen dressed in a tuxedo and wedding dress, smiling as they held hands while walking down the aisle on their wedding day.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Nelson said, with as grave a voice as he could muster. “As you know, this trial is about more than Ralph Adam Wells. This trial also is about these two young people, these two victims of Mr. Wells’ evil deeds. Jerry and Anne were in the early years of what was destined to be a long and happy marriage. They had two beautiful daughters. They too had friends who liked them and family who loved them. They had lives, until Ralph Adam Wells drove to their farmhouse, brazenly walked up the stairs to their bedroom, fired four bullets from his rifle into their brains, and left them dead on their marital bed.” He strode to the evidence table and slid another photo, this one in a clear plastic evidence bag, into his free hand. He then held up the two photos. The jury was confronted with the stark, cruel contrast of one photo of the smiling couple on their wedding day and one of their two bloody bodies sprawled on the bed soaked in blood. He faced both photos toward the jury.

  “As you can plainly see, you cannot save Jerry and Anne Ennis. You cannot ease the grief in their two daughters’ hearts. You cannot take our community back to the innocence it enjoyed before these horrible murders. What you can do is make sure their killer is brought to justice today.

  “Take your job seriously,” he said, slamming the two photos onto the table, “and bring back two verdicts of murder in the first degree. Thank you.”

  Nelson sat down. He had been performing for a little over an hour. It was early for a break, but an obvious point for one. The judge left it up to Pike.

  “Mr. Pike, we can take a short recess here, or you can proceed with your argument. Do you have a preference?”