Three Classic Thrillers

by John Grisham

  He drove eighty and ninety, passing on yellow lines and on curves and over bridges. He sped through speed zones in tiny towns and hamlets. He was uncertain what drew him to Parchman with such speed. There wasn’t much he could do once he got there. The legal maneuverings had been left behind in Jackson. He would sit with Sam and count the hours. Or maybe they would celebrate a wonderful gift from federal court.

  He stopped at a roadside grocery near the small town of Flora for gas and fruit juice, and he was driving away from the pumps when he heard the news. The bored and listless talk show host was now filled with excitement as he relayed the breaking story in the Cayhall case. United States District Court Judge F. Flynn Slattery had just denied Cayhall’s last petition, his claim to be mentally incompetent. The matter would be appealed to the Fifth Circuit within the hour. Sam Cayhall had just taken a giant step toward the Mississippi gas chamber, the host said dramatically.

  Instead of punching the accelerator, Adam slowed to a reasonable speed and sipped his drink. He turned off the radio. He cracked his window to allow the warm air to circulate. He cursed Slattery for many miles, talking vainly at the windshield and dragging up all sorts of vile names. It was now a little past noon. Slattery, in all fairness, could’ve ruled five hours ago. Hell, if he had guts he could’ve ruled last night. They could be in front of the Fifth Circuit already. He cursed Breck Jefferson also, for good measure.

  Sam had told him from the beginning that Mississippi wanted an execution. It was lagging behind Louisiana and Texas and Florida, even Alabama and Georgia and Virginia were killing at a more enviable rate. Something had to be done. The appeals were endless. The criminals were coddled. Crime was rampant. It was time to execute somebody and show the rest of the country that this state was serious about law and order.

  Adam finally believed him.

  He stopped the swearing after a while. He finished the drink and threw the bottle over the car and into a ditch, in direct violation of Mississippi laws against littering. It was difficult to express his present opinions of Mississippi and its laws.

  He could see Sam sitting in his cell, watching the television, hearing the news.

  Adam’s heart ached for the old man. He had failed as a lawyer. His client was about to die at the hands of the government, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

  ______

  The news electrified the army of reporters and cameramen now sprawled about the small Visitors Center just inside the front gate. They gathered around portable televisions and watched their stations in Jackson and Memphis. At least four shot live segments from Parchman while countless others milled around the area. Their little section of ground had been cordoned off by ropes and barricades, and was being watched closely by Nugent’s troops.

  The racket increased noticeably along the highway when the news spread. The Klansmen, now a hundred strong, began chanting loudly in the direction of the administration buildings. The skinheads and Nazis and Aryans hurled obscenities at anyone who would listen to them. The nuns and other silent protestors sat under umbrellas and tried to ignore their rowdy neighbors.

  Sam heard the news as he was holding a bowl of turnip greens, his final meal before his last meal. He stared at the television, watched the scenes switch from Jackson to Parchman and back again. A young black lawyer he’d never heard of was talking to a reporter and explaining what he and the rest of the Cayhall defense team would do next.

  His friend Buster Moac had complained that there were so damned many lawyers involved with his case in the last days that he couldn’t keep up with who was on his side and who was trying to kill him. But Sam was certain Adam was in control.

  He finished the turnip greens, and placed the bowl on the tray at the foot of his bed. He walked to the bars and sneered at the blank-faced guard watching him from behind the tier door. The hall was silent. The televisions were on in every cell, all turned low and being watched with morbid interest. Not a single voice could be heard, and that in itself was extremely rare.

  He pulled off his red jumpsuit for the last time, wadded it up and threw it in a corner. He kicked the rubber shower shoes under his bed, never to see them again. He carefully placed his new outfit on the bed, arranged it just so, then slowly unbuttoned the short-sleeved shirt and put it on. It fit nicely. He slid his legs into the stiff work khakis, pulled the zipper up and buttoned the waist. The pants were two inches too long, so he sat on the bed and turned them up into neat, precise cuffs. The cotton socks were thick and soothing. The shoes were a bit large but not a bad fit.

  The sensation of being fully dressed in real clothes brought sudden, painful memories of the free world. These were the pants he’d worn for forty years, until he’d been incarcerated. He’d bought them at the old dry goods store on the square in Clanton, always keeping four or five pair in the bottom drawer of his large dresser. His wife pressed them with no starch, and after a half dozen washings they felt like old pajamas. He wore them to work and he wore them to town. He wore them on fishing trips with Eddie, and he wore them on the porch swinging little Lee. He wore them to the coffee shop and to Klan meetings. Yes, he’d even worn them on that fateful trip to Greenville to bomb the office of the radical Jew.

  He sat on his bed and pinched the sharp creases under his knees. It had been nine years and six months since he had worn these pants. Only fitting, he guessed, that he should now wear them to the gas chamber.

  They’d be cut from his body, placed in a bag, and burned.

  ______

  Adam stopped first at Lucas Mann’s office. Louise at the front gate had given him a note saying it was important. Mann closed the door behind him and offered a seat. Adam declined. He was anxious to see Sam.

  “The Fifth Circuit received the appeal thirty minutes ago,” Mann said. “I thought you might want to use my phone to call Jackson.”

  “Thanks. But I’ll use the one at the Row.”

  “Fine. I’m talking to the AG’s office every half hour, so if I hear something I’ll give you a call.”

  “Thanks.” Adam was fidgeting.

  “Does Sam want a last meal?”

  “I’ll ask him in a minute.”

  “Fine. Give me a call, or just tell Packer. What about witnesses?”

  “Sam will have no witnesses.”

  “What about you?”

  “No. He won’t allow it. We agreed on it a long time ago.”

  “Fine. I can’t think of anything else. I have a fax and a phone, and things may be a bit quieter in here. Feel free to use my office.”

  “Thanks,” Adam said, stepping from the office. He drove slowly to the Row and parked for the last time in the dirt lot next to the fence. He walked slowly to the guard tower and placed his keys in the bucket.

  Four short weeks ago he had stood there and watched the red bucket descend for the first time, and he’d thought how crude but effective this little system was. Only four weeks! It seemed like years.

  He waited for the double gates, and met Tiny on the steps.

  Sam was already in the front office, sitting on the edge of the desk, admiring his shoes. “Check out the new threads,” he said proudly when Adam entered.

  Adam stepped close and inspected the clothing from shoes to shirt. Sam was beaming. His face was clean-shaven. “Spiffy. Real spiffy.”

  “A regular dude, aren’t I?”

  “You look nice, Sam, real nice. Did Donnie bring these?”

  “Yeah. He got them at the dollar store. I started to order some designer threads from New York, but what the hell. It’s only an execution. I told you I wouldn’t allow them to kill me in one of those red prison suits. I took it off a while ago, never to wear one again. I have to admit, Adam, it was a good feeling.”

  “You’ve heard the latest?”

  “Sure. It’s all over the news. Sorry about the hearing.”

  “It’s in the Fifth Circuit now, and I feel good about it. I like our chances there.”

  Sam sm
iled and looked away, as if the little boy was telling his grandfather a harmless lie. “They had a black lawyer on television at noon, said he was working for me. What the hell’s going on?”

  “That was probably Hez Kerry.” Adam placed his briefcase on the desk and sat down.

  “Am I paying him too?”

  “Yeah, Sam, you’re paying him at the same rate you’re paying me.”

  “Just curious. That screwball doctor, what’s his name, Swinn? He must’ve done a number on me.”

  “It was pretty sad, Sam. When he finished testifying, the entire courtroom could see you floating around your cell, scratching your teeth and peeing on the floor.”

  “Well, I’m about to be put out of my misery.” Sam’s words were strong and loud, almost defiant. There was not a trace of fear. “Look, I have a small favor to ask of you,” he said, reaching for yet another envelope.

  “Who is it this time?”

  Sam handed it to him. “I want you to take this to the highway by the front gate, and I want you to find the leader of that bunch of Kluckers out there, and I want you to read it to him. Try and get the cameras to film it, because I want people to know what it says.”

  Adam held it suspiciously. “What does it say?”

  “It’s quick and to the point. I ask them all to go home. To leave me alone, so that I can die in peace. I’ve never heard of some of those groups, and they’re getting a lot of mileage out of my death.”

  “You can’t make them leave, you know.”

  “I know. And I don’t expect them to. But the television makes it appear as if these are my friends and cronies. I don’t know a single person out there.”

  “I’m not so sure it’s a good idea right now,” Adam said, thinking out loud.

  “Why not?”

  “Because as we speak, we’re telling the Fifth Circuit that you’re basically a vegetable, incapable of putting together thoughts like this.”

  Sam was suddenly angry. “You lawyers,” he sneered. “Don’t you ever give up? It’s over, Adam, stop playing games.”

  “It’s not over.”

  “As far as I’m concerned it is. Now, take the damned letter and do as I say.”

  “Right now?” Adam asked, looking at his watch. It was one-thirty.

  “Yes! Right now. I’ll be waiting here.”

  ______

  Adam parked by the guardhouse at the front gate, and explained to Louise what he was about to do. He was nervous. She gave a leery look at the white envelope in his hand, and yelled for two uniformed guards to walk over. They escorted Adam through the front gate and toward the demonstration area. Some reporters covering the protestors recognized Adam, and immediately flocked to him. He and the guards walked quickly along the front fence, ignoring their questions. Adam was scared but determined, and more than a little comforted by his newly found bodyguards.

  He walked directly to the blue and white canopy which marked the headquarters for the Klan, and by the time he stopped, a group of white-robes was waiting for him. The press encircled Adam, his guards, the Klansmen. “Who’s in charge here?” Adam demanded, holding his breath.

  “Who wants to know?” asked a burly young man with a black beard and sunburned cheeks. Sweat dripped from his eyebrows as he stepped forward.

  “I have a statement here from Sam Cayhall,” Adam said loudly, and the circle compressed. Cameras clicked. Reporters shoved microphones and recorders into the air around Adam.

  “Quiet,” someone yelled.

  “Get back!” one of the guards snapped.

  A tense group of Klansmen, all in matching robes but most without the hoods, packed tighter together in front of Adam. He recognized none of them from his last confrontation on Friday. These guys did not look too friendly.

  The racket stopped along the grassy strip as the crowd pushed closer to hear Sam’s lawyer.

  Adam pulled the note from the envelope and held it with both hands. “My name is Adam Hall, and I’m Sam Cayhall’s lawyer. This is a statement from Sam,” he repeated. “It’s dated today, and addressed to all members of the Ku Klux Klan, and to the other groups demonstrating on his behalf here today. I quote: ‘Please leave. Your presence here is of no comfort to me. You’re using my execution as a means to further your own interests. I do not know a single one of you, nor do I care to meet you. Please go away immediately. I prefer to die without the benefit of your theatrics.’ ”

  Adam glanced at the stern faces of the Klansmen, all hot and dripping with perspiration. “The last paragraph reads as follows, and I quote: ‘I am no longer a member of the Ku Klux Klan. I repudiate that organization and all that it stands for. I would be a free man today had I never heard of the Ku Klux Klan.’ It’s signed by Sam Cayhall.” Adam flipped it over and thrust it toward the Kluckers, all of whom were speechless and stunned.

  The one with the black beard and sunburned cheeks lunged at Adam in an attempt to grab the letter. “Gimme that!” he yelled, but Adam yanked it away. The guard to Adam’s right stepped forward quickly and blocked the man, who pushed the guard. The guard shoved him back, and for a few terrifying seconds Adam’s bodyguards scuffled with a few of the Kluckers. Other guards had been watching nearby, and within seconds they were in the middle of the shoving match. Order was restored quickly. The crowd backed away.

  Adam smirked at the Kluckers. “Leave!” Adam shouted. “You heard what he said! He’s ashamed of you!”

  “Go to hell!” the leader yelled back.

  The two guards grabbed Adam and led him away before he stirred them up again. They moved rapidly toward the front gate, knocking reporters and cameramen out of the way. They practically ran through the entrance, past another line of guards, past another swarm of reporters, and finally to Adam’s car.

  “Don’t come back up here, okay?” one of the guards pleaded with him.

  ______

  McAllister’s office was known to have more leaks than an old toilet. By early afternoon, Tuesday, the hottest gossip in Jackson was that the governor was seriously considering clemency for Sam Cayhall. The gossip spread rapidly from the capitol to the reporters outside where it was picked up by other reporters and onlookers and repeated, not as gossip, but as solid rumor. Within an hour of the leak, the rumor had risen to the level of near-fact.

  Mona Stark met in the rotunda with the press and promised a statement by the governor at a later hour. The courts were not finished with the case, she explained. Yes, the governor was under tremendous pressure.

  Forty-eight

  It took the Fifth Circuit less than three hours to bump the last of the gangplank appeals along to the U.S. Supreme Court. A brief telephone conference was held at three. Hez Kerry and Garner Goodman raced to Roxburgh’s office across from the state capitol building. The Attorney General had a phone system fancy enough to hook up himself, Goodman, Kerry, Adam and Lucas Mann at Parchman, Justice Robichaux in Lake Charles, Justice Judy in New Orleans, and Justice McNeely in Amarillo, Texas. The three-judge panel allowed Adam and Roxburgh to make their arguments, then the conference was disbanded. At four o’clock, the clerk of the court called all parties with the denial, and faxes soon followed. Kerry and Goodman quickly faxed the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  Sam was in the process of receiving his last physical exam when Adam finished his short chat with the clerk. He slowly hung up the phone. Sam was scowling at the young, frightened doctor who was taking his blood pressure. Packer and Tiny stood nearby, at the request of the doctor. With five people present, the front office was crowded.

  “Fifth Circuit just denied,” Adam said solemnly. “We’re on our way to the Supreme Court.”

  “Not exactly the promised land,” Sam said, still staring at the doctor.

  “I’m optimistic,” Adam said halfheartedly for the benefit of Packer.

  The doctor quickly placed his instruments in his bag. “That’s it,” he said heading for the door.

  “So I’m healthy enough to die?” Sam asked.r />
  The doctor opened the door and left, followed by Packer and Tiny. Sam stood and stretched his back, then began pacing slowly across the room. The shoes slipped on his heels and affected his stride. “Are you nervous?” he asked with a nasty smile.

  “Of course. And I guess you’re not.”

  “The dying cannot be worse than the waiting. Hell, I’m ready. I’d like to get it over with.”

  Adam almost said something trite about their reasonable chances in the Supreme Court, but he was not in the mood to be rebuked. Sam paced and smoked and was not in a talkative mood. Adam, typically, got busy with the telephone. He called Goodman and Kerry, but their conversations were brief. There was little to say, and no optimism whatsoever.

  ______

  Colonel Nugent stood on the porch of the Visitors Center and asked for quiet. Assembled before him on the lawn was the small army of reporters and journalists, all anxiously awaiting the lottery. Next to him on a table was a tin bucket. Each member of the press wore an orange, numbered button dispensed by the prison administration as credentials. The mob was unusually quiet.

  “According to prison regulations, there are eight seats allotted to members of the press,” Nugent explained slowly, his words carrying almost to the front gate. He was basking in the spotlight. “One seat is allotted to the AP, one to the UPI, and one to the Mississippi Network. That leaves five to be selected at random. I’ll pull five numbers from this bucket, and if one of them corresponds to your credentials, then it’s your lucky day. Any questions?”

  Several dozen reporters suddenly had no questions. Many of them pulled at their orange badges to check their numbers. A ripple of excitement went through the group. Nugent dramatically reached into the bucket and pulled out a slip of paper. “Number four-eight-four-three,” he announced, with all the skill of a seasoned bingo caller.