The New Year began with another funeral. Miss Inez Perdue died after a lengthy1 and painful deterioration2 of her kidneys. She was sixty-one years old, a widow, with two adult children who'd luckily left Bowmore as soon as they were old enough. Uninsured, she died in her small home on the outskirts3 of town, surrounded by friends and her pastor4, Denny Ott. After he left her, Pastor Ott went to the cemetery5 behind the Pine Grove6 Church and, with the help of another deacon, began digging her grave, number seventeen.
As soon as the crowd thinned, the body of Miss Inez was loaded into an ambulance and taken directly to the morgue at the Forrest County Medical Center in Hattiesburg.
There, a doctor hired by the Payton law firm spent three hours removing tissue and blood and conducting an autopsy7. Miss Inez had agreed to this somber8 procedure when she signed a contract with the Paytons a year earlier. A probe of her organs and an examination of her tissue might produce evidence that one day would be crucial in court.
Eight hours after her death, she was back in Bowmore, in a cheap casket tucked away for the night in the sanctuary9 of the Pine Grove Church.
Pastor Ott had long since convinced his flock that once the body is dead and the spirit ascends10 into heaven, the earthly rituals are silly and of little significance.
Funerals, wakes, embalming11, flowers, expensive caskets-all were a waste of time and money. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. God sent us into the world naked and that's how we should leave.
The following day he conducted Miss Inez's service before a full house that included Wes and Mary Grace, as well as a couple of other lawyers looking on with curiosity.
During these services, and he was certainly becoming accomplished12, Pastor Ott strove to make the occasion uplifting, at times even humorous. Miss Inez was the backup piano player for the church, and though she played with heavy hands and great enthusiasm, she usually missed about half the notes. And since she was practically deaf, she had no idea how bad she sounded. Recollections of her performances lightened the mood.
It would be easy to bash Krane Chemical and its multitude of sins, but Pastor Ott never mentioned the company. She was dead and nothing could change that. Everybody knew who killed her.
After a one-hour service, the pallbearers lifted her wooden casket onto Mr. Earl Mangram's authentic13 buckboard, the only one left in the county. Mr. Mangram had been an early victim of Krane, burial number three in Denny Ott's career, and he specifically requested that his casket be hauled away from the church and to the cemetery on his grandfather's buckboard with his ancient mare14, Blaze, under tack15. The short procession had been such a hit that it became an instant tradition at Pine Grove.
When Miss Inez's casket was placed on the carriage, Pastor Ott, standing16 next to Blaze, pulled her bridle17 and the old quarter horse began lumbering18 along, leading the little parade away from the front of the church, down the side road, and back to the cemetery.
Holding fast to the southern tradition, her farewell was followed by a potluck get-together19 in the fellowship hall. For a people so accustomed to dying, the post-burial meal allowed the mourners to lean on one another and share their tears. Pastor Ott made the rounds, chatting with everyone, praying with some.
The great question at these dark moments was, who was next? In many ways, they felt like prisoners. Isolated20, suffering, not sure which one would be chosen by the executioner.
Rory Walker was a fourteen-year-old who was losing ground fast in his decadelong battle with leukemia. He was probably next. He was at school and missed the Perdue service, but his mother and grandmother were there.
The Paytons huddled21 in a corner with Jeannette Baker22 and talked about everything but the case. Over paper plates sparsely23 covered with a broccoli-and-cheese casserole, they learned that she was now working as a night clerk in a convenience store and had her eye on a nicer trailer. She and Bette were fighting. Bette had a new boyfriend who slept over often and seemed much too interested in Jeannette's legal situation.
Jeannette looked stronger and her mind was sharper. She had gained a few pounds and said she was no longer taking all those antidepressants. People were treating her differently. She explained in a very low voice as she watched the others: "For a while these people were really proud. We struck back. We won. Finally, somebody on the outside had listened to us, all these poor little people in this poor little town. Everybody circled around me and said sweet things. They cooked for me, cleaned the trailer, somebody was always stopping by. Anything for poor little Jeannette.
But as the days went by, I started hearing the money talk. How long will the appeal take? When will the money come in? What was I planning to do with it? And on and on. Bette's younger brother stayed over one night, drank too much, and tried to borrow a thousand dollars. We got into a fight and he said everybody in town knew that I'd already received some of the money. I was shocked. People were talking. All kinds of rumors24. Twenty million this and twenty million that. How much will I give away?
What kind of new car am I going to get? Where will I build my big new house? They watch everything I buy now, which isn't much.
And the men-every tomcat in four counties is calling, wanting to stop by and say hello or take me to the movies. I know for a fact that two of them are not even divorced yet. Bette knows their cousins. I couldn't care less about men.”
Wes glanced away.
"Are you talking to Denny?" Mary Grace asked.
"Some. And he's wonderful. He tells me to keep praying for those who gossip about me. I pray for them all right. I really do. But I get the feeling that they're praying harder for me and the money." She looked around suspiciously.
Dessert was banana pudding. It was also an excuse to drift away from Jeannette. The Paytons had several other clients present, and each needed to be given some attention.
When Pastor Ott and his wife began clearing the tables, the mourners finally headed for the door.
Wes and Mary Grace met with Denny in his study next to the sanctuary. It was time for the post-burial legal update. Who had fallen ill? What were the new diagnoses?
Who in Pine Grove had hired another law firm?
"This Clyde Hardin thing is out of control," Denny said. "They're advertising25 on the radio and once a week in the paper, full page. They're almost guaranteeing money.
People are flocking in.”
Wes and Mary Grace had walked down Main Street prior to the service for Miss Inez.
They wanted to see firsthand the new screening clinic next to F. Clyde's office.
On the sidewalk, there were two large coolers filled with bottled water and packed with ice. A teenager with a Bintz & Bintz T-shirt handed them a bottle each. The label read: "Pure Spring Water. Compliments of Bintz & Bintz, Attorneys." There was a toll-free number.
"Where does the water come from?" Wes had asked the kid.
"Not from Bowmore," came the quick retort.
As Mary Grace chatted up the boy, Wes stepped inside, where he joined three other potential clients who were waiting to get themselves screened. None gave any indication of being ill. Wes was greeted by a comely26 young lady of no more than eighteen, who handed him a brochure, a form on a clipboard, and a pen and instructed him to fill out both front and back. The brochure was professionally done and gave the basics of the allegations against Krane Chemical, a company now "proven in court" to have contaminated the drinking water of Bowmore and Cary County. All inquiries27 were directed to the firm of Bintz & Bintz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The questions on the form were all background and medical, except for the last two: (1) Who referred you to this office? and (2) Do you know anyone else who might be a potential victim of Krane Chemical? If so, list names and phone numbers.
As Wes was scribbling28 on the form, the doctor entered the waiting room from somewhere in the rear and called for the next patient. He wore a white physician's office jacket, complete with a stethoscope around his neck. He was either Indian or Pakistani and looked no older than thirty.
After a few minutes inside, Wes excused himself and left.
"It's small-time stuff," Wes said to Denny. "They'll sign up a few hundred cases, most of them frivolous29. Then they'll file a class action in federal court. If they're lucky, it'll be settled years from now for a few thousand bucks30 each. The lawyers will skim off some nice fees. But there's a better chance that Krane will never settle, and if that happens, then all those new clients get nothing and Clyde Hardin will be forced to go back to drafting deeds.”
"How many from your church have signed up?" Mary Grace asked.
"I don't know. They don't tell me everything.”
"We're not worried about it," Wes said. "Frankly31, we have enough of these cases to keep us busy for a long time.”
"Did I see a couple of spies at the service today?" Mary Grace asked.
"Yes. One was a lawyer named Crandell, from Jackson. He's been hanging around since the trial. He's actually stopped by here to say hello. Just a hustler.”
"I've heard of him," Wes said. "Has he hooked any cases?”
"Not from this church.”
They discussed the lawyers for a while, then had their usual conversation about Jeannette and the new pressures she was facing. Ott was spending time with her and was confident she was listening to him.
After an hour they wrapped up their meeting. The Paytons drove back to Hattiesburg, another client in the ground, another injury case now converted into a wrongful-death suit.
The preliminary paperwork arrived at the Mississippi Supreme32 Court in the first week of January. The trial transcript33, 16,200 pages, was finalized34 by the court reporters, and copies were sent to the clerk of the court and to the lawyers. An order was entered giving Krane Chemical, the appellant, ninety days to file its brief. Sixty days after that, the Paytons would file their rebuttal.
In Atlanta, Jared Kurtin passed the file to the firm's appellate unit, the "eggheads,” as they were known, brilliant legal scholars who functioned poorly in normal circles and were best kept in the library. Two partners, four associates, and four paralegals were already hard at work on the appeal when the massive transcript arrived and they had their first look at every word that was recorded at trial. They would dissect35 it and find dozens of reasons for a reversal.
In a lesser36 section of Hattiesburg, the transcript was plopped on the plywood table in The Pit. Mary Grace and Sherman gawked at it in disbelief, almost afraid to touch it. Mary Grace had once tried a case that went on for ten full days. Its transcript had been twelve hundred pages long, and she read it so many times that the sight of it made her ill. Now this.
If they had an advantage, it was because they had been in the courtroom throughout the entire trial and knew most of what was in the transcript. Indeed, Mary Grace appeared on more pages than any other participant.
But it would be read many times, and procrastination37 was not an option. The trial and its verdict would be cleverly and savagely38 attacked by Krane's lawyers. Jeannette Baker's lawyers had to match them argument for argument, word for word.
In the heady days after the verdict, the plan had been for Mary Grace to concentrate on the Bowmore cases while Wes worked the other files to generate income. The publicity39 had been priceless; the phones rang incessantly40. Every nutcase in the Southeast suddenly needed the Paytons. Lawyers mired41 in hopeless lawsuits42 called for help. Family members who'd lost loved ones to cancer saw the verdict as a hopeful sign. And the usual assortment43 of criminal defendants45, divorcing spouses46, battered47 women, bankrupt businesses, slip-and-fall hustlers, and fired employees called or even stopped by in pursuit of these famous lawyers. Very few could pay a decent fee.
Legitimate48 personal injury cases, however, had proven scarce. The "Big One," the perfect case with clear liability and a defendant44 with deep pockets, the case upon which retirement49 dreams often rest, had not yet found its way to the Payton law firm.
There were a few more car wrecks50 and workers' compensation cases, but nothing worth a trial.
Wes worked feverishly51 to close as many files as possible, and with some success.
The rent was now current, at least at the office. All past-due wages had been paid.
Huffy and the bank were still on edge but afraid to push harder. No payments had been made, either on principal or on interest.
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lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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deterioration
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| n.退化；恶化；变坏 | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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pastor
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| n.牧师，牧人 | |
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cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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autopsy
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| n.尸体解剖；尸检 | |
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somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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ascends
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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embalming
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| v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的现在分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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get-together
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| n.(使)聚集；(使)集合 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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baker
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| n.面包师 | |
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sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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scribbling
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| n.乱涂[写]胡[乱]写的文章[作品]v.潦草的书写( scribble的现在分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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transcript
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| n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书 | |
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finalized
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| vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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dissect
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| v.分割；解剖 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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procrastination
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| n.拖延，耽搁 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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mired
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| abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lawsuits
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| n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 ) | |
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assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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defendant
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| n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的 | |
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defendants
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| 被告( defendant的名词复数 ) | |
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spouses
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| n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 ) | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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50
wrecks
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| n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉 | |
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51
feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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