Adisa was able to focus enough to complete her review of the discovery materials provided by the DA’s office. There were a lot of documents, but no big surprises. Officer Bruce Alverez’s account of the scene on East Nixon Street after the shooting confirmed what they’d heard from Luke. Included were interviews with people who lived in the area, some of whom Adisa knew slightly. Several heard the gunshots and looked outside but didn’t see anything relevant. As she worked, Adisa began transitioning into her new, limited role as support person to Grayson.
She prepared a detailed memo for Dr. Briscoe, the expert in police conduct, and sent it to her. Within an hour, Dr. Briscoe promised to review the information by the end of the week and provide preliminary observations and additional questions that might need answering.
Vic Robinson, the ballistics expert, agreed to squeeze in a preliminary examination of the bullets the following day on his way to Greenville, South Carolina, to testify in federal court. Adisa stuck her head in Grayson’s office to give him the news.
“Once Dr. Robinson takes a look, he’ll decide the type of testing necessary, from microscopic comparison all the way to instrumental neutron activation analysis,” she said. “Do you think it’s okay for me to attend that meeting? It will be at the police department.”
“You have to do it. I’m unavailable. What about the crime scene reconstructionist?”
“It’s set up for two days next week here in Campbellton. I checked your calendar, and Wednesday and Thursday seemed best. I sent Dr. Briscoe a detailed description of what happened based on the police report and the recorded interview with Luke at your first meeting. The more interaction I have with her, the more impressed I am.”
“Anything else?” Grayson asked.
“No. Have you contacted Luke?”
“Yes, he’s coming in at two o’clock.”
The phone on Grayson’s desk buzzed, and he picked it up. “Yes, she’s here with me,” he said, looking at Adisa. “I’ll let her know.”
Grayson lowered the receiver. “Reverend Reginald Reynolds is in our reception area and wants to see you.”
“After what happened the other day at the courthouse, Reggie and I weren’t going to see each other for a while,” Adisa said. “What do you think?”
“Beyond the rules of attorney-client confidentiality, I claim no right to influence your interaction with Reggie Reynolds,” Grayson said. “And Luke forfeited his ability to try to regulate that part of your life yesterday.”
Adisa walked down the hall into the reception area, where she found Reggie sitting in a corner.
“What’s going on?” Adisa asked in a low voice.
“Let’s go someplace private where we can talk,” Reggie replied.
“We could use our conference room.”
“No.” Reggie shook his head. “Not here.”
Adisa thought for a moment. “I know a place,” she said. “Drive around to the rear of the building. You can leave your car there, and I’ll drive.”
“Where are we going?” Reggie asked as soon as they were in the car.
“The old cemetery for the Westside Church.” Adisa noticed that Reggie was wearing a very nice suit and a tie. “Why are you dressed up?”
“I’m helping Pastor Kolb officiate at a funeral later this afternoon. It’s a graveside service at the main cemetery on Oaklawn Street. But what I wanted to talk to you about was Deshaun.”
“How is he?”
“Better.”
Adisa waited, but it was obvious that Reggie wasn’t going to say anything else for now. It took only a couple of minutes to reach the cemetery. She pulled onto the gravel road and parked beneath the limbs of the gnarly sycamore tree. They sat on the streaked marble bench with the Bible verse engraved on the front.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Reggie loosened his tie. “I debated whether to tell you what’s happened, but I can’t keep this information to myself. As you can imagine, Thelma Armistead has been devastated since the news came out about the heroin. I spent a long time with her in my office yesterday morning listening to her and praying for her. She blamed herself for being blind to a problem and was gripped with fear that even if Deshaun lives, he might not get a chance to make it right with the Lord. I tried to tell her that even when we do our best, young people have the power to make choices, but it sounded hollow to me, and I don’t think it helped her. Anyway, she asked me to come to the hospital this morning and pray for Deshaun.”
“I bet you helped her more than you realized,” Adisa said.
“When we arrived at the hospital, Deshaun was lying in bed unresponsive with his eyes closed. The nurses said he mumbled gibberish in the night but nothing since. His breathing was strong, and the postsurgery MRI scan showed a small decrease in the swelling of his brain. Thelma pulled a chair close to the bed and asked everyone except me to leave the room. She grabbed Deshaun’s hand and began to pray.” Reggie paused and shook his head. “Adisa, she prayed like I’ve never heard anyone pray before. And I’ve heard a lot of prayers from a lot of sincere, godly people. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Some landed on the bedsheet, some on Deshaun’s hand. When she said ‘Amen,’ she asked me to pray, but I had nothing to offer. That’s when it happened.”
Adisa held her breath.
“Deshaun opened his eyes. He saw his grandmother, and there’s no doubt in my mind he recognized her. Sister Armistead saw it, too, and she shouted ‘Hallelujah!’ so loudly I thought it would bring a flood of people into the room.”
Chill bumps appeared on Adisa’s arms.
“Deshaun looked at me, but I don’t think he knew me. His grandmother leaned over and told him, ‘The preacher is here so you can ask the Lord Jesus to forgive your sins. Do you want to do that?’ While I watched, Deshaun blinked his eyes and nodded his head so slightly that it would have been easy to miss it. Thelma put his hand in mine, and I prayed for him. I asked him to squeeze my hand if he agreed with my prayer, and he did.”
“Praise the Lord,” Adisa said softly. “What a gift. For him and his grandmother.”
“That’s not all,” Reggie said. “When Thelma leaned over and told him that Jesus forgave him for having anything to do with heroin, Deshaun shook his head. She tried to explain, but he became agitated, and I stepped in. Taking his hand in mine again, I asked him to squeeze my hand once if he remembered anything about heroin. He did. Then I had an idea. I asked him to squeeze my hand twice if the heroin didn’t belong to him.”
Reggie looked directly into Adisa’s eyes. “He squeezed my hand twice. There’s no doubt about it, Adisa. There’s something we don’t know about the drugs they found in the package of beef jerky on the night of the shooting.”
The news, if true, would significantly damage Luke’s defense.
“That would be up to the police,” she replied slowly. “They’re the ones with the resources to investigate.”
“I don’t think so. You may be representing the officer, but you care more about Deshaun than anyone dressed in blue.”
Adisa felt trapped. “The purpose of any legal investigation is to determine the truth,” she said, more to herself than to Reggie.
“Of course, or at least it should be.”
Adisa stood and paced back and forth in front of the bench. “The first thing to consider is a link between the drugs and the man from Atlanta who attacked the clerk at the convenience store. He’s not been caught. Nobody even knows his name. The boys in the store could only identify him by a nickname. I was going to talk to them at some point, but I’ve been focused on Deshaun’s medical records and organizing the expert testimony we’re going to need at trial.”
“You’ve seen his medical records?” Reggie asked.
“Yes, but I can’t talk about any details.”
“I know. Did that include tests on his blood the night of the shooting?”
Adisa nodded.
“That’s enough,” Reggie replied. “Sister Armistead told
me early on that Deshaun’s blood work and urine came back positive for the presence of opiates.”
“She did?” Adisa asked in shock. “Then why was she surprised when heroin showed up in the package of beef jerky?”
“Because Deshaun was taking a pain reliever prescribed by a local orthopedist. He’d injured one of his shoulders in a pickup basketball game, and it was hurting so badly Thelma took him to the doctor to make sure it wasn’t something that would require surgery. The orthopedist gave him a prescription for a strong painkiller.”
“Do you remember the name of the drug?” Adisa asked, her mind reeling.
“No, but Thelma wanted me to know about it in case word got out and I had to stop any nasty gossip about Deshaun being high.”
“That is huge,” Adisa said, checking her watch. “I need to get back to the office and talk to Mr. Grayson before he meets with Luke.”
“Are you going to tell them that I told you about this?”
“Mr. Grayson knew you stopped by to see me. I was in his office when the receptionist told him you had arrived.”
“Okay,” Reggie replied.
Adisa stood at the rear door and waved as Reggie turned out of the parking lot. Passing him on the way in was a red pickup truck. Behind the wheel was Luke Nelson. He glared at Reggie and then turned his gaze on Adisa.
THIRTY-SIX
LUKE GLANCED TO the left and saw the black pastor who’d been at the courthouse. His eyes then shot to Adisa Johnson, who was waving to one of the main leaders of the movement dedicated to sending Luke to prison. Luke gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. Adisa saw him and turned to quickly enter the office. Luke parked his truck and walked around to the front entrance. One way or another, he was going to have to get things straight with Mr. Grayson. Exactly how, he wasn’t sure.
Luke was a few minutes early for the 2:00 p.m. meeting with the lawyer. While he waited, the pressure inside him built up like a volcano about to explode. It was 2:20 p.m. before a receptionist he hadn’t seen before looked in his direction and spoke.
“Mr. Grayson will see you in the main conference room. Do you need me to show you where to go?”
“No,” Luke said as he walked quickly through the door and down the hallway.
The conference room door was open when he charged inside. Mr. Grayson sat alone at the head of the table.
“Have a seat, Luke,” the older lawyer said. “This will be a short meeting. I know you mentioned taking Ms. Johnson off the case, but I want to make sure that’s what you want me to do.”
“Yes, sir,” Luke said emphatically. “And I don’t want her to have access to any of my records. I just caught her with the black preacher heading up the campaign against me.”
“Adisa’s role will be limited to legal research that I’ll double-check for accuracy,” Grayson replied smoothly.
Luke knew if he pushed too hard he’d be without any lawyer at all. “All right,” he said reluctantly. “I’ve had doubts about her from day one.”
“And I’m going to need additional legal support beyond what she can provide,” Grayson continued. “Which means associating a lawyer from another firm in town to assist me. That’s going to require money. I’ve talked with Richard Lankford, and he’s willing to come aboard.”
Luke was familiar with the brown-haired lawyer in his midthirties. Lankford was very smooth and confident.
Luke nodded. “That’s great.”
“Do you think your mother-in-law will be willing to foot the bill?” Grayson continued.
“How much?”
Grayson quoted a figure that made Luke swallow. “One way or another, we’ll have to figure out a way to pay it,” he said.
“Come up with the retainer by the middle of next week when the crime scene expert is scheduled to be in town for a couple of days. I want Richard involved in that process.”
Luke paused for a moment. “Uh, I guess we should talk about the plea bargain,” he said.
“Which Baldwin confirmed as a solid offer ten minutes ago. But it can be withdrawn at any time as the case unfolds.”
“What do you mean?”
“It turns out there’s a legitimate reason why opiates were found in Deshaun Hamlin’s blood. He was taking pain relievers prescribed by his doctor at the time of the shooting. There’s no proof he was high on heroin.”
“But he still had heroin in the bag of jerky, right?”
“Yes, but this undercuts our argument that he was strung out on illegal drugs and therefore acted irrationally.”
“For whatever reason, he didn’t act normally,” Luke retorted. “Why did he charge me when I told him to put his hands on his head and walk slowly?”
“You’re absolutely right. That’s a very relevant question. The jury will have to decide whether Deshaun’s failure to obey your commands justified shooting him in the head and upper chest.”
Luke hesitated. The way Grayson framed the issue, without any emotional baggage attached to the words, brought Luke face-to-face with a wall he wasn’t sure he could climb.
“Does the DA know about the prescription meds?”
“He hasn’t mentioned it, but I guarantee you he is going to find out eventually.”
“How long do I have to decide about the plea bargain?”
“Baldwin said he was going to bring down the flag of truce by the end of next week. He can certainly lower it sooner if we don’t respond.”
Luke felt totally trapped. His hands began to sweat. “Do you think I should take the deal?” he asked, knowing he didn’t want to hear the answer.
Grayson paused for a moment before speaking. “Luke, there have been many times in my career when I didn’t hesitate to recommend that a client accept a plea bargain. This isn’t one of those times. Reasonable people could hear the facts of your case and either convict you or acquit you. Baldwin’s offer is a good one if you want certainty about the future. But it will come with heavy baggage that you will carry for the rest of your life, even if you complete the terms of the first offender program.”
“I’ve got to think this through and talk to Jane.”
“Of course, and I’m here if you have any questions. In the meantime, I’m going forward with preparation of your defense, and I want to bring Rick Lankford on board as soon as possible. If we work out a deal, Rick isn’t needed.”
“Okay,” Luke said with a sigh.
“It’s confirmed,” Grayson said to Adisa as he stood in the doorway of her office. “Not that there was any doubt. You’re off the case.”
“I want to apologize again for messing up the meeting with Luke. Should I apologize to him for the way I came across?”
“Now isn’t the time for apologies. We have work to do. Luke wasn’t thrilled when he saw Reggie here a few minutes ago. I’m not going to renege on my commitment to represent Luke pro bono, but there are going to be consequences for him cutting you loose. Send me a detailed memo of what you think needs to happen next in the case. I told Luke you were going to perform research. He didn’t like it but agreed.”
Adisa spent the rest of the day working on the memo. She went far beyond what Grayson requested and included suggestions and thoughts about aspects of the case all the way through trial. He left the office before she finished, so she put it on his desk beneath a glass paperweight in the shape of the state of Georgia.
On her way home, Adisa drove slowly down East Nixon Street. There were fresh flowers at the place where the shooting occurred. Adisa offered up a prayer for truth to prevail and justice to be done.
Parking in the driveway at Aunt Josie’s, she picked up the afternoon newspaper. Front and center was an article about the presence of heroin in the package of beef jerky taken from Deshaun’s pocket. The reporter referenced only “anonymous official sources” for verification. Adisa’s heart sank for Thelma Armistead. She took the newspaper inside the house, not intending to let Aunt Josie see it. Her aunt and Simone were eating supper.
“How are you feeling?” Adisa asked the older woman.
“Better and better,” Aunt Josie replied. “You’ve got to try this casserole. Simone put in everything I like and topped it off with cheese.”
Adisa joined the two women at the kitchen table. “Is this your recipe?” she asked Simone after trying a bite of the casserole.
“I modified it a little bit, but it’s something Sister Armistead brings to every covered dish dinner at the church.”
Adisa put down her fork and left the table to retrieve the newspaper she’d taken directly to her bedroom. She read the headline and lead paragraph. Simone’s eyes widened. Aunt Josie’s face became sad.
“All I’m going to say is that you can’t believe everything you read in the paper,” Adisa said.
“We need to pray for Thelma,” Aunt Josie said. “Right now.”
The three women bowed their heads.
The following morning while they were drinking coffee, Adisa told Aunt Josie that she was no longer working on Luke’s case.
“I can’t give you the reason,” she said, “but Mr. Grayson isn’t going to fire me over it.”
“Theo’s a good man,” Aunt Josie said with a nod. “And I’m thankful the stress and pressure you’ve been under are gone.”
“Don’t tell anybody yet. It won’t become public knowledge until paperwork is filed at the courthouse.”
“Does that mean you don’t have to rush off to the office so early?” Aunt Josie asked.
“Yes, I can stay a few extra minutes.”
Aunt Josie rubbed the tops of her legs with her hands. “I’d like to take a little walk this morning before Simone gets here.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
The older woman pointed up at the ceiling. “He says it is. Do you want to argue with him?”
“No, ma’am.” Adisa shook her head. “Where would you like to go?”
“East Nixon Street where Thelma’s grandson was shot. I need to add to what I prayed the other day. It’s only three blocks away.”
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