So Help Me God
Page 1
About So Help Me God
Television evangelist, Thomas Jeremiah Luther miraculously awakens from a twelve year coma. He re-takes his world-wide ministry, and searches for a way to seize the control of the Christian conservative political power in America. When a teenage member of his congregation almost dies from an abortion, he convinces her family to file a multi-million dollar medical malpractice case against the physician and abortion clinic. He knows that manipulating the case into a giant verdict will shut down abortion clinics all over the country, causing power brokers, presidents, and religious right political movement to flock to his door. To assure victory, he hires J. Robert Tisdale, the best plaintiff lawyer in Texas.
Tod Duncan, the lawyer for the defense, accepts a new challenge when his client's livelihood is destroyed by Luther's public claims that he is a murderer. Duncan takes the offensive, suing the pro-life money machine behind Luther of slander. To escape liability T. J.'s legal team must prove that human life begins at conception. Great characters bring this challenging balance of art, science and philosophy to a jury charged with answering one of life's most difficult questions: when does life begin? The twists and turns captivate readers and lead to an ending that might be unbelievable were it not set in Texas.
Praise for So Help Me God
"Having been on the front lines of the pro-choice vs. anti-choice battles for years, I've read almost everything written about abortion So help Me God is fiction full of legal drama about those issues; it will keep you glued to your seat and wanting to read more. Thompson skillfully pumps his how-to legal knowledge into this gripping story. Wonderful writing fuels the excitement of the courtroom thriller. Move over, John Grisham."
Sarah Weddington, attorney who won
Roe v. Wade in the U.S. Supreme Court
"So Help Me God is an exciting legal thriller that takes the reader on a sizzling ride as a courtroom becomes the battlefield over one of the most controversial social issues of our time. Not since the Scopes Monkey Trial has a man of religion and a man of ideas clashed so dramatically and brilliantly in a courtroom."
Junius Podrug, award-winning author
of Presumed Guilty
"Seldom does a first effort at courtroom fiction find itself in the class of such notables as Inherit the Wind, The Verdict, and The Rainmaker. But Larry Thompson's So Help Me God belongs here. I predict it will become a modern-day classic courtroom tale."
Jim M. Perdue, nationally renowned trial
lawyer and author of I Remember Attitus
"Every trial lawyer will see traits of himself and others in these richly developed characters. This is a highly entertaining, fascinating, and educational read. It's great!"
Ronald D. Krist, "Best Lawyers in
America" Honoree for 15+ years
"His novel is a wonderful, insightful exploration of the most legislated and litigated area in all of medicine – abortion. As an obstetrician who has both a medical and now increasingly strong grasp of the legal issues in this great debate, I found that Mr. Thompson has struck at the very heart of the problem from both perspectives."
Robert J. Carpenter, Jr., M.D., Maternal
Fetal Specialist
"So Help Me God is not only a page turner bu a warning as well. Through a deft, fascinating story line Larry D. Thompson shows us what can happen here if we're not careful"
Ed Gorman, author of Fools Rush In
About the Author
A veteran Texas trial lawyer, Larry D. Thompson has drawn upon decades of experience in the courtroom to produce his first novel, So Help Me God. Thompson, a one-time journalism major who used his talent for writing to excel at the University Of Texas School Of Law is now managing partner of the Houston trial firm he founded. Conistently honored by Texas Monthly Magazine as a "Texas Super Lawyer," he is the proud father of three grown children, an active golfer, SCUBA diver, runner and outdoor enthusiast. While he tries lawsuits most of the year, he spends his summers in Vail where he hikes with his wife, plays golf with one of his sons and works on his next novel. His biggest inspiration both in life and literature is his late brother, best-selling author Thomas Thompson.
So Help Me God
Larry D. Thompson
STORY MERCHANT BOOKS
BEVERLY HILLS
2012
Copyright © 2012 by Larry D. Thompson All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author.
WWW.LARRYDTHOMPSON.COM
Story Merchant Books
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This Is For My Children,
Casey, Kel, and Ryan,
and In Remembrance of My Brother, Thomas Thompson, a Great Author and a Greater Friend.
Tommy, I Hope This Lives Up To Your Standards.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
The most experienced trial attorneys know that our role in the legal process is unique and invaluable. We do not determine the outcome of our cases, how the public views the issues or even how the laws of the country apply in any given cause. Those matters are determined by the witnesses, the scientific evidence, the jury's perspectives, the judge's inclinations and the finality of appellate review. Yet as trial attorneys we are called upon to bear the burden of presenting the best, most persuasive, direct evidence supporting but one side of any cause. We advocate for views we may not share, but will fight to the death for the right of each position to have a full voice in our society, to have full exposure to the heat of public debate, to have its place in the shaping of the mores of our society and to succeed or fail on its own merits. It is therefore, with the pride of more than thirty-five years of advocating before juries, that I bring the process, the science, and the art of advocacy of controversial issues to the fiction reading public to share the joy, exasperation and wonderment of the civil courtroom in America today. It is not ours to change opinions, but to test and challenge those opinions in the light of great advocacy.
Respectfully submitted,
Larry D. Thompson
Lorance & Thompson, P.C.
Houston, Texas
"I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion."
The Hippocratic Oath,
Hippocrates (460 BC –377 BC)
We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer…
With respect to the State's important and legitimate interest in potential life, the "compelling" point is at viability. This is so because the fetus then presumably has the capability of meaningful life outside the mother's womb. State regulation protective of fetal life after viability thus has both logical and biological justifications.
This means, on the other hand, for the period of pregnancy prior to this "compelling" point, the attending physician, in consultation with his patient, is free to determine, without regulation by the State, that in his medical judgment, the patient's pregnancy should be terminated. If that decision is reached, the judgment may be effectuated by an abortion free of interference by the State.
Roe v. Wade,
U. S. Supreme Court (1973)
PROLOGUE
The storm raged in from the Gulf of Mexico. Only thirty minutes earlier, the st
ars shone through a dark blue autumn sky. Claps of thunder, like a drum roll, heralded the tempest's arrival shortly before it struck the small city on Galveston Bay. Wind howled through the treetops and drove the rain sideways. Windows rattled in their casements. Hail pinged off the pickup trucks and cars. Great bolts of lightning struck the neighborhood, illuminating the small form of a teenage girl, shuffling down the middle of the street, clothes soaked to the skin as she clutched her shoes. The rain matted the girl's hair and cascaded down her face where it was joined by tears streaming from her eyes. Shoulders slumped, she wiped her eyes with one hand and touched the right side of her lip to check for bleeding. Lost in thought, the girl ignored the storm, the lightning, and the overflowing streets. As she turned the corner and walked up the sidewalk, she put her shoes on, straightened up and used both hands to wipe her face before opening the door. She hollered to her parents, "I caught a ride home. I'm going to bed."
After closing the door, she collapsed on the bed and buried her face in a stuffed bear.
***
Lucy Baines Brady was a seventeen-year-old junior at Texas City High School. With short brown hair and brown eyes, her facial features were not classically beautiful. Nothing about her really attracted attention. Maybe her chin protruded a fraction of an inch too far or her mouth could have been slightly smaller. Even studying her closely, it would be hard to pinpoint the problem. Whatever the reason, when she walked down the halls, the boys at school never turned as Lucy went by. She was too shy to flirt or otherwise attract their attention. And with an evangelical upbringing, Lucy's mother would not permit her to wear tight fitting sweaters, shorts and skirts or use more than just the slightest makeup.
Texas City was a suburb of Houston, thirty miles south and perched on the edge of Galveston Bay, a stone's throw from the Gulf of Mexico. Decidedly blue-collar America, its skyline was one of petrochemical smokestacks, refinery cracking towers, the superstructures of ships and church steeples. Most families lived in standard three-bedroom, one-bath houses and nearly every driveway had a pickup truck and a bass boat parked in front of the attached garage. The men were well paid for their work at the petrochemical plants and on the docks. They spent their leisure time fishing and hunting. Friday nights were reserved for high school sports, preferably football. Most Saturday nights were spent at the local roadhouses where the music came from bands hoping for a shot at Nashville and the Opry.
Lucy had lived in Texas City her entire life. She had gone from kindergarten through the eleventh grade with the same four hundred classmates. After graduation, she was destined to work at one of the refineries or the mall, marry a petrochemical worker like her father and spend life as a working mother. If asked if she was disappointed with such a life and its prospects, she would have said no. In fact, it was not something that entered her mind. She accepted life in Texas City. She knew little else and expected nothing more.
It was at church where she first met Jason. Early in the school year, seated in her usual front row seat in the choir loft, she saw him staring at her from an aisle seat in the congregation. New boy in town was her first thought. Her second was big, good looking, probably a football player. Then he smiled and she quickly looked down at her hymnal. That evening at youth fellowship, Jason grabbed the seat beside her and introduced himself. Afterward, Lucy was a half block from the church on her walk home when a new, black pickup slowed beside her.
"Want a lift?" Jason asked.
"No thanks," Lucy answered. "I only live a few blocks from here."
"Cool. See you tomorrow."
Jason threw it in low and burned a little rubber as he sped away.
Lucy's eyes followed the truck until it turned the corner two blocks down the street. During the next week, they passed each other several times in the hall. Jason always looked her way as he smiled or waved. Embarrassed by the attention, Lucy rarely acknowledged him. More often she would look down at the floor.
On the following Sunday evening after youth fellowship, Jason grabbed her arm. "Let me give you a ride home?" he asked, flashing his best smile.
"No thanks. I'm used to walking. It's a nice night."
"Well, then, I'll just walk you home and come back after my truck."
"Suit yourself," Lucy said, somewhat embarrassed. "Seems like a waste of time to me."
Lucy was not accustomed to being alone with a boy and felt uncomfortable with small talk. He was content just to have someone listen as he recreated his great plays from the previous Friday night. He left her at her front door without even a handshake, turned and jogged back up the street toward the church. Lucy wondered if he noticed that she couldn't think of a thing to say.
Over the next three weeks Jason became more aggressive. One morning when she got off the school bus, Jason pulled her away from her girlfriends as he insisted on escorting her into the building. Soon, Lucy began to find him waiting outside her classroom door. He walked with her to most of her classes and talked with her in the hall until the next bell rang.
Each Sunday evening he continued to walk her home even when she tried to refuse. Then his persistence paid off when, on the next try, Lucy relented. After all, she thought, what could possibly happen on a five minute drive from the church to her house. As they left the fellowship hall, they walked around the church to the back parking lot as Jason explained that he didn't like the lighted lot in front. A new pickup was too tempting to car thieves. As Lucy got in on the passenger side, Jason started the engine, turned on the stereo and fiddled with the various knobs, slides and buttons until he was satisfied with the sound. They listened silently for several minutes to Garth Brooks singing about his friends in low places before Lucy said that she had to be going home. Without protest, Jason put the truck in gear, backed out and drove slowly out of the parking lot. When they got to her house, he shut off the engine and before she could turn for the door handle, Jason slid over, pulled her toward him and kissed her. It wasn't long and certainly not passionate, but it startled Lucy. Instead of returning the kiss, she got the door open and closed it behind her, not knowing how to react or what to say. Jason started the engine and disappeared down the street. If Lucy could have read his thoughts, she would have known that he expected to have her bra off and his hand in her panties in another two or three weeks. Unfortunately for Lucy, she was not a mind reader.
Jason planned his assault carefully. First came more kissing in front of Lucy's house. By the third time, Lucy was a willing participant and eager to return his youthful passion. Then he began to brush her breast with his hand and that was followed with the unbuttoning of her blouse, and she felt his hand under her bra, massaging her nipple. At first Lucy resisted, worried about the fires of hell, but more so about the wrath of her mother if she were found out. Then she gave in to the caress of his hand as it made her nipples rise to his slightest touch. When Lucy's mother began to notice that her daughter had a regular ride home on Sunday night, she started watching for the pickup. She gave them five minutes before the porch light came on, instructing Lucy that if she didn't want to be embarrassed by her father standing under the porch light, she better be in the house within a minute after the light came on.
Not satisfied with what he could accomplish in five minutes, Jason came up with a new plan. They would just stay parked behind the church longer. No one would notice since he was the only one that parked back there on Sunday evening anyway. At first Lucy objected but then relented when Jason convinced her that she could just say she stayed over a few minutes to discuss a new solo with the choir director. Accepting the excuse, she reached up to kiss him and almost immediately Lucy felt his hands fumbling at the buttons on her blouse and then at the hook on her bra. She fought momentarily and then gave in. Knowing that she would have to pray for forgiveness, she couldn't help but enjoy it. Jason rubbed his hands on her breasts. When she felt them start to drift lower, she came to her senses.
"No, Jason, I won't do that. Take me home." She put her bra back on. Jason
acquiesced in silence and drove while she buttoned her blouse.
As she exited the truck, he said, "I'm sorry, babe. I got carried away. It won't happen again. I promise."
Lucy said nothing in reply but slammed the door shut. After saying good night to her parents, she went to her room and, instead of undressing, she kneeled and prayed for forgiveness of her sins, promising God that if He would forgive her, nothing close to that would happen again until she was married. She also promised God that these Sunday night adventures in the parking lot were over. She was going to remain a virgin until her wedding night. Satisfied that she was forgiven, she read her Bible until she fell asleep.
Her resolve was firm until the end of the next Sunday's fellowship. That was when the storm rolled in over Texas City. Lucy was in line to call her parents when Jason caught up to her. "Lucy, this storm is bad. No point in calling your parents. I can give you a ride. Just a ride home. Nothing more. It'll save them from having to get soaked."
Thinking of her parents out in the storm, she finally agreed. As they left the fellowship hall, Jason told her to wait while he made a dash for his truck. When he drove back to where Lucy stood, she burst from the door and ran through the rain.
As she climbed in, Jason turned on the stereo. Then he said, "I think we're going to have to give it a few minutes for the storm to pass and let the water go down."
The Gulf Coast was well known for streets that suddenly flooded, often making them impassable and leaving cars stranded. Jason did not have this problem. His pickup had big tires that would have no trouble forging through the rising water. He only had to convince Lucy otherwise.