The Chamber (47 page)

“Sure, Ned. Don’t sit by the phone.” Sam stood and walked to the door on his side. He banged it twice with the palm of his hand, and waited with his back to her until Packer opened it.

______

Adam was packing his briefcase in preparation for a quick trip to Parchman when the phone rang. Darlene said it was urgent. She was right.

The caller identified himself as the clerk of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and was remarkably friendly. He said the Cayhall petition attacking the constitutionality of the gas chamber had been received on Monday, had been assigned to a three-judge panel, and that the panel wanted to hear oral argument from both sides. Could he be in New Orleans at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, for the oral argument?

Adam almost dropped the phone. Tomorrow? Of course, he said after a slight hesitation. One o’clock sharp, the clerk said, then explained that the court did not normally hear oral argument in the afternoon. But because of the urgency of this matter, the court had scheduled a special hearing. He asked Adam if he’d ever argued before the Fifth Circuit before.

Are you kidding, Adam thought. A year ago I was studying for the bar exam. He said no, in fact he had not, and the clerk said he would immediately fax to Adam a copy of the court’s rules governing oral argument. Adam thanked him profusely, and hung up.

He sat on the edge of the table and tried to collect his thoughts. Darlene brought the fax to him, and he asked her to check the flights to New Orleans.

Had he caught the attention of the court with his
issues? Was this good news, or just a formality? In his brief career as a lawyer, he had stood alone before the bench to argue a client’s position on only one occasion. But Emmitt Wycoff had been seated nearby, just in case. And the judge had been a familiar one. And it had happened in downtown Chicago, not far from his office. Tomorrow he would walk into a strange courtroom in a strange city and try to defend an eleventh-hour plea before a panel of judges he’d never heard of.

He called E. Garner Goodman with the news. Goodman had been to the Fifth Circuit many times, and as he talked Adam relaxed. It was neither good news nor bad, in Goodman’s opinion. The court was obviously interested in the lawsuit, but they’d heard it all before. Both Texas and Louisiana had sent similar constitutional claims to the Fifth Circuit in recent years.

Goodman assured him that he could handle the arguments. Just be prepared, he said. And try to relax. It might be possible for him to fly to New Orleans and be there, but Adam said no. He said he could do it alone. Keep in touch, Goodman said.

Adam checked with Darlene, then locked himself in his office. He memorized the rules for oral argument. He studied the lawsuit attacking the gas chamber. He read briefs and cases. He called Parchman and left word for Sam that he would not be there today.

______

He worked until dark, then made the dreaded trip to Lee’s condo. The same note was sitting on the counter, untouched and still declaring that she was in bed with the flu. He eased around the apartment and saw no signs of movement or life during the day.

Her bedroom door was slightly opened. He tapped on it while pushing. “Lee,” he called out gently into the darkness. “Lee, are you all right?”

There was movement in the bed, though he couldn’t see what it was. “Yes dear,” she said. “Come in.”

Adam slowly sat on the edge of the bed and tried to focus on her. The only light was a faint beam from the hallway. She pushed herself up and rested on the pillows. “I’m better,” she said with a scratchy voice. “How are you, dear?”

“I’m fine, Lee. I’m worried about you.”

“I’ll be okay. It’s a wicked little virus.”

The first pungent vapor wafted from the bedsheets and covers, and Adam wanted to cry. It was the reeking odor of stale vodka or gin or sour mash, or maybe a combination of everything. He couldn’t see her eyes in the murky shadows, only the vague outline of her face. She was wearing a dark shirt of some sort.

“What type of medication?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Just some pills. The doctor said it’ll last for a few days, then quickly disappear. I feel better already.”

Adam started to say something about the oddity of a flu-like virus in late July, but let it pass. “Are you able to eat?”

“No appetite, really.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No dear. How have you been? What day is it?”

“It’s Thursday.”

“I feel like I’ve been in a cave for a week.”

Adam had two choices. He could play along with the wicked little virus act and hope she stopped the drinking before it got worse. Or he could confront her now and make her realize she was not fooling him. Maybe they would fight, and maybe this was what you were supposed to do with drunks who’d fallen off the wagon. How was he supposed to know what to do?

“Does your doctor know you’re drinking?” he asked, holding his breath.

There was a long pause. “I haven’t been drinking,” she said, almost inaudible.

“Come on, Lee. I found the vodka bottle in the wastebasket. I know the other three bottles of beer disappeared last Saturday. You smell like a brewery right now. You’re not fooling anyone, Lee. You’re drinking heavily, and I want to help.”

She sat straighter, and pulled her legs up to her chest. Then she was still for a long time. Adam glanced at her silhouette. Minutes passed. The apartment was deathly quiet.

“How’s my dear father?” she muttered. Her words were sluggish, but still bitter.

“I didn’t see him today.”

“Don’t you think we’ll be better off when he’s dead?”

Adam looked at her silhouette. “No, Lee, I don’t. Do you?”

She was silent and still for at least a minute. “You feel sorry for him, don’t you?” she finally asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“Is he pitiful?”

“Yes, he is.”

“What does he look like?”

“A very old man, with plenty of gray hair that’s always oily and pulled back. He has a short gray beard. Lots of wrinkles. His skin is very pale.”

“What does he wear?”

“A red jumpsuit. All death row inmates wear the same thing.”

Another long pause as she thought about this. Then she said, “I guess it’s easy to feel sorry for him.”

“It is for me.”

“But you see, Adam, I’ve never seen him the way you see him. I saw a different person.”

“And what did you see?”

She adjusted the blanket around her legs, then grew still again. “My father was a person I despised.”

“Do you still despise him?”

“Yes. Very much so. I think he should go ahead and die. God knows he deserves it.”

“Why does he deserve it?”

This prompted another spell of silence. She moved slightly to her left and took a cup or glass from the nightstand. She sipped slowly, as Adam watched her shadows. He didn’t ask what she was drinking.

“Does he talk to you about the past?”

“Only when I ask questions. We’ve talked about Eddie, but I promised we wouldn’t do it again.”

“He’s the reason Eddie’s dead. Does he realize this?”

“Maybe.”

“Did you tell him? Did you blame him for Eddie?”

“No.”

“You should have. You’re too easy on him. He needs to know what he’s done.”

“I think he does. But you said yourself it’s not fair to torment him at this point of his life.”

“How about Joe Lincoln? Did you talk to him about Joe Lincoln?”

“I told Sam that you and I went to the old family place. He asked me if I knew about Joe Lincoln. I said that I did.”

“Did he deny it?”

“No. He showed a lot of remorse.”

“He’s a liar.”

“No. I think he was sincere.”

Another long pause as she sat motionless. Then, “Has he told you about the lynching?”

Adam closed his eyes and rested his elbows on his knees. “No,” he mumbled.

“I didn’t think so.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Lee.”

“Yes you do. You came down here full of questions about the family and about your past. Two weeks ago you just couldn’t get enough of the Cayhall family misery. You wanted all the blood and gore.”

“I’ve heard enough,” he said.

“What day is it?” she asked.

“It’s Thursday, Lee. You’ve already asked once.”

“One of my girls was due today. Her second child. I didn’t call the office. I guess it’s the medication.”

“And the alcohol.”

“All right, dammit. So I’m an alcoholic. Who can blame me? Sometimes I wish I had the guts to do what Eddie did.”

“Come on, Lee. Let me help you.”

“Oh, you’ve already helped a great deal, Adam. I was fine, nice and sober until you arrived.”

“Okay. I was wrong. I’m sorry. I just didn’t realize—” His words trailed off, then quit.

She moved slightly and Adam watched as she took another sip. A heavy silence engulfed them as minutes passed. The rancid smell emanated from her end of the bed.

“Mother told me the story,” she said quietly, almost whispering. “She said she’d heard rumors about it for years. Long before they married she knew he’d helped lynch a young black man.”

“Please, Lee.”

“I never asked him about it, but Eddie did. We had whispered about it for many years, and finally one day Eddie just up and confronted him with the story. They had a nasty fight, but Sam admitted it was true. It really didn’t bother him, he said. The black kid had allegedly raped a white girl, but she was white trash and many people doubted if it was really a rape. This is according to Mother’s version. Sam was fifteen or so at the time, and a bunch of men went down to the jail,
got the black kid, and took him out in the woods. Sam’s father, of course, was the ringleader, and his brothers were involved.”

“That’s enough, Lee.”

“They beat him with a bullwhip, then hung him from a tree. My dear father was right in the middle of it. He couldn’t really deny it, you know, because somebody took a picture of it.”

“A photograph?”

“Yeah. A few years later the photo found its way into a book about the plight of Negroes in the Deep South. It was published in 1947. My mother had a copy of it for years. Eddie found it in the attic.”

“And Sam’s in the photograph.”

“Sure. Smiling from ear to ear. They’re standing under the tree and the black guy’s feet are dangling just above their heads. Everybody’s having a ball. Just another nigger lynching. There are no credits with the photo, no names. The picture speaks for itself. It’s described as a lynching in rural Mississippi, 1936.”

“Where’s the book?”

“Over there in the drawer. I’ve kept it in storage with other family treasures since the foreclosure. I got it out the other day. I thought you might want to see it.”

“No. I do not want to see it.”

“Go ahead. You wanted to know about your family. Well, there they are. Grandfather, great-grandfather, and all sorts of Cayhalls at their very best. Caught in the act, and quite proud of it.”

“Stop it, Lee.”

“There were other lynchings, you know.”

“Shut up, Lee. Okay? I don’t want to hear any more.”

She leaned to her side and reached for the nightstand.

“What are you drinking, Lee?”

“Cough syrup.”

“Bullshit!” Adam jumped to his feet and walked through the darkness to the nightstand. Lee quickly gulped the last of the liquid. He grabbed the glass from her hand and sniffed the top of it. “This is bourbon.”

“There’s more in the pantry. Would you get it for me?”

“No! You’ve had more than enough.”

“If I want it, I’ll get it.”

“No you won’t, Lee. You’re not drinking any more tonight. Tomorrow I’ll take you to the doctor, and we’ll get some help.”

“I don’t need help. I need a gun.”

Adam placed the glass on the dresser and switched on a lamp. She shielded her eyes for a few seconds, then looked at him. They were red and puffy. Her hair was wild, dirty, and unkempt.

“Not a pretty sight, huh,” she said, slurring her words, and looking away.

“No. But we’ll get help, Lee. We’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Get me a drink, Adam. Please.”

“No.”

“Then leave me alone. This is all your fault, you know. Now, leave, please. Go on to bed.”

Adam grabbed a pillow from the center of the bed and threw it against the door. “I’m sleeping here tonight,” he said, pointing at the pillow. “I’m locking the door, and you’re not leaving this room.”

She glared at him, but said nothing. He switched off the lamp, and the room was completely dark. He pressed the lock on the knob and stretched out on the carpet against the door. “Now sleep it off, Lee.”

“Go to bed, Adam. I promise I won’t leave the room.”

“No. You’re drunk, and I’m not moving. If you try
to open this door, I’ll physically put you back in the bed.”

“That sounds sort of romantic.”

“Knock it off, Lee. Go to sleep.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Try it.”

“Let’s tell Cayhall stories, okay, Adam? I know a few more lynching stories.”

“Shut up, Lee!” Adam screamed, and she was suddenly quiet. The bed squeaked as she wiggled and flipped and got herself situated. After fifteen minutes, she was subdued. After thirty minutes, the floor became uncomfortable and Adam rolled from side to side.

Sleep came in brief naps, interrupted by long periods of staring at the ceiling and worrying about her, and about the Fifth Circuit. At one point during the night he sat with his back to the door and stared through the darkness in the direction of the drawer. Was the book really there? He was tempted to sneak over and get it, then ease into the bathroom to look for the picture. But he couldn’t risk waking her. And he didn’t want to see it.

      Thirty-three      

H
e found a pint of bourbon hidden behind a box of saltines in the pantry, and emptied it in the sink. It was dark outside. Sunlight was an hour away. He made the coffee strong, and sipped it on the sofa while he rehearsed the arguments he would present in a few hours in New Orleans.

He reviewed his notes on the patio at dawn, and by seven he was in the kitchen making toast. No sign of Lee. He didn’t want a confrontation, but one was necessary. He had things to say, and she had apologies to make, and he rattled plates and forks on the counter. The volume was increased for the morning news.