The Gods of Guilt(117)

“Let’s summarize, Mr. Hensley. What you’ve told us here today is that Gloria Dayton came into the hotel on the evening of November eleventh and went up to the eighth floor, where she presumably knocked on the door of a room where no one was staying. Is that correct?”

“Yes, correct.”

“And that when she went back down the elevator and left the hotel, she was followed by a ‘mystery man’ who was not an employee of the hotel. Correct?”

“Again, correct.”

“And just over two hours later she was dead.”

Forsythe weakly objected on the grounds I was asking a question that was outside the scope of Hensley’s knowledge and expertise.

Leggoe sustained the objection but it didn’t matter.

“Then I have no further questions,” I said.

Forsythe stood for his cross-examination but then surprised me.

“Your Honor, the state has no questions at this time.”

He must have decided that the best path out of the “mystery man” debacle was to pay it no mind, give it no credibility, act like it didn’t matter—and then retreat with Lankford and engineer some kind of response in rebuttal.

The problem for me was that I didn’t want to put another witness on the stand but it was only four ten and probably too soon in the judge’s estimation to end court for the day.

I walked to the railing behind the defense table and leaned over to whisper to Cisco.

“Tell me something,” I said.

“Tell you what?” he answered.

“Act like you’re telling me about our next witness and shake your head.”

“Well, yeah, I mean we don’t have another witness unless you want me to go to the hotel where we stashed Budwin Dell and bring him over.”

He shook his head, playing along perfectly, and then continued.

“But it’s four ten now and by the time I got back it would be five.”

“That’s good.”

I nodded and returned to the defense table.

“Mr. Haller, you can call your next witness,” the judge said.

“Judge . . . I, uh, don’t exactly have my next witness ready. I thought Mr. Forsythe would have at least a few questions for Mr. Hensley and that would take us through until four thirty or five.”

The judge frowned.

“I don’t like quitting early. I told you that at the start of the trial. I said have your witnesses ready.”

“I understand, Your Honor. I do have a witness but he is in a hotel twenty minutes away. If you want, I can have my investigator—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We wouldn’t get started until almost five. What about Mr. Lankford? He’s on your witness list.”

I turned and looked back at Lankford as if I was considering it. Then I looked back at the judge.

“I’m not prepared today for Mr. Lankford, Your Honor. Could we just break for the day now and make up the lost time by shortening our recesses over the next couple days?”

“And penalize the jury for your lack of preparedness? No, we’re not going to do that.”

“Sorry, Judge.”

“Very well, I am adjourning court for the day. We will be in recess until nine o’clock tomorrow morning. I suggest you be prepared to begin then, Mr. Haller.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

We stood as the jury filed out, and Andre needed to grab me by the arm to pull himself up.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Fine. You did good today, Mickey. Real good.”

“I hope so.”

The deputies came for him then. He would be taken back to the courtside cell, where he would change from his baggy suit into an orange jumpsuit. He would then be put on a bus and shipped back to Men’s Central. If there were any delays in the process, he would miss chow time in the jail and go to sleep hungry.

“Just a few more days, Andre.”

“I know. I’m hanging in.”

I nodded and they led him away. I watched them take him through the steel door.

“Isn’t that touching?”

I turned. It was Lankford. He had come up to the defense table. I looked over his shoulder at Forsythe. The prosecutor was standing over his table, trying to fit a thick stack of files into his thin attaché case. He was not paying attention to Lankford and me. Behind him, the courtroom had emptied. Lorna had gone down to get the car. One of Moya’s men had followed her while the other had moved out into the hallway to wait for me. Cisco and Jennifer had already left the courtroom.

“It is touching, Lankford,” I said. “You know why? Because that’s an innocent man, and you don’t see too many of those around here.”

I raised my hand in a who-am-I-kidding gesture.

“But of course you know that better than almost anybody, don’t you? I mean the part about him being innocent.”