scared.
The hearing took place in the empty storefront across the road from Morrison's store. The room was packed to capacity. Mary Rose sat at the table on one side of her brother. Travis was seated on his opposite side. Douglas and Cole were both outside. They hadn't been allowed in because the judge was concerned about tempers getting out of hand.
Adam's accusers sat at a table across from the Claybornes. There were three of them in all. One lawyer and two vile, disgusting reptiles who called themselves Livonia 's kin. Mary Rose couldn't stand to look at either of them.
Judge Burns was pounding his gavel and ordering everyone to shut the hell up or he'd make all the spectators leave. Mary Rose was in such a daze of disbelief, she could barely understand a word the judge said.
Everyone outside of Blue Belle had all turned against her brother. All of them. As quickly as one could snap his fingers, they'd turned from smiling acquaintances into a group of angry vigilantes. Adam had helped most of the men inside the courtroom. His kindness and his generosity meant nothing to any of them now. He was black, and the man he supposedly killed was white. No one needed to hear anything more. Adam was guilty, regardless of circumstances. If the mob could have taken him outside and crucified him, Mary Rose believed they would.
She didn't know how to stop it. Adam was so stoic and dignified about it all. Even though he knew what was going to happen to him, the expression on his face showed only mild curiosity. Was he raging inside? She reached over and brushed her hand over his. How could she help him? How could anyone?
The judge slammed his gavel down once again. He was ready to render his decision about taking Adam back down south.
'I've looked your papers over and they appear to be legal.'
The attorney Livonia 's sons had brought with them hastily stood up. His name was Floyd Manning, and when he'd introduced himself to the judge, he'd added the fact that his family had lived in South Carolina for over a hundred years. He seemed to think that that somehow made him more qualified.
'Of course they're legal,' Manning said.'Shall we take Clayborne with us now? You have no recourse but to follow the law.'
A howl of alarm went up. The coyotes wanted to be fed. 'Don't let him take him, Judge,' someone shouted from the back of the courtroom. 'It ain't fair. I got my family waiting outside. I promised them…'
'Shut the hell up,' the judge ordered the complainer. 'What I was saying before you tried to fast-talk me into rushing, Floyd Manning, is that I got a little problem with this here legal paper. The law is the law, but telling me I don't have any recourse, well, now, that's mighty bold talk coming from an outsider. Let me set you straight. I'm the law here. What I say goes, and now I'm saying Adam Clayborne isn't going to be handed over to you. You want to see him hang, then you'll have to wait around to find out if he's rendered guilty or not.'
'But, Judge, in South Carolina…' Manning began.
'We ain't in South Carolina,' came the shout from the back. 'Go on ahead and try him now, Judge. It's getting on to noon.'
The judge looked as if he wanted to shoot someone. Since he was the only one with a gun inside this courtroom, he figured he might do just that if folks didn't settle down pretty soon.
He glared at the crowd before turning back to the citified lawyer with hundred-year-old relatives. 'We're in a territory, not a state, and like I told you before, what I say goes.'
Mary Rose bowed her head. She was desperately trying not to cry. Her anger made her shiver so much her arms had goosebumps everywhere. Would this nightmare ever end? Her brothers had hoped that Judge Burns would hand Adam over to the southerners. They planned to grab him outside of town and hide him up in the mountains until future plans could be made.
The crowd was in a frenzy waiting for the judge to tell them he would go ahead and try Adam then and there. Burns wasn't about to lose control of his court. He reached down into his lap and pulled out his six-shooter. He was going to put a couple of bullets in the ceiling to get everyone's attention.
The tactic turned out to be unnecessary. Just as he was cocking his weapon, a hush came over the crowd. Burns looked up and spotted Harrison roughly shoving his way through the angry men.
Mary Rose noticed the silence and gripped her hands together even tighter. What more had happened? Were they bringing in Douglas and Cole? She was afraid to look.
Harrison walked right past her. He didn't spare her or her brothers a glance as he made his way to the table Judge Burns sat behind.
'I have business with this court.'
Her head jerked up. She blinked. He didn't disappear. Harrison? Harrison was in Blue Belle? She couldn't seem to catch her breath, couldn't make herself understand.
'State your business,' the judge commanded.
'My name is Harrison Stanford MacDonald…'
Burns didn't let him continue. 'Why are you telling me your name? I know who you are.'
'For the record, Your Honor.'
'What record? We don't keep records here, leastways we don't very often. We're more casual in the Territory. State your business,' he repeated.
'I represent Adam Clayborne.'
A sparkle came into the judge's eyes. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his jaw. 'You do, do you?'
'Yes, Your Honor, I do.'
'Then you might as well get on over there and represent him. I'm about to try him for murder.'
'Is a man entitled to a fair trial in the Territory?' he asked.
The judge knew Harrison well enough to understand he wasn't trying to bait him or insult him.
'Yes, of course he's entitled.'
'Then I request sufficient time to confer with my client.'
'How much time?'
'One month.'
A roar of discontent went up. The judge calmly shot his gun into the air. 'Can't wait a whole month, Harrison.'
'Your Honor, I must have sufficient time to build my case.'
'Where we gonna keep him until you figure out what you want to say?'
'He should be released into my custody,' Harrison said.
'He'll run, Judge. The darkie will run. Just you wait and see.'
Judge Burns leaned to the side so he could see past Harrison. 'Is that you, Bickley, disrupting my courtroom? I swear to God I'm gonna put a bullet in your butt if you don't shut your trap. You got two weeks to prepare, Harrison. You willing to put up money in the event Adam runs?'
'Everything I own.'
'A hundred dollars will do me now. You can pay up the rest in two weeks, unless of course he doesn't run.'
'Yes, Your Honor.'
The judge slammed the gavel down once again. 'Adam's got to stay under house arrest until trial. Anyone doesn't like it can watch he doesn't leave from the edge of the Clayborne property line. All of you hear what I'm saying? Bickley, if you don't have anything better to do with your time than sit around and watch, you do it from the trees. You got that? I'm declaring here and now if any of you set foot on Clayborne land, it's legal for them to shoot you. We're going to have us a trial in two weeks. Court's adjourned.'
The judge slapped the gavel down against the tabletop one last time. 'You've got your work cut out for you, Harrison,' he remarked in a low voice. 'I have a folder full of evidence against Adam. You can have a gander at it until I leave to go fishing. I'll be at Belle's place until Sunday next. Bring your hundred dollars over there.'
Floyd Manning walked over to Harrison. 'Nigger lover,' he hissed.
The judge heard him. 'You got no more business here, Manning. Go on back home. I do my own prosecuting here. It'll be trial by jury, and I'll be the one picking the twelve.'
Manning's bushy eyebrows came together in yet another scowl. 'That boy don't deserve a fair trial. They all ought to be dragged out of here and strung up.'
