'Everyone else in Savannah would have known all about it. The girl's picture would have been on the front page of the paper every time it ran an article.'
'But that doesn't explain why Moses sees her face in the water. You heard him. He wanted to make sure we didn't think he'd done anything wrong.'
'Which proves?'
My frustration with Zach flew to the surface. 'That you don't understand we may be representing a man who should be charged with murder, not trespassing!'
'Keep your voice down,' Zach whispered as he glanced across the room toward the deputy. 'We're here to talk to Moses Jones about a misdemeanor trespassing case.'
'Then why did you keep going on about the girl in the water after I asked you to stop? This isn't my fault!'
'I'm not blaming you,' Zach answered. 'But we can't leave Jones alone while we argue. I'm going back in. We need to finish meeting with him about the trespassing case before thinking about anything else.'
We returned to the interview room.
'Sorry to leave you like that,' Zach said to Moses.
I stared at the old man's hands. They were arthritic now, but when he was younger they could have been lethal weapons.
'How did the Prescott girl die?' I blurted out. 'Was she strangled and drowned?'
'No, Tami,' Zach said. 'Leave it alone.'
Moses didn't pay attention to Zach. 'People, they know. I not be telling the policemans. How could I?'
Zach spoke. 'Mr. Jones, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to.' Moses blinked his eyes and began to cry softly.
'Tami, do you have a tissue?' Zach asked.
I reluctantly took one from my purse and handed it to Moses. The old man wiped his eyes and put his head in his hands. There was nothing to do but watch. Moses' shoulders shook slightly from the sobs. He sniffled several times.
'Mr. Jones, maybe we should come back later,' Zach said.
Moses raised his face. His eyes were bloodshot.
'I be tired,' he said. 'I been rowing this boat way too long. Time to pull it up on the bank and lighten my load.'
'What do you mean?' Zach asked.
Moses turned to me. 'Do you believe I done hurt that little girl, missy?'
The old man's face didn't look sinister, but how could I trust my eyes?
'I don't know.'
'Row my boat,' he replied softly. 'All I done, is row my boat. That be the whole truth. He give me a shiny silver dollar, but I throwed it in the river.'
'Who?' Zach asked.
'He gave me that dollar, and talk about that little girl,' Moses said with a faraway look in his eyes. 'But it make me scared.'
'Who gave it to you?' Zach persisted.
Moses refocused his eyes on Zach. 'Ol' Mr Carpenter, the big boss man, he give it to me. He be toting a wicked-looking gun.'
I looked at Zach. 'Joe Carpenter?'
Moses turned to me and shook his head. 'No, missy. 01' Mr. Carpenter, he be dead and in the water hissel ?'
Zach pushed his chair away from the table. 'Okay, that's enough. Mr. Jones, I need to apologize to you. I let my curiosity get the best of me and asked you questions that don't have anything to do with your trespassing case. Ms. Taylor and I are here to discuss the hearing in front of Judge Cannon tomorrow. You'll have to plead guilty or not guilty. I need your permission to work out a plea bargain with the district attorney's office. If I can get you out of jail for time served followed by a reasonable period of probation and the return of your boat, does that interest you?'
'I be listening,' Moses replied. 'You be the lawyers.'
Zach looked at me before he answered. 'I'll interpret that as your agreement for us to negotiate a better plea bargain; however, you'll make the final decision tomorrow.'
Moses stared at me for a few seconds. I waited for him to speak.
'Yes, missy,' he said. 'You be thinking about all Moses done told you. That other tall girl. She listen, but I think you be knowing more than she do. Taking a green pill, that don't change the past.'
Zach rose to his feet. 'We'll see you in the courtroom tomorrow,' he said to the old man.
I watched the deputy return Moses to the cell block.
'Who is the `other tall girl'?' Zach asked when Moses was gone.
'Probably a mental health worker who prescribed medication. Detective Branson knew Moses needed professional help.'
A deputy led us back to the main entrance.
'Should we talk to Mr. Carpenter about this?' I asked as we left the building.
'And ask why his family name was linked by an insane old man to the death of the Prescott girl?' Zach replied. 'That kind of conversation might shorten your stay as a summer clerk.'
'No, I want to ask his opinion of whether it's right to get Moses out of jail on probation when he may be guilty of murder.'
WE PHONED MAGGIE SMITH from Zach's office. The assistant district attorney wouldn't be available until the morning.
'What do we do in the meantime?' I asked.
Zach pulled on his ponytail. 'Wait.'
'I know what I'm going to do,' I said. 'Find out more about the Prescott girl's death.'
'Are you sure that's smart? Our job is to represent him in a trespassing case. The rest of it is probably a fantasy of random information swirled together in his mind. We don't even know there was a murder investigation.'
'Mrs. Fairmont wasn't confused when she mentioned it.'
'And could be remembering a rumor. On something like this, it's best to be skeptical. I'm not sure I'm going to let you-'
'Investigate it at all?' I interrupted sharply.
'Calm down,' Zach answered.
I imagined steam coming out of my ears. After a few moments, Zach spoke. 'We'll get on the phone to the district attorney's office first thing in the morning about a plea bargain on the trespassing case. After that's taken care of, you can decide if you want to talk some more with Moses about the faces in the water or let him slip back into the marsh. If you still want to check it out, I won't stop you.'
WHEN I RETURNED TO THE LIBRARY, Julie was sitting hunched over one of the research terminals. She turned around when I entered and held up her right hand. It was clenched in the shape of a claw.
'See my misshapen hand?' she asked. 'That's what two and a half hours of nonstop note-taking will do to otherwise healthy fingers. While you were laughing it up with Vinny, I barely had time to take a sip of water.'
'Is it an interesting case?'
'If you think sorting through fourteen shell companies, some registered overseas, others with dummy boards, is more fun than the Sunday crossword puzzle, this client will be a blast. At one point, I think Mr. Carpenter was having second thoughts about trying to get the business, but when the main guy agreed without argument to the amount of the retainer, all reservations flew out of the room. Now, I'm researching information about the other side. They seem as devious as our client.' Julie pushed her chair away from the computer. 'So, what about Vinny? Did you tell him you have a crush on Zach Mays?'
'No and no.'
'What do you mean? You have to tell me!'
'Why? So you can make fun of me?'
Julie held up her claw hand. 'Don't make me use the claw on you. Your arms are longer than mine, but I'm
