Hour Game

burning the money after you killed his partner. He didn't want his father to get it back. But he ran out of time. He had to tie himself back up and play dumb when you got there. I told you he'd been harboring this hatred for his father a long time.'

'Unbelievable,' said Bailey as he slowly sat back down. 'That's unbelievable,' he said again. 'And all these years he's pretended everything was great and he was really hating my guts?'

'Eddie is a consummate actor and liar. And let's put it this way: consider yourself very fortunate you weren't found with a watch around your wrist.'

'Jesus!' the FBI agent said.

'But, Sean,' said Williams, 'it's been twenty years between the kidnapping and all these murders. What set Eddie off?'

'I believe it was his father's stroke. Perhaps he felt Bobby would die before he could show him his version of justice. I don't know that for sure, but the timing I think is beyond coincidence.'

'So what now?' asked Michelle.

Williams answered, 'Eddie's being arraigned tomorrow at the courthouse.'

'No doubt his trial will get a change of venue,' said King. 'If it goes that far.'

'What, you mean insanity?' asked Williams. 'No way. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing.'

'In a way he was exorcising demons that have been with him most of his life,' said King. 'I'm not excusing anything he did, and if he gets the death penalty, so be it. But if he hadn't had Bobby Battle as his father, I don't think any of this would have happened.'

They all looked at each other in silence.

'And there but for the grace of God go I,' said Sylvia in a very low voice.

CHAPTER 88

WHEN EDDIE BATTLE WAS DRIVEN over to the courthouse the next morning in a special convoy provided by state police and uniformed FBI agents, the crowd of townspeople and media was so enormous the convoy couldn't get through. Indeed, fueled by the national attention the story had received, seemingly everyone from a five-state area had come to watch. And there was an angry look to the throng.

'Shit,' bellowed Chief Williams as he stared out at the crowds from the lead van. 'I was afraid of this. We've been getting death threats against Battle ever since the story broke about his capture.' He eyed the mobs in their way. 'No telling if somebody out there has a gun either.' He scrutinized a group of tough-looking men standing beside pickup trucks with building materials in the beds.

'That's probably a bunch of Junior's good old boys, and they don't look like they're here to pat Eddie on the head.'

'Isn't there an underground entrance to the courthouse?' said Bailey, who was in the rear seat behind Williams.

'Don't you think if there were I would have already gone there? Maybe we should take him back to the jail and let it settle down.'

'Settle down! It's not going to settle down for months. We might as well get it over with now, while we have the manpower with us.'

Williams studied the crowd some more, then barked into his walkie-talkie. 'Okay, let's move it right down the middle of the street. Take it slow; I don't want any civil lawsuits because we ran over somebody. We'll pull onto the lawn directly by the front steps. You clear and secure that area. I want a ring of body armor there, you understand? Then we'll open the doors and hustle him through fast for his arraignment. But before he comes back out, we're going to disperse this damn crowd and get these media trucks out of here, that's for damn sure.'

'You're gonna have a big First Amendment problem with that, Todd,' said Bailey.

'To hell with the First Amendment! I've got a prisoner to keep alive. Even if it's just so they can execute him.'

The area was secured, the van pulled in front and Eddie Battle was whisked into the courthouse as screams and epithets rained down on the men encircling him, along with bottles, cans, rocks and other thrown items but fortunately no bullets.

Battle 's court-appointed lawyers met him outside the courtroom. They spoke briefly and went inside, where Eddie pleaded not guilty. His counsel didn't ask for bail to be set, not that such a request would have been seriously considered. His lawyers might have been terrified that a free Eddie would come and visit them in the middle of the night.

'We'll be in touch,' said his lead attorney, a tall, portly woman with a bad haircut.

'I'm sure,' said Eddie, his strong body nearly bursting out of the too small orange prison jumpsuit. 'You think you can get me off with good behavior?'

Eddie and his bodyguards headed back out but were stopped by Williams and Bailey long before they got to the exit doors.

'We're looking at a near riot out there,' said Williams. 'Before we can get him out, we have to deal with it. I've ordered pepper spray and tear gas if they won't disperse on their own.'

Eddie smiled. 'Looks like I really lighted up old Wrightsburg's fire, Todd.'

'Shut up!' screamed Williams, but that did nothing to wipe the smile off Eddie's face. It just grew bigger.

'Now, you have to protect me,Todd. You can't let them kill me or the media will be pissed. You can't deprive them of the show. Think of the ratings. Think of the ad dollars.'

'I said shut up!' Williams moved toward him but Bailey got between them.

'That's stupid, Todd, don't even think it.'

'Hey, thanks, Chippy. You've always been such a good friend,' said Eddie.

Bailey whipped around, and his hand went toward his gun.

Now Williams stepped in. 'Okay, Chip, we're not going to let him do this to us.' He bellowed to two of his deputies. 'Take him to the holding cage on the second floor. We'll come get him when the crowd's under control.'

'Good luck,' called out Eddie as the deputies led him away. 'Don't let me down now.'

CHAPTER 89

ONE OF THE DEPUTIES WAS BY THE outside door; the other hovered by the window.

'Itlooks like a damn riot there,' said the one by the window. He was Eddie's height, well built, with curly hair. 'There goes the tear gas.'

'Tear gas!' said the other, a short cop with a bulldog chest, wide waist and broad hips that caused all the gear on his belt to stick out sideways. 'Wish I were out there shooting some of that stuff at those sumbitches.'

'Well, go on, I got things here.'

'No can do. The chief said to stay put.' He glanced in the direction of the holding cell where Eddie Battle sat silently watching them. 'This mutha's killed a bunch of people. Dude's crazy.'

'They don't riot for jaywalkers, boys,' said Eddie.

They both looked at him. The big cop laughed. 'That's a good one. They don't riot for jaywalkers.'

The short cop looked at his partner.

'Go on,' said the big cop. 'This dude's going nowhere.'

'Well, look here, if you see the chief coming, radio me. I'll be back in a flash.'

'Roger that.'

The short cop left, and it was just Eddie and the big cop.

Eddie rose and moved to the door. 'You got a cigarette?'

'Right, like I'm falling for that one. My mother didn't raise no idiots. You just stay over there and I'll stay over