No Team To Root For (17) "Yes." Barrett was trembling but he spoke confidently. "I'm sure." Miles paused a few seconds and looked at Barrett. He gently tapped the pen on his nose. "What about Jodi?" Barrett scratched his head then rubbed his hands together. "What about --- ?" "Was it sexual?" Miles laid the pen down and folded his hands under his chin. Barrett looked down a moment. Then he looked back up at Miles. He cleared his throat several times and spoke just above a whisper. "It never got that far." Miles nodded. "You were interested --- but she wasn't." Barrett hesitated. "Something like that." Miles picked up his pen. He looked at his notebook. "Go on." "Well --- I think that's about it." Miles continued to write quickly, filling almost every page. "And you left Jodi's apartment at --- " "10:20." Barrett finished his attorney's sentence. "And she was alive when you left." Miles looked back at his cli-ent. "Very much so." Barrett spoke emphatically. Then as Miles pe-rused his notes, Barrett leaned in closer to him. "There's one more thing you should know." Miles looked up. "I'm listening, Barrett." "Jodi had a --- and I use the term loosely --- friend. A male friend by the name of Aaron Claypool. A worthless piece of shit!' The attorney smiled. "I gather he's not one of your favorite peo-ple." He jotted down notes on the last page as Barrett elaborated. "He had no consideration for her. He had no respect for her. He treated her like garbage!" Barrett leaned in even closer and raised his voice. "He actually threatened her." Miles looked up again. "You know this for a fact?" "Yes!" Barrett answered with no hesitation. "I overheard part of a conversation she had with him and --- " "Wait a minute, Barrett!" Miles sat up and raised his hand. "What do you mean --- part of a conversation?" Barrett paused a second. "I heard Jodi's end. I distinctly heard her yell 'don't talk to me that way!' She sounded scared." "And you viewed this as a threat?" "Yes!" "Hmmm --- " Miles tapped the table with his pen. "Maybe he used foul language. Maybe he called her a name. Maybe --- " "He threatened her!" "Barrett, you only heard one side of a conversation. How can you --- " "I know he threatened her!" Miles nodded resignedly and sat back in his seat. "Continue, Bar-rett." "Well, she and I had several --- talks." Barrett cleared his throat. "She told me what a prick he was!" Barrett's stomach began to turn again. "Was that the word she used --- prick?" "Well --- " Barrett cleared his throat again. " --- not exactly." Miles grinned. "I see." "Look, Miles. I'm convinced that Aaron Claypool killed Jodi Bartless." "Because of what he said?" "Because of what he said and because of what he is." Miles nodded. "Interesting observation." He looked his client di-rectly in the eye. "Barrett, let me give you some advice. I know you're on a long sharp hook here and Claypool is a way out." Be-fore Barrett could respond, Miles raised his forefinger and added, "And I'm not saying this guy is innocent. But for an accusation as powerful as that you need a lot more to go on. Being a prick is one thing. Threatening someone is quite another thing. The two do not go hand in hand." "I figured you'd say something like that." "You figured right." Miles laid down his pen. "Does anyone else know about Claypool?" "Darrell Saltz." "The local sheriff?" "Yes." "What did Saltz say?" Garrison asked. "He said he would check it out." "Meaning --- " "Well, I hope it means he'll try and find the son-of-a-bitch!" "Okay, Barrett. I'll take all of this into account." Miles carefully put away his pad and pen then slowly got up. "The prosecutor and I will meet with the municipal judge and a preliminary hearing will be set to determine whether there is probable cause that a crime has been committed." "Probable cause?" Barrett's mouth was suddenly dry. Miles continued as if Barrett had not spoken. "Then bond will be set and --- " When he saw the frightened look on Barrett's face, he put his hand on his client's arm and spoke sympathetically, "Barrett, this is the way it's done. It's referred to as the legal process." Then he gave Barrett's arm a friendly squeeze and added, "I'll check back with you as soon as humanly possible." They shook hands, and Miles left. * Miles Garrison visited Barrett two days later. They sat in the ex-act same seats. "Probable cause has been shown." Miles said. "Meaning what?" Barrett could feel his heart in his throat. "Nothing yet." Miles forced a smile. "But every cloud has a silver lining." Barrett leaned in and spoke a little louder. "Meaning what?" "Bond has been set and you have been released on your own re-cognizance." Barrett sat back and stared at his attorney. "You mean I can go?" Miles put a small suitcase on the counter next to him. "I believe these clothes are yours." Once outside the courthouse, Barrett patted Miles on the back. "Thanks, Miles. I can't tell you what a relief it is to get out of that slimy fucking hell hole!" "Well, don't thank me yet. We've got a long way to go." "So what's next?" Curiosity was mixed with fear. "You'll find out eventually." "I know, but --- " "All in good time, Barrett." Miles took his client by the arm. "The limo is parked around the corner. Come on. I'll drive you home." The limo pulled into Barrett's circular driveway. Miles turned to him. "Take a nice hot shower and get some sleep. Here's my tele-phone number." He gave Barrett a small piece of paper. "I'm staying at the downtown Hilton. Call me tomorrow when you get up. If I'm not in, leave a message at the front desk." The two men shook hands. Barrett got out of the long black automobile and watched as it drove away. He paused reflectively a moment on his steps. He was relieved for the present but apprehensive about the future. For now he was free to go home. But next week or next month he knew things could change drastically. Barrett Jessop's purposeful alibi continued to be a nemesis. And now it appeared to be haunting him more than ever. He wanted the whole world to know he was at Jodi Bartless' apartment that fateful night. And his elaborate plan had worked well --- too well! Now he would have to live --- or die with it intact! * It was 6 am and Barrett had had another sleepless night. Now he sat at his kitchen table with the brochures of Maui and Aruba in front of him. They were faded, torn and barely readable. But using more memory than vision, he was still able to discern the unsullied aqua waters, the clear blue skies, and the white sandy beaches. After several minutes of intense scrutiny, Barrett finally pushed the papers to one side. He found himself staring at an empty table and wondering if he would ever get to these remote utopian lands. He was beginning to have some strong serious doubts! * XXI Barrett pulled his Oldsmobile into his circular driveway and en-tered his home, which was very quiet now. Even the strange pops and creaks were silent. The soft ticking of the clock was the only sound he could hear. He proceeded up the stairs cautiously. "Please! No weird or un-usual noises!" He spoke aloud. And so far his wish had been granted. When he got to the bathroom, he stopped to look at him-self in the mirror. It revealed an old washed out face he had never seen before. His eyes were dull and his hair was a mess. He had a five day growth of beard, his clothes looked like they had been slept in, and he smelled awful. He felt more like a derelict than a profes-sional --- let alone a pillar of the community! Barrett's thoughts were shattered by the piercing sound of the telephone. "Hello." He grabbed the receiver, knocking over the end table in the process. "Barrett, this is Lysle." His breathing was heavy. "Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to call you all week! You're not at home! You're not at the office! What is going on? Are you all right?" "Well --- " Barrett put the end table back on its legs. " --- you're going to hear about it sooner or later. And I humbly apologize for not keeping you informed --- I mean you are my best friend and --- " "I know all that, Barrett. Get to the point for Christ's sake!" "You better sit down for this one." There was a pause. Then Lysle said, "Okay. I'm sitting." "This will probably make the evening news, so you might as well hear it from me." Barrett sat down slowly in his favorite chair in the family room. "I've been arrested!" There was a long pause before Lysle answered. "You --- what?" Barrett could hear the shocked tone in his friend's voice. "I know I should have confided in you, but I tried to keep a low profile. Not easy in a small town. I'm sorry I --- " "Arrested! Arrested for what?" Lysle's shock was now turned to confusion. Barrett began rubbing his forehead. "For the murder of Jodi Bart-less." There was another long pause. "Barrett, isn't she the librarian they found shot? How the hell are you tied into that?" Barrett then recounted as much as he could from the time of Jodi's death until his release from jail. He had to speak slowly be-cause his mouth was so dry. "Some story, eh Lysle?" Barrett's head felt the size of a volleyball. Lysle took a deep breath. "I swear to God Barrett, I don't believe any of this!" "Well, if you don't believe it, you can imagine how I feel." Barrett continued to rub his forehead. "Holy shit!" Lysle paused, then spoke more compassionately. "Is there anything I can do?" "No. Not yet anyway." Barrett felt like he hadn't slept in a year. "This time I promise to keep in touch. When I know, you'll know." "You better, Barrett. And if you need anything --- " "Right now I need a long hot shower and about forty-eight hours of uninterrupted sleep!" His body odor was more than he could stand. "Oh, Lysle. I know this is going to sound stupid. But --- what day is this?" There was a brief silence. "Thursday, Barrett. Today is Thurs-day!" * Barrett shaved and took a hot shower, staying under the spray an extra ten minutes. He felt clean but far from refreshed. As he headed for the spare room, the phone rang. "Hello, Barrett." said an agitated Sara Sharkey. "I spoke to Lysle and --- " "Sara, I don't feel like talking now." I have to get to bed! Sara ignored Barrett's pleas. "I just can't believe --- " "Sara, my eyes are ready to pop out of my head. Just --- " "Now you promise me if you need anything --- " "I promise. I promise! Just don't ask me any questions." I hope I make it to bed before I drop dead! "And call everyone you know and tell them not to call me. I have to get some rest." He quickly hung up. No more calls! Please! Then he went downstairs and took the phone off the hook in the kitchen. The buzzing would stop in a few seconds. He crawled back upstairs past the master bedroom, which still had the door closed. No need to go in there just yet, he thought, maybe --- tomorrow. He finally made it to the spare room and lay down on the bed he hated. Now it never felt so good. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. * Barrett Jessop sat up wearily in bed and looked at the clock. It was 10:05 am. He had slept nearly twelve hours! And the few aches from the bed in the spare room were insignificant compared to those incurred from the horrid cot in the jail cell. May I never see the inside of a jail cell again! He then watched a strange shadow move back and forth across the window. "What the hell --- ?" It took him several minutes to figure out that it was the tall oak tree at the side of the house moving with the wind. He re-membered planting it as a tiny twig nearly ten years ago. "On to matters at hand." he said as he picked up the phone in the kitchen. It took a while for the dial tone. He turned on the news while he waited. "Hello." "Hello, Miles." He could feel his insides begin to shake. "This is Barrett Jessop." "Barrett. Yes!" Miles' voice was fresh and crisp. "Listen, why don't you come to my hotel and meet me at the coffee shop --- say at --- 11:30." "No problem." Barrett yawned. "See you then." What am I get-ting myself into? He had one more phone call to make before he left. "Dr. Jessop and associates. Marie speaking." Barrett interrupted her to fill her in and bring her up to date on everything that had happened since he last spoke to her. "Oh, Dr. Jessop! How can they do all this to you? It isn't fair!"
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