فصل 06

CHAPTER SIX

Professional Witnesses

Jake had no intention of dropping the case. First, he had to find a psychiatrist they could afford. He needed to talk to Lucien.

Two days after Jake phoned him, Lucien called Ethel. He asked her to tell Jake to come see him. It was important. He had a visitor that Jake needed to meet.

Dr. W.T. Bass was a retired psychiatrist from Jackson. His retirement had been for the same reasons that Lucien was forbidden to practice law. He had a liking for whiskey that was stronger than his liking for his profession.

The doctor and Lucien sat outside the house, waiting for Jake to arrive.

“What do you want me to do?” asked Dr. Bass.

“Just say he was insane.”

“Was he?” asked the doctor.

“That’s not important.”

“What is important?”

“To give the jury a reason to say Carl Lee was not guilty! They won’t care if he’s crazy or not. But they’ll need some reason to let him go.”

“It would be nice to examine him.”

“You can. He’s at the jail just waiting for someone to talk to.”

“I’ll need to meet with him several times.”

“I know that.”

“And if I don’t think he was insane at the time of the shooting?”

“Then you won’t be able to speak at the trial, and get your name and picture in the paper, and you won’t be interviewed on TV.”

Bass finished one glass and poured another. He was not happy about taking the case. He didn’t practice now and he was frightened of making a fool of himself. He knew his weaknesses.

“What about this?” He waved his drink at Lucien.

“You shouldn’t drink so much,” Lucien replied, keeping the smile off his face with difficulty.

The doctor dropped his drink and exploded in laughter. He rolled out of his chair holding his stomach, helpless with laughter.

“And now you’re drunk,” Lucien said, as he went into the house for another bottle.

When Jake arrived an hour later, Lucien and the doctor were asleep. Jake walked up the steps to the house and woke Lucien.

“Jake, my boy, how are you?”

“Fine, Lucien. I see you’re doing quite well.” He looked at the empty bottle, and one not quite empty.

“I wanted you to meet a man,” Lucien said, trying to sit up straight.

“Who is he?”

“Our psychiatrist. Dr. Bass, from Jackson. A good friend. He’ll help us with Hailey.”

“Is he a good psychiatrist?”

“The best. We’ve worked together on several insanity cases. He drinks like a fish, but never during a trial.”

“That’s comforting.”

“He wants to meet Hailey as soon as possible. Tomorrow if he can.

The one problem today was that no one could wake Dr. Bass to arrange the meeting. Jake walked down the steps toward his car, listening to his former boss laugh and curse and throw pieces of ice at Dr. W.T. Bass, psychiatrist, witness for the defense.

Deputy De Wayne Looney left the hospital that afternoon, and drove his wife and three children to the jail, where the sheriff, the other deputies, and a few friends waited with a cake and small gifts. He would continue to work in the office, and would keep his uniform and full salary.

Two days later, Carl Lee Hailey was taken to meet Dr. Wilbert Rodeheaver, the head psychiatrist at the state hospital. Dr. Rodeheaver had been appointed by the prosecutor to see if Carl Lee had been insane or not when he killed the men who raped his daughter and accidentally shot Deputy Looney.