Sycamore Row - John Grisham

Harry Rex caught Jake outside the restroom and said, “Spoke with Chilcott. No deal.
No interest in talking settlement. In fact, he almost laughed in my face, said they have
another surprise or two.”
“What?” Jake asked in a panic.
“Well, of course he wouldn’t tell me. That would ruin the ambush, right?”
“I can’t take another ambush, Harry Rex.”
“Just keep your cool. You’re doing fine. I don’t think Herschel and Ramona impressed
too many jurors.”
“Should I go after her?”
“No. Take it easy. If you pin her down, she’ll just start crying again. The jury’s sick of
her.”
Five minutes later, Jake walked to the podium and said, “Now, Mrs. Dafoe, your
father died on October 2 of last year, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Before he died, when was the last time you saw him?”
“I didn’t keep notes, Mr. Brigance. He was my daddy.”
“Isn’t it true that you last saw him in late July, over two months before he died?”
“No, that’s not true at all. I saw him all the time.”
“The last time, Mrs. Dafoe. When was the last time?”
“Again, I didn’t keep up with the dates. Probably a couple of weeks before he died.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Well, no, I’m not positive. Do you make a note every time you visit your parents?”
“I’m not the witness, Mrs. Dafoe. I’m the lawyer who’s asking the questions. Are you
sure you saw your father a couple of weeks before he died?”
“Well, uh, I can’t be positive.”
“Thank you. Now, what about the children, Will and Leigh Ann? When was the last
time they saw their grandfather before he died?”
“Oh, heavens, Mr. Brigance. I have no idea.”
“But you testified they saw him all the time, right?”
“Of course, yes. They loved their granddaddy.”
“Did he love them?”
“He adored them.”
Jake smiled and walked to the small table where the exhibits were kept. He picked up
two sheets of paper and looked at Ramona. “This is the will your father wrote the day
before he died. It’s in evidence and the jury has already seen it. In paragraph six, your
father writes, and I quote: ‘I have two children—Herschel Hubbard and Ramona
Hubbard Dafoe—and they have children, though I don’t know how many because I
haven’t seen them in some time.’ End quote.”
Jake placed the will back on the table and asked, “By the way, how old is Will?”
“Fourteen.”
“And how old is Leigh Ann?”