Sycamore Row

about it, for the most part. At the time, Simeon was still represented by Booker Sistrunk, and I told Simeon in court that I would not help him with the DUI. I didn’t like the guy; in fact, I despised him.”
    “Did you see a conflict?” Carla asked.
    “I thought about it. In fact, I even mentioned it to Ozzie. The truth was, there was no conflict. I’m the attorney for the estate. Simeon is not an interested party in the estate. His wife is, but he’s not.”
    “That’s not real clear, Jake.”
    “No, it’s not, and I should not have gotten involved. It was a huge mistake. I didn’t trust my instincts.”
    “But no one can blame you for Simeon’s drunk driving.”
    “Sure they can. If the case had been handled properly, he would have been convicted before now and his license pulled. He would not have been driving last night, in theory anyway. The truth is half the blacks and rednecks in this county do not have valid licenses.”
    “It’s only four months, Jake. These cases drag on for longer, don’t they?”
    “Sometimes.”
    “What was that guy’s name, the roofer? You did a DUI for his son and the case lasted a year.”
    “Chuck Bennett, but I didn’t want the boy in jail until they finished with our roof.”
    “My point is that these cases can drag on.”
    “Sure, but there’s always finger-pointing after a tragedy, the blame game. And since I’m in the Lang camp, I’ll get my share. It’s always easy to blame the lawyers. Ozzie’ll get hammered, too. He’ll be seen as the black sheriff trying to protect one of his own, and now two white kids are dead. It could be brutal.”
    “Maybe not, Jake.”
    “I’m not optimistic.”
    “How will it affect the will contest?”
    Jake slowly sipped his coffee and stared through a window into the blackness of his backyard. Softly, he said, “It’s devastating. Simeon Lang will be the most reviled person in this county for months to come. He’ll have his day in court, then get sent away to prison. Over time, he’ll be forgotten by most folks. But our trial is only six weeks away. The Lang name is toxic. Imagine trying to pick a jury with that baggage.” He took another sip, then rubbed his eyes. “Lettie has no choice but to file for divorce, and quickly. She has to cut all ties to Simeon.”
    “Will she?”
    “Why not? He’ll spend the next twenty or thirty years in Parchman, where he belongs.”
    “I’m sure the Rostons will be pleased with that.”
    “Those poor people.”
    “Are you seeing her today, Lettie?”
    “I’m sure I will. I’ll call Harry Rex first thing this morning and try to arrange a meeting. He’ll know what to do.”
    “Will this make the
Times
?”
    “No, the
Times
will be on the street in an hour. I’m sure Dumas will give it the entire front page next week, with photos of the wrecked vehicles, as much gore as possible. And he’d love to grind me up too.”
    “What’s the worst he can say about you, Jake?”
    “Well, first, he can label me as Simeon’s lawyer. Then he can slant and twist and imply that I’ve somehow stalled the October DUI case, and that if I had not done so, then Simeon’s driver’s license would have been yanked by the court and he wouldn’t be driving. Thus, the Roston boys wouldn’t be dead.”
    “He can’t do that. That’s assuming far too much.”
    “He can and he will.”
    “Then talk to him. Damage control here, Jake. Today is Wednesday, so the funerals will probably be over the weekend. Wait until Monday, and file the divorce. What do you call that restraining thing?”
    “TRO—temporary restraining order.”
    “That’s it. Get the judge to sign one of those so Simeon can’t get near Lettie. Sure he’s in jail, but if she wants a TRO it makes her look good. A clean break, she’s running from the guy. In the meantime, talk to Dumas and make sure he gets the facts straight. Do some research and show him that some DUI cases drag on for more than four months. You never opened a file and you certainly weren’t paid a dime. See if you can convince Ozzie to take some heat. If I recall correctly, he got about 70 percent of the vote the last time he ran. He’s bulletproof. Plus, he wants Lettie to win the will contest. If you’re getting hit with baggage, get Ozzie to shoulder some. He can handle it.”
    Jake was nodding along, even smiling. Go girl!
    She said, “Look, dear, right now you’re shell-shocked and you’re scared. Shake it off. You’ve done