Джон Гришэм - A Time for Mercy

They would call him Luke, a name that Hanna approved. On his amended birth certificate his legal name would be Lucien, a name that Carla had at first resisted. Naming their child after the biggest rogue in Clanton might present all sorts of problems, but Jake was adamant. By the time the kid was ten, Lucien Wilbanks would be gone and forgotten by most of the town. Jake, though, would treasure his memories for the rest of his life.

They drove to the square and parked in front of the office of Arnie Pierce, a close friend of Jake’s from their law school days. Before she met Jake, Carla had once dated Arnie, so the relationships were old and trusted. They walked across the street to the Lafayette County Courthouse where Pierce had arranged a special appointment with Chancellor Purvis Wesson, a youthful judge Jake knew well. They gathered in his chambers for a private hearing with a court reporter present. Like a priest at a christening, Judge Wesson held the baby, examined him, and declared him ready to be adopted.

Portia arrived just in time for the occasion. Three weeks into the grind of law school, she was more than willing to skip a class or two and witness the adoption.

With Arnie feeding him paperwork, Judge Wesson waived the three-day waiting period and the six months probation. He examined the petition and the consent forms signed by Josie and Kiera. For the record, he read the specifics from the father’s death certificate. He signed his name twice, and little Luke Brigance became the legal son of Jake and Carla. The final matter was an order locking up the file and keeping it away from the public records.

Thirty minutes later, they posed for photos and said goodbye.

For the ride home, Hanna insisted that Carla ride in the rear seat with her and her brother. She had already assumed possession of the child and wanted to give him a bottle. Then she wanted to change his diaper, something Jake heartily endorsed. She could change all of them she wanted.

The drive to Clanton was a joyous moment, something Jake and Carla would relive for years. At home, lunch was waiting, along with Jake’s parents and Carla’s, who had flown into Memphis early that morning. Harry Rex and Lucien arrived for the homecoming. When Jake announced the child’s name, Harry Rex feigned irritation and asked indignantly why Lucien was chosen. Jake explained that one Harry Rex in the world was more than sufficient.

The grandmothers took turns squeezing the boy, all under the watchful eyes of his big sister.

The friends and family would go to great lengths to bury as many of the details as possible. People would talk, though, and the town would eventually know.

Jake didn’t care.

Author’s Note

I began writing A Time to Kill in 1984 and published it in 1989. A long time passed before Jake returned in 2013, in Sycamore Row . In between, other books set in the same fictional place were published— The Chamber, The Last Juror, The Summons, and my only collection of short stories, Ford County . Now, with the addition of this novel, a lot has been written about Clanton and many of its characters: Jake and Carla, Harry Rex, Lucien, Judge Noose, Judge Atlee, Sheriff Ozzie Walls, Carl Lee, and so on. Indeed, I’ve written so much about Ford County that I can’t remember all of it.

The point of all this is to apologize for any mistakes. I’m just too lazy to go back and read the earlier books.

Thanks to some old lawyer pals in Hernando who helped me remember details from an earlier career: James Franks, William Ballard, Chancellor Percy Lynchard. They explained the laws correctly. If I modified them to fit the story, then so be it. It’s my error, not theirs.

The same is true for any number of statutes and procedural rules in my home state. As a young attorney so many years ago I was bound to follow them to the letter of the law. Now, as a writer of fiction, I feel no such bondage. Here, as before, I have changed laws, twisted them, even fabricated them, all in an effort to drive the narrative.

And a big special thanks to Judy Jacoby for the title.

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