Роберт Паркер - Robert B. Parker’s Blackjack

The crowd half agreed and half disagreed.

“So you did nothing?” Dickie said.

LaCroix shook his head.

“I... I did not, I’m mortified to admit. And now, now that we know the heinous outcome of this... I am frankly ashamed of myself.”

“No further questions at this time, Your Honor,” Dickie said.

“He’s going to leave it at that?” Valentine said under his breath. “Not ask what, if anything else, he witnessed?”

Callison nodded and looked to Juniper.

“Mr. Jones?”

“Dickie is smart,” I said. “He’s setting Juniper up, he’s making it where Juniper will be the one dropping the blade.”

Juniper looked to Black, who was still about to explode. Juniper whispered something to Black as he stared at the floor. Juniper whispered to him again, and Black’s eyes looked up at Juniper, then shifted to LaCroix. Juniper said something to Black and Black nodded slightly.

“Mr. Jones,” Callison said. “You may cross-examine, and if you do not wish to do so, say so.”

“I do, Your Honor,” Juniper said, and he got to his feet and moved away from Black.

“Juniper is smart, and he knows the trap Dickie has left for him,” I said. “How he gets around it is another story.”

Juniper glanced back to Black, then turned his attention to LaCroix. Juniper, for the first time in the proceedings, looked uncertain as he approached LaCroix. He stopped in front of the stand and paced for a moment.

“The worm, it turns,” Valentine said quietly.

“Does,” I said.

“Looks like Black’s goose has just been stuffed proper and overcooked,” Valentine said.

Virgil did not say anything, but he shook his head a little.

“Wonder what in the hell is this little attorney fella gonna do,” Valentine said. “Poor bastard’s got himself a battleship to row upstream with a sapling stick.”

“Mr. LaCroix,” Juniper said. “You said you saw Mr. Black on more than one occasion?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you see him prior to the day in question, when you allegedly say you saw Mr. Black?”

Dickie offered an objection, but Callison overruled.

“I allege nothing, I saw...”

“Answer the question,” Juniper said. “Where did you see him prior?”

“Why, at Bloom’s Inn, like I said.”

“Where did you physically see him at the Inn?”

“What?”

“Where?”

“I’m not certain what you mean.”

“This is not difficult questioning here, Mr. LaCroix. Did you see him in the parlor, in the hall, on the front porch, on the roof, swinging from the eaves... where did you see him?”

“Oh, well... I saw him, let’s see, coming and going. He’s rather hard to miss.”

“When?”

“At different times during the day.”

Juniper looked at the painting. He studied it for a moment.

“You said you painted in the evening and you set up in the evening.”

LaCroix nodded and smiled.

“Um,” he said. “Yes, but...”

“But?” Juniper said. “ But? ... Why are you lying?”

“Objection,” Dickie said.

“You said you painted in the evenings,” Juniper said, then turned to Callison. “Your Honor, I am trying to establish some basic timeline here that Mr. LaCroix seems to be lying about, and I want to know why he is lying under oath.”

Dickie shouted, “Objection, Your Honor.”

“Sustained,” Callison said. “Let him answer, Mr. Jones.”

“I came there to the inn at various times during the day for a while, just sketching, getting my framework down,” LaCroix said. “And during those times, a few times, I saw Mr. Black.”

Juniper looked at LaCroix for a long moment, then he moved to the painting. He picked it up and looked at it, smelled it, and touched it with his little finger. He rubbed his little finger with his thumb and looked at the residue of paint on his fingers.

“Still wet,” Juniper said.

LaCroix nodded.

“Takes a while to dry thoroughly,” he said.

“When did you finish this painting?” Juniper said.

“I’m not sure I ever finish a painting,” LaCroix said with a proud boyish smile as he looked to the audience.

“Yes,” Juniper said. “By the look of this, I can certainly see your point.”

The comment brought a few chuckles from the crowd.

LaCroix sat with his shoulders back and acted as though the comment didn’t have an effect on him.

Juniper looked closely at the painting again.

“Looks like this painting was just only recently done, and just barely dry.”

“No, it’s been done awhile,” he said.

“It’s a rather crude and uninspired piece,” Juniper said. “Is this your first painting?”

LaCroix’s face flushed. Dickie objected, but Callison quieted him.

“First painting or no?” Juniper said.

“It is not my first painting,” LaCroix said.

“So you have other paintings?”

“Objection, Your Honor,” Dickie said. “I do not see how any other paintings that have been painted by Mr. LaCroix have any bearing on this—”

“On the contrary, Your Honor,” Juniper said, interrupting Dickie. “I am only attempting to substantiate this man Mr. LaCroix is the painter he claims he is.”

“Oh, I am,” LaCroix said defensively.

“So you say.”

“Objection overruled,” Callison said. “Continue, Mr. Jones, but get to your point.”

“Again,” Juniper said. “You have other paintings?”

“Why, of course,” he said.

“Where are they?”

“Well... they are at my home.”

“And where is it you call home?”

“In Denver,” he said.

“So, Your Honor, I would just like to point out to the jury, that unless this court were able to obtain those said paintings and had the opportunity to view them, or if we were able to gather witnesses that have witnessed Mr. LaCroix painting the said paintings, we have no real evidence to show this jury that confirms Mr. LaCroix is even a painter at all. Much less any evidence that proves he was where he said he was during the painting of this” — Juniper looked at the painting — “ Bloom Where You Are Planted concoction.”

“Objection,” Dickie said. “This is ridiculous. Mr. Jones is hanging on by a thread and he knows it.”

“Point taken,” Callison said. “The jury can decide on this painterly matter based on the evidence presented in this court... I’m going to have to agree with Mr. Simmons here, Mr. Jones... Continue, Mr. Jones, but get to the point, and in doing so, let’s choose a direct line of questioning that is without the unnecessary subversive commentary.”

Juniper nodded, then paced for a moment.

“Did you get paid to come here today?”

“No.”

“Why are you here?”

“I felt it was my responsibility to be here.”

“Do you know anyone in this courtroom?” Juniper said.

LaCroix looked out to the room and scanned the faces.

“I do not.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes,” he said. “Well... I met those here with the Denver law enforcement when I arrived here in Appaloosa, but then and only then.”

“Did you pay for your travel here?”

“No.”

“Who did?”

“They did, the Denver Department of Law Enforcement.”

“How is it that you are just coming forward with this information?”

“I read about this in the Denver paper, about Ruth Ann’s body being found, and I contacted the authorities.”

“That is not the only reason, is it?”

LaCroix was silent for a long moment.

“No.”

“Oh?” Juniper said. “What was the other reason or reasons?”

“Oh, no,” Valentine said under his breath. “Juniper might have just belayed the wrong yard lift.”