Booth was wearing a short-sleeve hospital gown. The gown bulged in numerous places where bandages covered the grafts. On the back of Booth's left arm and hand were square patches of pinkish-purplish skin. A clear yellow serum oozed out of numerous perforations in the skin. O'Shay felt light-headed, even though Booth did not look as bad as she had imagined.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Booth?" O'Shay asked as she sat next to the bed on a gray metal chair.
"Bad," Booth managed. His speech had a harsh, rasping quality that startled O'Shay. The word was said so softly that she had to strain to hear it. Dr. Farber had explained that Booth had suffered a minor inhalation injury when he breathed in smoke from the beddin that burned in his cell. Booth's pain medication had also been withheld so he would be clearheaded for his testimony.
"You'll feel better when you're through testifying and I let the U.S. Attorney know how much I appreciate your help."
O'Shay could see that Booth was frightened.
"Don't worry, Kevin. This won't take long. The doctor will be here. The judge will let you take breaks, if u'll do fine.
you need toyo -We don't start for a while. I'm here because I want to tell you the questions I'm going to ask you, so you won't be surprised by them. Okay?"
Booth nodded and O'Shay rewarded him with a smile. For the next half hour, O'Shay went through her direct examination with Booth. For the most part, O'Shay let Booth answer without comment, but every once in a while, she would advise Booth to phrase an answer differently so it would have a greater impact on the jurors. By the end of the half hour, Booth seemed to be flagging, so O'Shay decided to wind up their meeting.
"That was great, Kevin. I wanted to go over one more thing, then I'll let you get some rest. Do you think you can hang in there for a few minutes more?"
Booth nodded slowly. His eyelids fluttered with fatigue.
"Jurors are impressed by details. Little things that lend authenticity to what a witness says. There are a lot of good details in your account of Harmon's confession, but there's one thing I realize we've never talked about.
Something Gary Harmon may have told you that only the killer would know."
"What ... thing?"
"You told me that Harmon said that Sandra Whiley wore a good luck piece around her neck. A small, silver medallion on a chain. Did Harmon ever mention anything else about this necklace to you?"
"What ... would he ... have said?"
"The necklace was found in some bushes near the entrance to the park. By those stone pillars. We think that the killer tore it off of her neck while they were struggling. Did Harmon ever mention anything about that?"
"I ... I'm not sure."
"Try and remember. I don't want you to testify about anything Harmon didn't tell you. I don't want you to make up anything. But it would be important, if Bar mon did say it. Why don't you think about it while you rest."
Booth nodded. O'Shay stood up.
"I'll come by before everyone else arrives and you can tell me if you remember anything about the necklace or anything else of importance."
Peter Hale and Becky O'Shay sat on either side of Judge Kuffel on the left side of Kevin Booth's bed. Behind them, against the wall, sat the jurors. Dr. Farber and the court reporter sat on the right side of the bed. Gary Harmon sat behind Peter. Two guards stood against the wall. Another policeman was stationed outside the room in the hospital corridor.
Peter had his back to the jurors, but he had stolen a glance at them when he was setting up his notes on the bridge table the hospital provided. They seemed uneasy so close to a person who had been horribly burned.
Peter appreciated how the jurors felt. He remembered his temporary feeling of disorientation when he saw his father in intensive care for the first time. Hospitals were unpleasant places and patients were graphic reminders of human frailty.
"Mr. Booth, are you feeling well enough to talk to the ury?" Becky O'Shay asked with unctuous concern.
Booth nodded. It had been agreed that he could respond with a nod or shake of the head to questions that could be answered yes or no.
"Good. If you want to rest for a while please let me know and I'll ask the judge for a recess. Dr. Farber will also be here during the questioning. Do you understand that you can talk to him at any time, if you need to?"
Again, Booth nodded.
"Okay. Now, even though you are recuperating from your terrible burns in this hospital in Portland, you are technically a prisoner awaiting trial in jail on various charges relating to narcotics, are you not?"
Booth nodded.
"After your arrest, were you placed in the Whitaker County jail?"
Booth nodded.
"Was Gary Harmon in the same jail?"
Booth's head turned slowly until he was staring directly at Gary. Then he turned back toward the prosecutor. Though it took only seconds, the action seemed to take forever.
"Yes," Booth rasped. Several jurors seemed disturbed by the way Booth's voice sounded.
"How long have you known Mr. Harmon?"
"High ... school."
"Can you estimate the number of years?"
"Six ... seven years."
"Were you friends in high school?"
Booth nodded.
"So, Mr. Harmon would trust you."
"Objection," Peter said. "Leading."
"That is a leading question, Mr. Hale. Now, I am going to permit more leading than I normally would because of Mr. Booth's condition, but I think this is too important an area to permit it. Why don't you rephrase the question, Ms. O'Shay."
"Very well, Your Honor. Mr. Booth, describe your relationship with Mr. Harmon."
"Gary ... was my ... friend."
The effort to get out this halting sentence seemed to exhaust Booth. He closed his eyes and rested while O'Shay asked the next question.
"Dia Mr. Harmon appear to have other friends when he was in jail in Whitaker?"
"No," Booth answered, his eyes still shut. "Seemed lonely. Gary ... stayed by self."
"Did you talk to Mr. Harmon in jail?"
Booth nodded.
"In the course of these conversations did he ever discusshis case?"
Booth nodded.
"Tell the jury how that happened."
Booth took a deep breath. His eyes opened and he slowly turned his head toward the jurors.
"First time I saw Gary in yard, he seemed ... glad to see me. Excited. We just talked. When I asked about murder ... he said he didn't.. . didn't kill girl ..
Booth paused and sipped from a straw in a plastic water bottle. The jury waited. Booth turned back to them.
"I was ... a friend. He could trust me. He was nervous. Scared. Later, he told me the truth. He said ... he killed her."
i "Did he just come out and confess?"
"No. It wasn't ... first time. First time we talked, he said he didn't. Next day ... he was upset. I told him he didn't have to be afraid. If ... he wanted to get something ... off chest.. ." Booth took a deep breath. "Gary was scared ... He needed to tell ... someone."
"What did he need to talk about?"
"Mistake. Girl at bar insulted Gary. He was confused.
IJ He attacked wrong girl. Then ... too late."
"So, the defendant thought Sandra Whiley was another girl who had insulted him in a bar and he told you he killed her by mistake."
Booth nodded.
"Tell the jury the defendant's description of the I murder."
Booth drank some more water and gathered himself.
His testimony was obviously exhausting him. Booth was ;1 "Ip" generating so much sympathy that Gary would be dead J. and buried by the end of the hospital session if something dramatic did not happen.