Booth told Earl Ridgely that he had watched from his pickup truck as Whiley and Mancini argued. Then, he followed them as they drove aimlessly through Whitaker. Whiley had haunted Booth's sexual fantasies since she began buying cocaine from him, but he had been afraid to touch a woman whom he believed belonged to Christopher Mammon. Booth suspected Whiley of betraying him as soon as he was arrested at Whitaker State and he longed to make her suffer. His humiliation at Mammon's hands had driven Booth into a rage. He was terrified of Mammon, but he thought of Whiley as prey.
When Mancini dropped off Whiley at Wishing Well Park, Booth had taken his hatchet from the pickup and followed her with the idea of taking her to his shack where he could torture and rape her, but Whiley had fought Booth and had paid with her life.
As soon as Steve Mancini was certain that he would not be prosecuted for killing Whiley, he confessed his attempts to cover up his involvement with Whiley on the night of the murder. His motive in sabotaging Gary's case was simple cowardice. Mancini was terrified that a competent lawyer and a competent investigator would uncover his meeting with Whiley. He feared an arrest for her murder and he could not afford a scandal involving his use of cocaine with the Mountain View project on the verge of destruction.
"As soon as this game ends, we're heading for my place and a gallon of hot toddies," Peter managed to chatter.
"Two gallons, but we'll have to figure a way to get Gary out of the stadium. He's going to want to run down on the field when the game ends and shake hands with the players."
"Oh, shit. I forgot."
This was Gary's postgame ritual and he always went through it.
"I'll make it up to you," Donna smiled.
"When? It's going to take us a year to thaw out."
The whistle blew and Gary's face lit up.
"All the way, all the way," he shrieked, as his fists pummeled the air. He grabbed Donna and dragged her to her feet, then hugged her so tight she had to tell Gary to stop.
"Pete, Pete," Gary screamed, "'all the way, all the way.l Then Gary was scrambling down the icy grandstand and streaking onto the field.
"It looks like the only good thing that asshole bus'band of yours did was to get Gary these season tickets," Peter joked as he and Donna cautiously made their way out of the stands.
"Soon-to-be ex-husband. judge Kuffel is hearing the divorce next week. At least Steve had the grace not to contest it."
"He's got a lot more on his mind than the divorce.
Ridgely has agreed to dismiss the criminal charges if he resigns from the bar. And Mountain View bankrupted him. I hear he's going to leave town."
"How could he stay here? Everyone in Whitaker knows what he's done."
"I saw Earl at the courthouse yesterday. O'Shay won't plead. She's also fighting disbarment."
"I hope she ends up in prison for what she did to Gary."
Donna and Peter found shelter near the concession stand where they always waited for Gary after a game.
Peter bought two cups of hot coffee. They drank in silence for a few minutes, savoring the warmth provided by the steaming hot liquid. After a bit, Peter decided it was time to talk about something he had been meaning to say all day, but had not had the courage to bring up.
"Dad called last night.
"Oh?"
"He asked me to come back to Hale, Greaves. I guess all is forgiven."
"What did you tell him?" Donna asked cautiously.
"I said I couldn't give him an answer right away. I told him my answer depended on the answer to another question."
"What question?"
"Well, uh, my practice is going pretty good. I've picked up a lot of business because of Gary's case.
Enough so Amos and I are going to hire an associate to help him handle the indigent criminal cases so I can concentrate on personal injury and retained criminal stuff. So, that's a reason to stick around. But there would be a bigger reason if you'd marry me when your divorce is final."
Donna blinked, then her eyes filled with tears and she threw her arms around Peter. Her half-filled cup of coffee went sailing through the air.
"Does that mean yes?" Peter asked as he broke out laughing.
Before Donna could respond, Gary burst up the concrete ramp and ran toward them. He was holding a jersey that was so covered with mud that the numbers were almost illegible.
"Look, look," he shouted, holding up his prize. "The coach said I could keep it. He said I'm lucky. He said the Stallions couldn't win without me."
"That's great, Gary," Donna managed.
"We did it, Pete. We went all the way and the coach said I helped."
Donna and Peter broke out laughing as they watched Gary bounce up and down with joy. Donna hugged Peter, then she hugged her brother.
"Let's get you home," Donna said to Gary, as they started toward the parking lot. She had to shout to be heard over the blaring horns and raucous shouts from the jubilant Stallion rooters who seemed oblivious to the cold and rain ... "Hey," Peter shouted, "what about my proposal?"
"We're going all the way," Gary shouted at a group of boisterous students.
"My sentiments exactly," Donna told Peter Hale.