“That’s right.”
“Okay, tell us what happened on Friday night, December 4, nineteen days ago.”
Donté leaned forward on his elbows and looked as though he might pass out. He picked a spot on the table, stared at it, spoke to it. “Well, me and Nicole had been sneaking around, having sex, having a good time.”
“How long had this been going on?”
“Three or four months. I liked her, she liked me, things were getting serious, and she got scared because she was afraid people would find out. We started to fight some, she wanted to break it off, I didn’t want to. I think I was in love with her. Then she wouldn’t see me anymore, and this drove me crazy. All I could think about was her, she was so fine. I wanted her more than anything in the world. I was obsessed. I was crazy, couldn’t stand to think that somebody else might have her. So that Friday night, I went looking for her. I knew where she liked to hang out. I saw her car at the mall, over on the east side of the mall.”
“Excuse me, Donté, but I believe you said earlier that her car was parked on the west side of the mall.”
“That’s right, the west side. So I waited and waited.”
“And you were driving a green Ford van, owned by your parents?”
“That’s right. And I guess it was around ten o’clock Friday night, and—”
Kerber said, “Excuse me, Donté, but you said earlier that it was closer to eleven.”
“That’s right, eleven.”
“Go ahead, you were in the green van, looking for Nicole, and you saw her car.”
“That’s right, I was really wanting to see her, and so we were driving around, looking for her car, and—”
“Excuse me, Donté, but you said ‘we’ were driving around, you said earlier—”
“Yeah, me and Torrey Pickett were—”
“But you said earlier that you were alone, that you had dropped Torrey off at his mother’s house.”
“That’s right, sorry about that. At his mother’s house, right. And so I was by myself at the mall and I saw her car and I parked and waited. When she came out, she was alone. We talked for a minute, and she agreed to get in the van. We used the van a few times on dates, when we were sneaking around. And so I drove and we talked. We both got upset. She was determined to break up, and I was determined to stay together. We talked about running away together, to get out of Texas, go to California, where nobody would bother us, you know. But she wouldn’t listen to me. She started crying, and that made me start crying. We parked behind Shiloh Church, out on Travis Road, one of our places, and I said I wanted to have sex one last time. At first, she seemed okay with it, and we started making out. Then she pulled away, said stop it, said no, said she wanted to get back because her friends would be looking for her, but I couldn’t stop. She started pushing me away, and I got mad, real mad, just all of a sudden I hated her because she was pushing me away, because I couldn’t have her. If I was white, then I could have her, but because I’m not, then I’m not good enough, you know. We started fighting, and at some point she realized that I was not going to stop. She didn’t resist, but she didn’t give in either. When it was over, she got mad, real mad. She slapped me and said I’d raped her. And then, something just happened, I snapped or something, I don’t know, but I just went crazy. She was still under me, and I, uh, well … I hit her, and I hit her again, and I couldn’t believe I was hitting that beautiful face, but if I couldn’t have her, then nobody else could either. I just went into a rage, like some kinda wild man, and before I realized what I was doing, my hands were around her neck. I just shook her and shook her, and then she was still. Everything was very still. When I came to my senses, I just looked at her, and at some point I realized she wasn’t breathing. [Donté took the first sip and only sip from the Coke can.] I started driving around; I had no idea where to go. I kept waiting for her to wake up, but she didn’t. I’d call back there, but she wouldn’t answer. I guess I panicked. I didn’t know what time it was. I drove north, and when I realized the sun was coming up, I panicked again. I saw a sign for the Red River. I was on Route 344, and—”
“Excuse me, Donté, but you said earlier it was Route 244.”
“That’s right: 244. I drove onto the bridge, it was still dark, no other car lights anywhere, not a sound, and I got her out of the back of the van and tossed her into the river. When I heard her splash, it made me sick. I remember crying all the way back home.”
The governor stepped forward and punched the off button. “Boys, that’s all I need to see. Let’s go.” All three straightened their ties, buttoned their cuffs, put on their jackets, and walked out of the office. In the hallway, they were met with a security detail, one beefed up for the occasion. They took the stairs down to the street level and walked quickly to the Capitol. They waited, unseen by the crowd, until the Reverend Jeremiah Mays finished his incendiary remarks. The crowd roared when he signed off, vowing revenge. When their governor suddenly appeared at the podium, the mood changed remarkably. For a moment, those present were confused, but when they heard the words “I’m Gill Newton, governor of the great state of Texas,” they drowned him out in an avalanche of boos.
He yelled back, “Thank you for coming here and expressing your First Amendment right to assemble. God bless America.” Even louder boos. “Our country is great because we love democracy, the greatest system in the world.” Loud boos for democracy. “You’ve assembled here today because you believe Donté Drumm is innocent. Well, I’m here to tell you he is not. He was convicted in a fair trial. He had a good lawyer. He confessed to the crime.” The boos and whistles and angry shouts were now continuous, and Newton was forced to yell into the microphone. “His case has been reviewed by dozens of judges, sitting on five different courts, state and federal, and every ruling against him has been unanimous.”
When the roar became too loud to continue, Newton stood and smirked at the crowd, a man with power facing those with none. He nodded, acknowledging their hatred of him. When the noise subsided slightly, he leaned closer to the microphone and, with as much drama as he could muster and knowing full well that what he was about to say would play on every evening and late newscast in Texas, said, “I refuse to grant a reprieve to Donté Drumm. He is a monster. He is a guilty man!”
The crowd roared again and pressed forward. The governor waved and saluted for the cameras and stepped away. He was swarmed by his security team and whisked away to safety. Barry and Wayne followed, neither able to suppress a smile. Their man had just pulled off another beautiful stunt, one that would no doubt win every election from then on.
CHAPTER 24
The last meal, the last walk, the last statement. Donté had never understood the significance of these final details. Why the fascination with what a man consumed just before he died? It wasn’t as though the food gave comfort, or strengthened the body, or postponed the inevitable. The food, along with the organs, would soon be flushed out and incinerated. What good did it do? After feeding a man gruel for decades, why pamper him with something he might enjoy just before you kill him?
He could vaguely recall the early days on death row and his horror of what he was supposed to eat. He’d been raised by a woman who appreciated and enjoyed the kitchen, and though Roberta relied too heavily on grease and flour, she also grew her own vegetables and was careful with processed ingredients. She loved to use herbs, spices, and peppers, and her chickens and meats were highly seasoned. The first meat Donté was served on death row was allegedly a slice of pork, and completely devoid of taste. He lost his appetite the first week and never regained it.