about. Not the police, not the prosecution, not the defense, no one, except for Theo and his friend. Theo did not know what to do, so he came to me. I’m not sure what to do either, so here we are.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Mrs. Boone snapped.
“He’s telling you now,” Ike snapped back.
“I was scared,” Theo said. “Still am, and I promised this friend that I would tell no one.”
“What does this witness know?” asked Mr. Boone.
Theo looked at Ike and Ike looked at Theo. Go ahead, Ike said with his eyes. Theo cleared his throat and looked at his mother. “Well, this witness was in the woods near the Duffy home at the time of the murder. He saw Mr. Duffy pull up in a golf cart, take off his shoes, put a golf glove on his right hand, go inside the house, and come out a few minutes later. It was at the time of the murder. He put his shoes on, stuck the golf gloves in his bag, and sped away as if nothing happened.”
“How do you know it was at the time of the murder?” Mrs. Boone asked.
“The pathologist testified that she died around eleven forty-five. The witness was on his lunch break, and it started at eleven thirty.”
“And Mr. Duffy never saw this witness?” asked Mr. Boone.
“No. The man was hiding in the woods eating his lunch. He works at the golf course.”
“Do you know his name?” Mrs. Boone asked.
“No, but I know who he is.”
“Have you talked to him?” asked Mr. Boone.
“Yes.”
“Where did you talk to him?” asked Mrs. Boone.
Theo felt like a trial witness suffering through a hot cross-examination. He hesitated, and Ike jumped back in. “He’d rather not divulge the names of the witness or the friend, and if you ask too many questions, then their identities might become obvious.”
“I promised,” Theo said, pleading. “In fact, I promised not to say a word to anyone. I don’t know what to do.”
“So he came to me first,” Ike said. “For advice. He didn’t want to trouble you, but now there’s more to the story. Right, Theo?”
Both parents glared at him. Theo squirmed in his chair. He tapped his fingers on the long oak table.
“Go ahead, Theo,” Ike said.
“Let’s have it,” Mr. Boone said.
Theo told them about the gloves.
“And you have them in your possession?” Mrs. Boone asked when he finished.
“Yes.”
“Where are they now?”
“Downstairs, hidden behind a box of old divorce files.”
“Downstairs, here? In our office?”
“Yes, Mom. Here. Below us.”
Mr. Boone whistled and said, “Oh boy.”
There was a long silence as the four Boones pondered the situation and tried to sort out which laws and which procedures might apply to this unusual set of facts. Though he’d said more than he planned to, Theo was relieved that his burden had now been shared. His parents would know what to do. Ike would offer some advice. Surely the three adults could figure this out.
“The paper said the trial might be over today,” Mrs. Boone said.
“I just left the courtroom,” Ike said. “Mr. Duffy is expected to testify this afternoon, and he’s the last witness. After closing arguments, the jury will get the case.”
“The gossip at the café this morning was that Judge Gantry will hold court tomorrow and wait for the jury,” Mr. Boone said.
“On Saturday?”
“That was the gossip.”
There was another long gap in the conversation. Mrs. Boone looked at her son and said, “Well, Theo, what do you suggest we do at this point?”
Theo was hoping the adults would know what to do. He squirmed a little, then said, “It seems to me that the best thing to do is to tell Judge Gantry the whole story.”
“I agree,” she said with a smile.
“Me too,” said Ike.
It was no surprise, at least to Theo, that his father did not agree. “But what if we tell Judge Gantry,” Mr. Boone said, “and he presses Theo for the name or identity of this witness? And Theo refuses to cough up the name? Then what? It could be that Judge Gantry holds him in contempt.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” Theo blurted.
“It means trouble,” his father said.
“It means he could throw you in jail until you give him what he wants,” Ike said with a nasty grin, as if he thought this was humorous.
“I’d rather not go to jail,” Theo said.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Woods,” Mrs. Boone said. “Henry Gantry would not hold Theo in contempt.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Woods fired back. “You have a crucial eyewitness whose testimony could potentially change the outcome of the trial, and you have one person who knows about this eyewitness. That person is Theo, and if he refuses to obey the judge, then the judge might get upset. I wouldn’t blame him.”
“I really don’t want to go to jail,” Theo said.
“You’re not going to jail,” Mrs. Boone said. “No judge in his right mind would lock up an innocent thirteen-year-old.”
Another long pause.
Finally, Mr. Boone said, “Theo, what would happen if the identity of this witness were somehow revealed?”
“He’s an illegal immigrant, Dad. He’s not supposed to be here, and he’s scared. If the police know his name and find him, then he’s in jail and it’s all my fault. If they don’t catch him, then he’ll disappear.”
“Then don’t tell us who he is,” Mrs. Boone said.
“Thank you, Mom. I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“Got it. But now you know he’s an illegal immigrant and he works at the golf course. He wouldn’t be hard to find.”
“And how did you get to know this person?” Mr. Boone asked.
“He has a cousin at school, and this cousin came to me for help.”
“Like all the other kids at school,” Ike said.
“Not all, but most of them.”
Everyone took a deep breath, then Mr. Boone looked at Theo and smiled. “It’s the family from the shelter, isn’t it? Julio, your friend, the kid you tutor in math? And his mother, what’s her name?”
“Carola,” Theo’s mother answered.
“Carola, right. I’ve spoken to her several times. She has two smaller kids, and Julio. They’re from El Salvador. Julio’s cousin is the mysterious eyewitness. Right, Theo?”
Theo nodded. Yes, Dad, you figured it out. And in an odd way he was relieved. He didn’t actually betray a confidence, and someone had to know the truth.
Chapter 16
It occurred to Theo, as he walked behind his parents and Ike, that this was perhaps the first time he’d entered the courthouse with some reluctance. He was always excited to be there, to see the clerks and lawyers hustle about with their important matters, to take in the large, open marble foyer with an old chandelier hanging from above and massive portraits of dead judges on the walls. He’d always loved the courthouse, but such feelings of fondness were absent now. Theo was afraid of what was about to happen, though he had no idea what it might be.
They marched upstairs to the second floor, to the closed and guarded door of the main courtroom. A bailiff named Snodgrass informed them that the trial was in session and the door would not be opened until a recess. So they marched down the hall to the office of the Honorable Henry L. Gantry, where his secretary, Mrs. Irma Hardy, was typing away when they entered.
“Good morning, Irma,” Mrs. Boone said.
“Well, good morning, Marcella, and Woods, and, well, hello, Theo.” Mrs. Hardy was standing and removing her glasses and obviously uncertain as to why the entire Boone family had suddenly appeared at her desk. She looked suspiciously at Ike, as if their paths had crossed long ago under circumstances that had been less than ideal. Ike was wearing jeans, white sneakers, and a T-shirt, but thankfully, he’d put on an
old brown blazer and it gave him some measure of credibility.