Chapter 2

On the fourth day, Jarrod and Stuart resumed staring at each other, but at midday, Jarrod left to get some food. When he came back, he decided to try something else. He sat with his face toward Stuart but with his eyes closed, never once opening them, never once speaking, just sitting there. It was a little tough to stay awake, but Jarrod concentrated on not nodding off. He didn't know how long he had been that way before Stuart finally spoke.

"What are you doing?" Stuart asked, his voice close but his speech somewhat slurred.

It happened so suddenly Jarrod almost jumped, but he kept still, kept his eyes closed, and said calmly, "Waiting for you to tell me what happened when you killed the attendant."

"I didn't kill anybody," Stuart said.

"Two other attendants said you did," Jarrod said.

"They lie," Stuart said.

Jarrod didn't want to open his eyes for fear Stuart would stop talking again. "So tell me what happened," Jarrod said.

Stuart's voice came a little closer, and Jarrod figured he was out of his corner and up against the bars. "Why should I tell you?"

"I'm your lawyer. I'm here to help you tell your side of the story and maybe keep you from hanging."

Stuart's voice turned strained. "Why do they want to hang me? I didn't do nothing to hang for."

"The other two attendants say you did. Tell me what really happened."

Stuart turned quiet again and the spoke softly when he said, "Those other two. They killed Ambrose."

Well, he got the dead attendant's name right. That made Jarrod believe he was not completely out of his mind. Jarrod had already interviewed the two attendants who claimed they saw Stuart kill Ambrose, and their stories were pretty credible, but he decided to go along with Stuart as if he believed his client's story. "How did they kill him?"

"Strangled him. One strangled him with his hands. The other one held me back."

"Which one did the strangling?"

Stuart didn't answer.

Jarrod waited almost a minute before asking, "Leo, which one did the strangling?"

Stuart still did not answer.

Jarrod had to open his eyes. Stuart had retreated to his corner again, and he was staring blankly at Jarrod. He had shut down again. Jarrod sighed inwardly, but didn't show any frustration. He just shut his eyes again, and for the rest of the day, until he left at about five o'clock, he just waited for Stuart to start talking again. He never did.

XXXXXXXX

Stuart was still in that corner when Jarrod arrived the next morning, and Jarrod planned to just sit with his eyes closed to see if that would draw the man out again. But something else happened. As soon as Jarrod went to sit down in his regular chair, Stuart suddenly jumped up off the cot and charged the bars. Startled, Jarrod jumped back and stumbled into the chair, falling down into it. Stuart was growling like an animal, drooling, spitting, eyes flaming. Then he began to laugh hysterically.

Jarrod considered calling the guard, but then he decided to stay still, just sitting there and staring at Stuart in case he calmed down just as suddenly as he went wild. But the man began to babble in unintelligible words, every now and then screaming out an obscenity. The guard finally came in, took Jarrod by the shoulders and forced him to leave, saying, "He gets like this. There's no settling him down. It just has to pass on its own, but having anybody around just makes it worse."

Jarrod left as directed, but even closing the cell block door did not shut out Stuart's rampage. After several days of silence and a little bit of nearly sensible words from the man, this sudden chaos left Jarrod shaking. It also left him wondering if he could ever get anything out of the man that would help him with his defense. How could he help a man who was so completely wild?

"You all right?" the guard asked.

"Yeah," Jarrod said, but visibly unnerved.

"Best you get out of here," the guard said. "You're never gonna get anything out of this guy."

Jarrod wasn't sure what to think. He left the entire building almost in a daze, shaken by everything that had just happened but still trying to figure out how to get something helpful out of Stuart. He just wasn't ready to give up yet, but he didn't know what to try next. Confused and frustrated, he headed home.

His mother was startled to see him back so soon when he came in the door. She was doing some hand sewing in the living room when she heard the door open. When he came in, he was moving slowly, almost uncertainly. She got up. She shivered at imagining what might have happened this morning at that insane asylum.

"Jarrod? Is something wrong?"

Jarrod put his hat on the table by the door. "Just a difficult morning," he said. "Stuart was completely out of control today. I couldn't stay. I couldn't get anything out of him except rage and babbling. I don't know what I'm going to do now."

It wasn't even lunchtime and Jarrod was eyeing the refreshment table like he needed a drink, and to himself he admitted he did. But he forced himself to pass it up and sat down in his "thinking chair" instead. Victoria went back to the settee and sat down, watching him. His eyes were dark and he was obviously very bothered. "Can I help you in any way?" she asked.

Jarrod took a deep breath, and the darkness in him seemed to pass at the thought of her, with her history, being worried about him. "No. I wish there was, but I'm just at a loss. I think I'll change clothes and go help Nick and Heath dig post holes. It might help me think more clearly."

He got up and headed upstairs, looking more energetic now, but Victoria was certain he was still upset about this client of his, and because it involved that asylum, it still scared her. She wished he could just give the man over to some other lawyer, but that wasn't his way. The more difficult a problem became, the more he'd hack away at it until something broke loose.

XXXXXXX

Nick and Heath were not at all happy when they saw their older brother ride up to meet them at the place they were repairing fence. Jarrod seldom came out to help them with a chore like that, and when he did it was either because he was extremely happy about something or deeply troubled by something. They didn't see how it could be anything but trouble this early in the day when he had been planning to spend the day in the insane asylum.

"Pappy's carrying a load of something not good," Heath said.

"That damned crazy house," Nick said. "Something's gone wrong."

Jarrod pulled up and hitched his horse to the wagon Nick and Heath had come out in. Without a word, he began shedding his shirt, then he pulled his work gloves out from under his belt and put them on. Nick and Heath approached him.

"Trouble with your client?" Nick asked.

"He was having a bad day," Jarrod said. "We wouldn't get anywhere today."

Nick and Heath looked at each other, and then saw Jarrod was looking at them.

"Don't go getting all worried," Jarrod said. "He didn't try to hurt me or anything. He was just - " Jarrod struggled for some words that didn't wouldn't sound upsetting. "Not communicating," Jarrod finished.

"Uh-huh," Nick said doubtfully. "He must have been not communicating pretty hard for you to give up on him this early."

"You might say that," Jarrod said. "I came to do something productive. What do you want me to do?"

Nick pointed to the post hole digger lying on the ground near the last post they were ready to set. "Go ahead and dig the next hole."

Jarrod took a look. "Looks like they're all set to me."

"They're coming loose, need resetting," Heath said.

"Coming loose and needing resetting," Jarrod said as he started for the tool lying on the ground.

"Kinda like you," Nick said very quietly so only Heath would hear him.

"Don't go fussing over him, Nick," Heath said. "That really will drive him crazy."

"I wish he'd get the hell out of that insane asylum," Nick said.

"Yeah, I expect another day or two and he will," Heath said.

"He damned well better or I might just go and drag him out."