Smoking Outside

Self defense. I thought we could definitely take that angle, possibly get the charge dropped to manslaughter. I wanted the glory of winning the case, my clients free men and my services sought after by all and sundry. I wanted that. But I wanted to keep this boy from the electric chair if I could.
I glanced at my notes. Keith "Two bit" Mathews. He wasn't promising as a witness simply because he was friends with the defendants.
"Has your friend Keith, "Two bit", ever been arrested that you know of?"
"Lots of times," Ponyboy said.
"He steals everything that ain't nailed down," Johnny added.
"What about this Cherry Valence and Marcia? Think they'll testify for you?" The boys shrugged and Dallas looked skeptical.
"O.K. Then what happened?" I looked at Johnny sharply and my tone was harsh. I wanted to get a feel for how he might do on the witness stand.
I don't know what I expected, maybe unease or even fear. But he didn't bat an eyelash.
"We had to leave cause the cops would be lookin' for us so we went to find Dally,"
"Where was Dallas?"
"At a party at Buck's."
"Who's Buck?"
"Buck Merril. He's Dal's rodeo partner," I jotted it down. Rodeo partner. I really wasn't in Boston anymore. A party. This could be promising.
"Go on," I said.
"Well, we got there and Buck answered the door and got Dal after Pony yelled at him to do it. Then Dal came down and we went upstairs with him,"
What I was concerned with was verification of the events at the park. If Ponyboy was nearly drowned he would have been wet when they arrived at Merril's. And the people at the party, Merril himself, could testify that he was wet.
Of course, it was late and the witnesses were more than likely drunk, a fact the prosecution would happily point out.
"Let's discuss the victim, ah..." I glanced through my notes, "Robert Sheldon," They looked solemn, Ponyboy and Johnny leaned toward each other. Dallas looked pissed off.
"Did you know him?"
Ponyboy looked away and Johnny swallowed hard. They knew him.
"How did you know him?" I figured they'd seen him, talked to him at school. Neither answered.
"This is important. Your relationship to the victim will come up in court. How did you know him?"
"Look, I'm gonna go outside and smoke," Johnny said, and he left. We watched him through the broken window light a cigarette and take a deep drag.
It was hard, I understood that. But it couldn't be helped. I needed the facts.
Dallas' expressions didn't give much clue. He had looked angry or bored since I met him. Ponyboy on the other hand was open and easy to read. He watched Johnny with worry and lit a cigarette.
I leaned toward him and spoke in a low tone, "How did he know him?"
Ponyboy sighed and glanced at Johnny again.
"He was the soc that beat him up that time, gave him the scar," He pointed to his temple and traced Johnny's scar on his own face.
"Damn near killed him," Dallas said.
This was not good. This meant motive, it could be argued that way. Retaliation. Revenge. Such things were premeditated and as such were homicide.
My mind ticked over the possibilities. If I could get the girls who were at the movies to corroborate their story that would be very good because they were aligned with the victim.
I had an idea, a little glittering gem shimmering in the haze. I watched Johnny light another cigarette. I thought I had thought of a way to counter the prosecution's revenge argument and clear Johnny of all the charges. I'd be F.Lee Bailey yet, sought after legal mind D.K.Williams.

Intermission

"Anyone hungry?" I said. I wasn't really, but I wanted to give the boys a break, especially Johnny. It was going to get a lot harder.
"My treat," I added.
We went to a Dairy Queen not far from the church and Dallas and I watched in amazement as they wolfed down barbecue sandwiches and banana splits.
"Ain't you been eatin' anything?" Dallas said around bites of a hamburger. I longed for the oyster bar in Quincy Market. They nodded but kept eating furiously.
"I didn't tell y'all something," Dallas said, turning to Ponyboy and Johnny. I felt suddenly like an observer, not truly involved in this situation or these boys' lives.
"The socs and us are having all out warfare all over the city. That kid you killed had plenty of friends and all over town it's soc against grease. We can't walk alone at all. I started carryin' a heater..."
"Dally!" Ponyboy said, fear in his voice, "you kill people with heaters!"
"Ya kill 'em with switchblades, too, don't ya, kid?" Dallas said, looking pointedly at Johnny.
I wondered about the switchblade, the murder weopon. It didn't matter because no one was going to say Johnny didn't do it. But I was curious.
"Where is it?" I said.
"Where's what?" Ponyboy said.
"The switchblade,"
Johnny was looking down and he raised his eyes and looked at me.

Deciding

Back at the church and it was getting late. I had good ideas for this. I wanted them to agree to me representing them.
"Alright. What do you say?" I said to Johnny. I suspected Dallas would have some sway with this decision. Johnny looked at Ponyboy briefly and then said,
"I think we should go back and turn ourselves in," Dallas shook his head.
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"Yeah I'm sure. It ain't fair to Ponyboy, Soda and Darry worryin' about him all the time,"
Dallas didn't seem quite convinced and glanced at me.
"I got a good chance of being let off easy," Johnny was saying, "it was self defense, Pony and Cherry can testify to that, and we got this lawyer here,"
Ponyboy blinked, looking from Johnny to Dallas, still along for the ride.
"O.K." Dallas said gruffly.
Ah, sigh of relief. They were signing on with old D.K. But now that it was decided it seemed it had never been in any doubt. What other options did they have?