.....................................Mrs. Cade

To my relief Johnny did not react to seeing his mother. He just looked at her wide eyed then looked away.

Bob's mother stood behind Johnny's mother and it was odd to see them in such close proximity. Mrs. Sheldon reached into her purse and for one dizzying moment I thought she had pulled out a gun. But it was only a black eyeglasses case.

The spectators left the courtroom, trickling out into society. Dally and Two bit said brief words of encouragement to Johnny as they left. Johnny smiled weakly at them. I shuffled my papers together, trying to delay leaving as long as possible. I was afraid one of their mother's was waiting for me.

Johnny offered his wrists to the guard who had to handcuff him before they went back to the police station. I felt myself caught up in the routine of the trial, losing sight of the fact that those 12 people on the jury could find him guilty and then recommend the death penalty.

"See you tomorrow," I said gently to him as the guard locked the cuffs tight on his wrists, tighter than he needed to. Johnny winced slightly and looked up at me.

"Yeah," he said.

I watched him go, a frail boy flanked by two guards.

I hadn't waited long enough, I realized, stepping out into the muted late afternoon light. Johnny's mother ambushed me, standing there in her salvation army second hand coat and scuffed shoes.

"You shouldn't even bother," she said, looking at me coldly.

"What?" I said.

"You shouldn't bother defending Johnny. This town will never let him get away with killing that rich boy,"

I felt puzzled by her, puzzled by her attitude and demeanor. I guess I was naïve. I didn't have much experience with people like her. My own mother was overwhelmingly supportive, would have mortgaged our home if I was ever in trouble akin to that facing Johnny.

"Anyway, I knew he'd come to a bad end," With that she walked away, and I just stared after her.

.................................Cherry & Marcia

Next day, back in court, I was actually looking forward to Cherry and Marcia's testimony, confident the prosecutor would have little rope with which to hang them. They were soft spoken upscale socs and promised to make perfect witnesses.

Marcia sat on the stand, her dark chin length hair gleaming, and smiled softly at Johnny.

"On the night in question why were you and your friend Cherry Valence at the drive in movie theater without a car?"

She looked down and then up in a dramatic way.

"Well," she said in a slow drawl, "we were there with our boyfriends but they were drinking so we left them, decided to watch the movie by ourselves,"

"Why?"

"Why? Because they were jerks when they drank, that's why,"

I noticed the prosecutor, his usual sleepy smile not on his face. He knew these girls looked good for my case.

"How did they behave when they were drinking?"

"They were violent, they'd fight with other boys, go hunting for greasers to jump,"

Then it was Cherry's turn, her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders and she wouldn't look at Johnny.

"You were dating Robert Sheldon at the time of his death?" I said to her as gently as I could. Her eyes shimmered with tears. Johnny looked steadily at the table.

"Yes,"

"And the night at the drive in movie, it was your decision to leave Robert, correct?"

"Yes," Her voice was soft and mature somehow, like a woman's voice.

"Could you explain why you chose to do that?"

"I told him I wasn't going anywhere with him while he was drinking," she took a shuddery breath, Johnny traced invisible circles on the table top.

"He was just so different when he drank, so hot headed, so violent. He went looking for them that night, I know he did. He said he was going to kill them and he might have if Johnny hadn't, hadn't..." Now her head was in her hands and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. Johnny was staring at her with something like stricken horror. I looked at the reporters in the back of the room, they were eating it up, the vultures.