Chapter 13
Three weeks later, Steve Carlin was tried on several counts of premeditated murder and several counts of malicious wounding. Because of the shortage of lawyers, and the fact that so many who were still alive were victims of the accused, a prosecutor had been brought in from another town to handle the case. Carlin could not afford a lawyer, but a volunteer lawyer from out of town was found to handle his defense. Jarrod knew the defense lawyer and was ready for the cross examination he got when he took the stand. In only a few minutes he was on, off and dismissed, his testimony virtually unchallenged.
Phil Archer, recovered enough to go home now, came for the whole trial even though his testimony was very brief. Jarrod kept watching Archer watching Carlin. He knew that while Archer was physically doing well, he was still one angry victim.
Heath was the only other Barkley who came to the trial. He watched as his brother testified, as the attorneys who had survived Carlin's attacks testified, and as his friend Turner Powers testified. Turner was still weak from the wound he'd suffered, but he held it together just fine on direct and on cross-examination. When he was finished, the judge dismissed him, and Heath and Jarrod took him back out of the courthouse.
Heath had picked Turner up at the ranch where he worked in one of the Barkley buggies, and he and Jarrod helped him back up into the buggy. "Turner," Jarrod said and offered his hand. "I owe you my life, and I owe you a lot of thanks for testifying."
Turner took the lawyer's hand, smiling his usual smile. "I'm glad you're okay, Jarrod. Maybe we can forget all this soon."
Jarrod shook his head. "I won't forget you got hurt because of me."
It was Turner's turn to shake his head. "I just got in the way, Jarrod."
Jarrod smiled. "I won't forget it. You take care of yourself and get good and well fast."
Turner nodded.
Heath drove away and took Turner directly home. "You did a real good job in there, Turner," Heath told him.
"It wasn't hard," Turner said. "I almost got the feeling his own lawyer didn't want to see Carlin get off."
"Well, I don't know about that," Heath said. "Lawyers hate to lose, you know."
"Is Jarrod doing all right?"
"Jarrod? Yeah, he's fine. Still mad about all the damage Carlin did, but he's fine."
"He's been out to see me twice a week since I got hurt. He feels bad because I got shot instead of him."
"That's our Jarrod for you."
"And you feel bad about it too, don't you?"
Heath only had to think about it for a moment. "I'd hate to have lost my brother that day, but I'd hate to have lost you, too. You're a good man, Turner. We need more good men like you."
They were quiet again for a few moments before Turner said, "That Archer is kind of a weird bird though, isn't he?"
Heath laughed. Archer had given his testimony while glaring hard at Carlin every moment. The prosecutor even got between him and Carlin at one point, to keep it from happening, to keep the jury from noticing. "Archer marches to his own drummer," Heath said. "He's mad at the world, for some reason. Carlin got the worst of it today, but then he earned it."
"You think Carlin's gonna hang, Heath?" Turner asked.
"I think he might," Heath said.
"I wonder why he did it."
"He hasn't said. Maybe it doesn't matter much, anyway."
"If it might save him from a rope, you think he'd say something."
Heath sighed. "I don't think much on such things, Turner. If Carlin wants anybody to know why he did it, he'll say so. If he don't, he won't."
Before long, they were at the ranch where Turner worked and Heath was helping Turner out of the buggy. "I'll be back to work in a week or so, Heath," Turner said.
"That's good to hear," Heath said.
"Poker Friday night?"
Heath smiled. Turner hadn't been up to poker night since he got shot. "I'm ready to take your money whenever you're ready to lose it, Turner."
Turner grinned one of his big grins and slapped Heath on the arm. "I'm having a run of good luck, Heath. You best be prepared to pay me."
XXXXXX
Poker Friday night found all three Barkley brothers and Turner Powers at the table in Harry's saloon. No one was trying to let Turner win, but he was winning anyway. After Turner took his fourth pot in a row, Nick leaned back in his chair and stretched. Heath began to shuffle for his deal, and Jarrod closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Ever heard of Karma?" Jarrod asked.
"Does she work here?" Nick asked.
"Karma is when the universe brings you what you deserve," Jarrod said. "I think our friend Turner here has Karma working for him, for saving my bacon and testifying at the trial."
"So, Karma is kind of like luck," Nick said.
"Except you don't always get luck when you deserve it," Turner said. "Sounds like Karma is more reliable."
"By the way," Jarrod said, "I found out today why Steve Carlin got life in prison instead of a rope."
"Why?" Nick asked, growling. He didn't like the sentence Carlin got when he heard about it.
"Carlin told the court," Jarrod continued, "about a doctor who had helped him get that shoe he wears to even his legs out. Before that doctor, his hip hurt all the time and people looked at him like he was a medicine show freak. Carlin thought the world of that doctor, but after he helped him, some lawyer sued the doctor claiming the doctor had allowed his client's mother to die. Raked the doctor over the coals, the doctor's health failed, and and about a month ago, he died. Carlin turned on lawyers, all lawyers."
"And that's what got him out of hanging?" Heath asked.
"Yeah, that was it," Jarrod said.
"Karma," Turner said.
Nick looked at him like he was nuts. "Carlin killed three lawyers and shot two others, AND you, by the way."
"But maybe he didn't deserve hanging," Turner said with a shrug as Heath dealt. "Maybe the jury understood how he felt. Karma."
Nick picked up his cards. "These aren't Karma."
"I see Turner's point," Heath said as Turner opened. "I'm not sure life in Quentin is preferable to hanging, but I suppose Carlin did or he wouldn't have told the court what he told them. Maybe the sentence he got was Karma."
"Whatever it was, I'm glad he's gone," Nick said. "Maybe that's Karma for the rest of us."
"Maybe," Turner said.
Jarrod folded his hand. "Well, I'm not getting either Karma or luck tonight."
Nick folded, too, saying, "If I'm getting Karma, I'd better change my way of living."
Heath and Turner played out the hand, until Heath quit raising Turner and called his last raise. When Turner showed his cards, Heath laid his hand down with a groan.
As he collected the pot again, Turner grinned. "I think I like Karma."
The End