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DuBose glanced over at the jurors who were, to a man, staring at Robinson like she had just committed a terrible crime.
A deputy sheriff was called to the stand. He had been one of the officers who had found the money in the lean-to. Since Jack and DuBose knew that Jerome had secreted the money in there they could not argue that it might have been planted, but they could still attack its connection to the case.
After Battle released the witness DuBose rose and approached him like a predator coming through the high grass for its next meal.
“Fifty dollars cash found in a hole in the wall of the defendants’ lean-to?”
“That’s right,” said the deputy confidently.
“Do you know who put it there?”
“I assume that—”
“No, the question was, do you know who put it there? For certain?”
The deputy seemed to shrink under her intimidating gaze. “Uh, no ma’am, I don’t.”
“Can you show that this money was taken from the Randolphs’ home? Did it have anything on it proving where it came from?”
“Uh, no.”
“In fact, for all you know, Mr. Washington could have earned that money from his job and placed the funds there, isn’t that right?”
“I...” The man looked at Ambrose, but the judge would not meet his eye.
“Isn’t that right?” said DuBose in a louder voice.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And isn’t it possible that the Randolphs could have given that money to the defendant for a job well done?”
Battle rose and said, “Objection, speculation.”
“I am only asking him if it’s possible.” She shot Ambrose a determined look. “Plainly goes to reasonable doubt, the bedrock principle of all criminal law.”
Ambrose gave her a look of grudging respect. “Answer the question, Deputy.”
“Yes, it’s possible that they could have done that.”
“So despite your having found the money in the lean-to, you have no evidence, no proof whatsoever, that the defendants stole that money from the Randolphs, do you?”
“No ma’am, I don’t,” said the man, now thoroughly defeated.
“Thank you for your honesty, Deputy,” she said brightly. “It’s refreshing.”
Curtis Gates was next called by Battle and asked whether the Randolphs were planning to fire Jerome because he had been belligerent to them.
“Yes, Leslie Randolph told me that.” Gates glanced at the Washingtons. “They were scared of him. And from where I’m sitting they had good reason to be.”
DuBose leapt to her feet. “Judge, I move to strike that last sentence. He answered a question that was not asked, and not only is it highly prejudicial it is personally repugnant.”
DuBose and Gates did a stare-down that she won when he looked away.
Ambrose turned to the jury. “You are to disregard the witness’s statement that he believes the defendant to be a frightening person.”
DuBose gazed stonily at the judge as he turned back around to look at her. “Anything else, Miss DuBose?”
After Battle was done, Jack questioned Gates about the tontine provisions of the will and had the lawyer explain it fully to the jury along with the wealth of the Randolphs being almost wholly in their house and land.
