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The judge gave orders to the jury, and when they were gone, he recessed the courtroom, admonishing all concerned parties to stay close.
Most of the audience left except for Carl, who would only look at the floor. Hunter and Truman stayed at the desk. Truman said, “I don’t think they’ll take long, so we might as well stay here.” Hunter noticed Ronald and his client also stayed at their desk.
Truman was right, and the jury was back in twenty minutes. As they filed in, none of them looked at Hunter. The judge asked them to rise for the verdict, and then he asked the Foreman if they had a verdict.
“We have, your Honor.”
“Please read your verdict.”
“We, the Jury, find the defendant, Hunter Kincaid, guilty.”
There was the sound of bustling and whispers in the audience. Judge Pelham pounded his gavel for quiet.
Hunter felt her face flush. Truman shook his head but said nothing.
“Do you have an amount for damages?” Judge Pelham asked the Foreman.
“Yes we have, your Honor. The jury finds damages to be awarded in the amount of…one dollar.” More commotion in the audience. Judge Pelham rapped again for order, then thanked the jurors, and adjourned the court after giving final directions to Truman and Ronald.
Truman’s eyes were red. “I’m sorry, Hunter. I-”
“It’s all right. I couldn’t have asked for anybody better in my corner.” She bent down, kissed him on the cheek, and said, “I think I’m going home and get drunk. I’ll call you in a couple days,” Hunter left the desk and walked up the aisle.
Carl Horton stepped in front of her and shook his head. He looked sick. “Hunter, they sent me over…”
Hunter was worn out, and didn’t want to waste time rambling. “What’d they want you to tell me?”
“If I wasn’t a year away from retirement, I’d have told them to-”
“Dammit, Carl, just say it!”
He held out his hand, “I’m supposed to take your credentials and your Service weapon. You’re suspended indefinitely.”
She wasn’t expecting that. “Did the Chief send you?”
“It was higher than that.”
“Christ, the Commissioner?”
“Higher. Hunter, I saw the order. It’s political, and they want to make an example of you.”
Hunter dug into her purse and pulled out her badge case and credentials. “I’ll have to bring my pistol by the office. I don’t have it with me.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, Hunter. Damn politics…I swear-”
Hunter pushed past him and left the courthouse by a side door. She got in her pickup, hoping no one would see the tears. When she drove away, Ronald was standing by his Mercedes, talking to reporters and a television crew. Pepper Easton was nowhere around.
Hunter felt numb, violated, betrayed. Tears came off and on as she drove the two hundred miles to Marfa. She left the motor running at the house and went inside to get the Service weapon. There was no way she could go to the station and face the Agents, so she went to Sector Headquarters in its separate building and left the pistol with the Administrative Officer, who hugged her when she left.
Hunter parked at her house and went upstairs to change. The pearls broke and scattered across the floor as she tried to unhook them. That started another crying jag, and she lay facedown on the bed and sobbed hard and long. When she gained control, her nose was stuffy and she had the hiccups. Hunter took off her dress as she went into the bathroom. She blew her nose and drank a glass of water, then washed her face. She stared at the reflection in the mirror, noticing the dark circles under the reddened eyes.
She left the bathroom and put on fresh Wrangler jeans and a black tee shirt, athletic socks and her Asics running shoes, then went downstairs. Raymond was knocking on the door when she reached the bottom.
Hunter opened the door and Raymond said, “You need anything, money, help, whatever, you let me know,” he had two packages under his arms.
She nodded, afraid that if she spoke, the tears would start again.
“Here,” Raymond said, “ It’s carne guisado,” he handed her a brown paper sack with a Tupperware bowl inside. It felt warm through the paper. He handed her the second item, wrapped in cloth. She felt its weight as he put it in her hand. “That’s the pistol Wayne gave me down there. I thought you might want to give it back to him. He might hire you on as a deputy, get some money coming in ‘till they get this worked out.”
