Boundless

Chapter 32

The case went to trial very quickly. By the middle of March a jury had been lined up and the trial was ready to proceed. Ezra, Mr. Beverley, and the night guard were witnesses. Sam had no one to vouch for him. To keep the proceedings constitutional, a pro bono lawyer, Hank Clark, had been chosen. He had just graduated from the university and, along with everyone else in the room, knew Sam was guilty. Mr. Clark seemed to think this justified doing the bare minimum of what was required of him. 

Ezra talked incessantly of the trial preparations. He and his father had hired one of their own lawyers to assist the prosecution. They were intending to charge Sam with attempted murder along with the less surprising burglary, larceny, and bank robbery. The night guard, a Mr. Tate, had large bullet hole shaped scar on his arm. The bullet had come from a weapon carried by a member of the Hull Gang. Ezra expected the win.

The wedding plans also steamed along. There were so many times I wanted to tell my mother I couldn’t go through with it but, with her excitement, it was impossible. My wedding was the one thing she clung to after Jenny’s death. The endless planning was an escape from the fact that her eldest daughter had died.

After awhile I realized that, as Ezra Beverley’s future wife, I had some pull around Lawrence. I thought one day I might be able to use that for Sam’s benefit.

I tried to find him at the jail but I couldn’t reach him. The door to his cell was guarded at all times. He had a tiny barred window but the building was open so any word I said would carry to the guard. I had to wait until the trial to see him again.

Hoards of people came to Lawrence to see the Sam Hull trial. Reporters from newspapers all around the country stopped residents on the street asking them about the robbery and their input on the case. They packed the first few rows of the courthouse waving their sketchpads and calling to their friends.

I sat in one of the middle rows beside Mrs. Beverley. She chatted with her friends and talked of wedding plans and treated the whole afternoon as if it were some large social gathering. In fact everyone seemed to be having a good time. The courthouse was at maximum volume. I heard laughter and speculation and gossip. No one else seemed to care like I did.

The noise died down as Mr. Clark entered the court room. He was speaking, and laughing, with the prosecutor. The rumor was they were college friends. Any remaining voices quieted when Sam entered. He looked terrible.

He looked as though he hadn’t slept for days. His usual tan was replaced by deathly pale skin. He had gotten thinner since the last time I saw him. Sam had the appearance of someone who had spent a decade in jail, not a month.

I willed him to look at me. He had to know I was there for him. Instead, he kept his eyes to the ground and didn’t look at anybody.

I recognized the judge as a man who had been at the Beverleys’ Christmas party. The moment he entered, I knew he had the sentence known by heart. He knew the defense would put up no opposition and that Sam would be condemned as quickly as possible.

The jury was happy to oblige. They deliberated for forty-five minutes before returning with their verdict: guilty on all counts. The attention went back to the judge as everyone awaited the verdict. He took a deep breath before starting. “Mr. Hull, you should know that I think outlaws have no place in civilized society. You and your brothers have willingly contributed to the chaos that has plagued the western part of our country for decades now. Also, Mr. Hull, you should know that I have little tolerance for murderers. Therefore, I wish to make an example of you for your brothers and any of your other friends who find pleasure in breaking the law. Mr. Hull, you are hereby sentenced to be taken to a place of execution and hanged by the neck until dead.”

There was a sharp intake of breath across the entire courthouse. Everyone expected the judge to be harsh, but not this harsh. Prison was the expected outcome of the trial, not death.

I couldn’t breathe. Suddenly, the room felt too constraining and Mrs. Beverley’s presence felt threatening. I couldn’t stay in the courthouse with those people.

The audience watched me as I tore down the aisle of the courthouse and out towards fresh air. I threw the door open and took a shallow breath. “Rebecca, dear, are you all right?” Mrs. Beverley came behind me and put a light hand on my back.

I felt like I was choking. “He’s going to die.” I turned my face away so she wouldn’t see my tears.

“I’m very sorry you had to witness that.”

“It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, darling, you had nothing to do with this; it’s the natural way of things.”

The natural way of things.

There was nothing natural about it. Sam was going to be killed and it was my fault.

Ezra knocked on my door the evening the trial ended. My mother let him in and called me downstairs. “My mother told me you were upset this morning. I came by to see if you were okay.”

I sat down on the sofa and he sat next to me. “Yes, it was just a little...jarring.”

“I wouldn’t have told you to come if I knew Parker was considering the death penalty. Even I agree it’s a little extreme.”

“Has a day been set?”

“Yes...April fifth.”

“The day of our wedding.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Okay.”

“Is there anything you need?” He tried to hold my hand but I pulled it away pretending to scratch an itch.

“No.”

“And...you don’t have to worry for the future or anything. My father and I are trying as hard as we can to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. Unfortunately, there are more Hulls.”

I didn’t respond–I didn’t know how.

He succeeded in getting my hand this time. “I have to get back to the bank. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “I love you.”

I watched him walk to the door. Then, he seemed to have an afterthought. “I promise to make you happy, Rebecca. We won’t have anything like this marring our marriage.”