The old man rocked in his chair and sipped cold beer, the brown bottle sweating condensation which cooled his fingers. He'd lived in Muddy Lake always and had never seen such commotion, taken aback by the reporters and television crews and outsiders, and even a small group of women who'd been protesting at the courthouse since the trial had begun, waving their hand-painted signs and chanting, through driving rain or hot August sun.
It had been a long morning, both sides offering summation and then the judge had charged the jury and now everyone waited. "You can feel it in the air," the old man said, just as the Fiddelson kid ran up and waved.
"They're back, Mr. Merchant, the jury's back." He ran off to alert others. The old man finished his beer, left his rocker and crossed the street, then climbed the steps to the courthouse. Inside he took his seat and fanned himself with the Muddy Lake Chronicle. The air conditioning had failed that morning, the courtroom a sauna, the crowd loud and boisterous, speculating and pointing at accused and victim, who sat up front at opposite tables.
The bailiff appeared and the courtroom shushed and the proceeding commenced. Judge Harrington banged his gavel: "Has the jury reached its verdict?" he said, anxious to end this ordeal.
The Jury Foreman spoke: "We have your honor. We find the defendant, William Holder, not guilty on all charges."
A loud wail penetrated the courtroom and all eyes focused on the young woman seated at the prosecutor's table. She stood up, faced the exonerated, mouth agape, then turned to the jury.
"You call this justice?" Her hands shook and her body trembled.
"Order in my court," the judge said.
"That animal raped me. He held a knife to my throat and forced himself upon me. I want justice." She choked on her sobs as her chest heaved. "I want justice."
"There will be order in my court, Miss Angel." The judge banged his gavel. "I understand your anguish, and I'm surprised at the verdict, but please, refrain or I'll have you removed."
"How can they let him just walk away?" Sara Angel said, pausing for a moment, her eyes closed. "He beat and raped and humiliated me and you just let him walk away?" She turned to Holder. "I knew I'd never get justice in Muddy Lake. I knew it..."
"Ms. Angel, I'm warning you..."
"But you'll suffer worse than I suffer now and justice will be done." She then addressed the jury. "And you, Mr. Jury Foreman, you're just as evil and guilty as he. You could've stuck him away for years, but you let him walk. You, too, will pay."
Holder sneered: "Hey babe, why don't you buy me dinner tonight and maybe I'll forgive you." She turned and spat at him and marched out of the courtroom, which then exploded in noise and excitement. The gavel banged, the judge demanded order and spoke:
"Though this jury apparently ignored the evidence presented, Mr. Holder, I have no other choice but to free you. But I know, as I've seen presiding over this courtroom, that you'll be here again. And then I'll throw the full weight of the law at you."
Holder grinned as he thanked the judge and readied to leave. Reporters descended on the badly shaven man. Asked for a response to the verdict, Holder smiled, "I always said I was innocent and I got nothing else to say." The throng shouted but Holder ignored them and made his way out a back door.
Susan Clearview waited in front of the courthouse hoping to catch Holder but spotted instead the jury foreman.
"Come on, Joe," she said, her cameraman following behind, and approached Arthur Piddle coming down the courtroom steps.
