"One is to the Pinder family I bombed in Vicksburg. One is to the Jewish synagogue I bombed in Jackson. One is to the Jewish real estate agent, also in Jackson. There may be others. No hurry, since I know you're busy right now. But after I'm gone, I'd appreciate it if you'd take care of them."
"What do these letters say?"
"What do you think they say?"
"I don't know. That you're sorry, I guess."
"Smart boy. I apologize for my deeds, repent of my sins, and ask them to forgive me."
"Why are you doing this?"
Sam stopped and leaned on a file cabinet. "Because I sit in a little cage all day. Because I have a typewriter and plenty of paper. I'm bored as hell, okay, so maybe I want to write. Because I have a conscience, not much of one, but it's there, and the closer I get to death the guiltier I feel about the things I've done."
"I'm sorry. They'll be delivered." Adam circled something on his checklist. "We have two appeals left. The Fifth Circuit is sitting on the ineffectiveness claim. I expected something by now, but there's been no movement for two days. The district court has the mental claim."
"It's all hopeless, Adam."
"Maybe, but I'm not quitting. I'll file a dozen more petitions if I have to."
"I'm not signing anything else. You can't file them if I don't sign them."
"Yes, I can. There are ways."
"Then you're fired."
"You can't fire me, Sam. I'm your grandson."
"We have an agreement saying I can fire you whenever I want. We put it in writing."
"It's a flawed document, drafted by a decent jailhouse lawyer, but fatally defective nonetheless."
Sam huffed and puffed and began striding again on his row of tiles. He made half a dozen passes in front of Adam, his lawyer now, tomorrow, and for the remainder of his life. He knew he couldn't fire him.
"We have a clemency hearing scheduled for Monday," Adam said, looking at his legal pad and waiting for the explosion. But Sam took it well and never missed a step.
"What's the purpose of the clemency hearing?" he asked.
"To appeal for clemency."
"Appeal to whom?"
"The governor."
"And you think the governor will consider granting me clemency?"
"What's there to lose?"
"Answer the question, smartass. Do you, with all your training, experience, and judicial brilliance, seriously expect this governor to entertain ideas of granting me clemency?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe my ass. You're stupid."
"Thank you, Sam."
"Don't mention it." He stopped directly in front of Adam and pointed a crooked finger at him. "I've told you from the very beginning that I, as the client and as such certainly entitled to some consideration, will have nothing to do with David McAllister. I will not appeal to that fool for clemency. I will not ask him for a pardon. I will have no contact with him, whatsoever. Those are my wishes, and I made this very plain to you, young man, from day one. You, on the other hand, as the lawyer, have ignored my wishes and gone about your merry business doing whatever the hell you wanted. You are the lawyer, nothing more or less. I, on the other hand, am the client, and I don't know what they taught you in your fancy law school, but I make the decisions."
Sam walked to an empty chair and picked up another envelope. He handed it to Adam, and said, "This is a letter to the governor requesting him to cancel the clemency hearing on Monday. If you refuse to get it canceled, then I will make copies of this and give it to the press. I will embarrass you, Garner Goodman, and the governor. Do you understand?"
"Plain enough."
Sam returned the envelope to the chair, and lit another cigarette.
Adam made another circle on his list. "Carmen will be here Monday. I'm not sure about Lee."
Sam eased to a chair and sat down. He did not look at Adam. "Is she still in rehab?"
"Yes, and I'm not sure when she'll get out. Do you want her to visit?"
"Let me think about it."
"Think fast, okay."
"Funny, real funny. My brother Donnie stopped by earlier. He's my youngest brother, you know. He wants to meet you."
"Was he in the Klan?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"It's a simple yes or no question."
"Yes. He was in the Klan."
"Then I don't want to meet him."
"He's not a bad guy."
"I'll take your word for it."
"He's my brother, Adam. I want you to meet my brother."
"I have no desire to meet new Cayhalls, Sam, especially ones who wore robes and hoods."
"Oh, really. Three weeks ago you wanted to know everything about the family. Just couldn't get enough of it."
"I surrender, okay? I've heard enough."