Chapter 25 Chapter 24

Lloyd Henrider, dubbed by the Phoenix papers as "the stubborn baby-faced killer," was led by two guards into the most secure wing of the Phoenix Jail.One of the two guards is a snotty guy.Both men seemed to have a bad temper.The other prisoners in the wing welcomed Lloyd as if on parade.At Max, he was something of a celebrity. "Hi! Henry Ryder!" "Come in, you bastard." "Tell D.A. I won't let him hurt you if he lets me out!" "Stand firm as a rock, Henry!" "That's true, old man! It's true!" "Poor bastard," the snotty guard muttered, then sneezed.

Lloyd grinned happily.His new fame made him a little dizzy.There aren't many places like Brownsville, although the meals are better here.When you become a heavyweight boxer, you get respect.He imagined that Tom Cruise must have felt something in the same way when he played when he was new in the world. They went through a door at the end of the hall and a double electronic gate.He came alive again, and the impassive guard took a deep breath of cold air, as if about to climb the stairs.Then they took him through a security metal detector, probably to make sure there wasn't really anything stuffed up his ass, like that clown Papillon did in the movie.

"Okay," said the snotty guard, and a guard sitting inside the bulletproof glass waved them away.They descended into another hall painted industrial green.It was very quiet, save for the footsteps of the guards (Lloyd was wearing paper slippers) and the wheezing of Lloyd's right.At the far end of the hall, another guard stood waiting for them in front of a closed door.The door had a small window not much larger than a vent hole with a wire embedded in the glass. "Why do prisons always smell like shit?" Lloyd asked, trying to spark a conversation. "I mean, why even the place where the prisoner is not locked has a smell of feces and urine. Could it be you guys peeing at the corner?" He snickered while thinking, this is indeed a very funny thing thing.

"Shut up! You killer." said the guard with an indifferent expression. "You don't look well," Lloyd said. "You should go home and lie down." "Shut up!" said another guard. Lloyd fell silent.That's what happens when you try to talk to these idiots.His experience is that the class of prison correction officers is an uneducated class. "Hey, scumbag!" said the doorman. "What are you doing here? You bastard," Lloyd shot back.But there are very few rebuttals that make you feel fresh and witty.For two days in a row he could feel an old prison numbness creeping over him.

"You'll lose a tooth for it," said the doorman. "A tooth, remember, a tooth." "Then listen too, you can't..." "I can. There's a bastard in this yard who killed Mom for two cartons of long coats and a broken car. You don't want to lose two teeth, do you?" Lloyd was silent. "That's right," said the doorman. "Just one tooth. Get him in." The cold-faced guard smiled and opened the door, and another guard led Lloyd in.The lawyer appointed for him by the court sat at a metal table and was sifting through a briefcase for documents.

"Mr. Lawyer, this is your client." The lawyer looked up.Lloyd decided that the man was so old that his hands were shaking, but what kind of a man was he?The poor have no choice.They're sure to knock him out, and Lloyd reckons he'll probably get around 20 years.When they stare at you, you have to close your eyes and grit your teeth. "Thank you very much……" "That's the guy," Lloyd said, pointing at the guard. "He's the one who called me a jerk. When I paid him back, he was going to have a jerk knock out my tooth! Why are the police so brutal?"

The lawyer touched his face. "Is that so?" he asked the doorman. The doorman rolled his eyes comically and made a "My God, how could you believe such a thing" gesture. "Mr. Lawyer, these guys should write a congratulatory letter to TV One, that's the truth." "Nonsense!" retorted Lloyd emphatically. "I stand by my point of view," said the doorman, giving Lloyd a hard look. "I'm sure you will," said the lawyer, "but I think I should look at Mr. Henrider's teeth before I leave here." A slight embarrassment appeared on the guard's face, and he exchanged glances with the two guards who brought Lloyd in.Lloyd laughed.The old guy might be right about this.The last two prison guards he met here were old guards.One of them also entered a home and extorted a colostomy kit.Can you believe it?A damn colostomy kit.These old oily guys won't even give you a shit.Sophistry, let go, this is their motto.All that was left was to exchange dirty stories with the Judge.But it's also possible he could get 10 years for armed robbery, and possibly life in prison.All in all, the only person he really didn't care about was his wife in the white Coney, and maybe he'd have to blame old Churbo Pork for that.Polk wouldn't mind.Polk was as rigid as the old man's hat ring.Lloyd smiled a little again.You have to be optimistic.This is a trump card.Life is too short.

He began to realize that the guard had left them here alone.Lloyd remembered too, his name was Andy Devens, and he was staring at him in a strange way.It's the same way you stare at a rattlesnake that's been snapped off at the waist but whose lethal teeth are still intact. "You are very guilty, Sylvester!" cried Devens suddenly. Lloyd was taken aback. "What? What do you mean by that? I'm a sinner? By the way, I think you've pretty much cleaned up that old fat man just now. He's going crazy like he ate a nail and couldn't spit it out." "Listen, Sylvester! Listen very carefully!"

"My name is not..." "Don't fantasize about beautiful things, Sylvester." Devens' eyes didn't move, his voice was soft but hard, his flaxen curly hair was kept in a crew cut, almost fluffy, his scalp was pink, and the second finger of his left hand He wears a plain gold wedding band on his chest and an expensive fraternity ring on his right third finger that click together like Lloyd's teeth. "You're going to have your trial in nine days, Sylvester. Because the Supreme Court made that decision four years ago." "What's the matter?" Lloyd had never been so disturbed.

“It’s the Markham case in South Carolina,” Devins said, “and it has to meet all of the conditions that the states have for expedited death penalty cases.” "Death!" Lloyd yelled in horror. "You mean the electric chair? Hey! Man, I've never killed anyone! Swear to God!" "In the eyes of the law, it doesn't matter," Devins said. "If you've been there, you've done it." "What do you mean, it doesn't matter?" Lloyd almost screamed. "Of course it does! It's a goddamn thing! I didn't kill those people, Pork did it! He's a lunatic !he is……"

"Can you shut your mouth, Sylvester." Devens asked in that soft but hard tone.Lloyd fell silent.He suddenly feared that he had forgotten the banquet held for him at Maxim, and even the possibility of losing his teeth.It dawned on him that his lawyer was addressing Sylvester, the carnivorous cat, like a chirping bird.It's just that, as far as he could remember, the tongue-twister didn't play hide-and-seek, play head-ball or place a mousetrap in front of a cat's prowling paws.What Lloyd saw was Sylvester strapped to a chair, sparking all over him when he flipped a switch.He even made out the guard cap on the yellowish head of the chattering lawyer. It's not a spectacle just for entertainment. Maybe Devins saw something on Lloyd's face, because for the first time his tone was a little softer.He folded his hands on top of the pile of papers he had taken from his briefcase. "There's nothing wrong with being an accomplice in a first-degree murder case filed during a felony," he said. "There were three witnesses who testified that you were with Lou Freeman. You're going to suffer." Yes. Do you understand?" "I……" "Well, now back to the Markham, South Carolina case. I want to tell you in just a few words how much responsibility you will have in that case. But first. I should remind you of one fact, in As you will surely know at all levels of trial: The Constitution of the United States of America specifically prohibits cruel punishment." "Like the fucking electric chair, that's right," Lloyd said indignantly. Devins shook his head. "The law is a bit unclear at this point," he said. "I went up and down the courts, left and right, four years ago, trying to figure this out. Does cruel punishment mean things like the electric chair and gas? chamber? Or the 'wait' between sentencing and execution? Appeals, delays, , reprieve for months or years, forced to waste time on various death row? The Supreme Court has allowed implementation of a proposal in the late 70s, but death row is still overcrowded, torture and unusual punishments The irritating problem remains. Well, let's go back to the Markham case in South Carolina. You know, there was a man who was electrocuted for the rape and murder of 3 female college students. Jon Markham reserved The diary details the premeditation of the case. A jury has sentenced him to death." "Mouth full of dung," Lloyd muttered. Devins nodded and gave Lloyd a wry smile. "The case has been fully referred to the Supreme Court. The court reaffirmed that the death penalty does not count as torture or capital punishment in certain circumstances. The court suggested that from a legal point of view, the sooner the better. Are you beginning to understand the matter? Searle West? Are you starting to understand a little bit?" "You know why you're being tried in Arizona instead of New Mexico or Nevada?" Lloyd shook his head. "Because Arizona is one of the four states that have the death penalty. The petition was made to the circuit court that only deals with the death penalty and it was granted." "I disagree with you." "You're going to go to trial in four days," Devins said. "Arizona has a big case today that requires a jury of 12 men and women. I'm going to delay as long as possible, but We have to meet the jury the first day. Arizona doesn't present its case until the second day. I'm going to try to take 3 days and I'm going to talk about my opening and closing remarks until the judge interrupts me, but 3 days is the limit. Luckily we have 3 days. The jury will walk out and find your plea in about 3 minutes, unless some goddamn miracle happens. You will be in 9 days from today Sentenced to death, and a week later, you're going to be executed like a pile of meat for dogs. People in Arizona like it, and the Supreme Court wants it. Because the sooner it's done, the more it makes everyone Glad. I could drag it out for a week—just maybe—but not sure.” "Christ Jesus, it's not just!" Lloyd cried. "It's a tough old world, Lloyd," Devens said, "especially for someone like you who are called 'mad dog killers' by newspaper and TV commentators. You're a real hero in the criminal world. What a burden you are. The Eastern papers even took two pages to say you brought back the flu." "I never hurt anybody," Lloyd said angrily. "Pork did it all. He made up the words." "It doesn't matter," Devens said, "that's what I'm going to do to open your pig's head, Sylvester. The court is going to give the governor a day, just a day. I'll appeal, under the new The rules say that my appeal must go to the Death Penalty Circuit Court within 7 days or immediately after its exit. If they decide not to accept the appeal, I still have another 7 days to file a petition with the Supreme Court of the United States of America. In your case I will file my appeal as late as possible. It is possible that the Death Penalty Circuit will agree to hear us - although this is a new system, they still want as little criticism as possible. They may Will hear Jack's appeal for Ripert." "How long before it's my turn?" Lloyd muttered. "Oh, they'll do it pretty fast," Devins replied, even grinning a bit like a wolffish. "You know, the Circuit Court is made up of five retired judges in Arizona. Except Fishing, playing cards, drinking old wine and waiting for a poor bastard like you to show up in their court, they do nothing, they are actually a gang in cahoots with congress, the governor's office, and each other Computer modems for collusion. They have phones with modems in their cars, sheds, even kayaks, and at home. Their average age is 72." Lloyd shivered. "That is to say, if not as judges but as lawyers or law students, some of them are even too old to actually follow the established circuit. They all believe in the creed of the west-quick judgment .That was the way of working here until around 1950. When it comes to serious murders, that's the only way." "Almighty Christ Jesus! Do you even have to do this?" "You need to understand what kind of situation we're in," Devins said. "They're trying to prove that you haven't been brutally and uncharacteristically punished, Lloyd, and you should thank them." "Thank them? I don't want to..." "Then kill them?" Devins asked calmly. "No, of course not," Lloyd said unconvincingly. "It is possible that our motion for a new trial will be dismissed and I will protest quickly. With luck, the circuit court will ask me to give witnesses. If they give me the opportunity, I will call in the witnesses who testified at the first trial again. Everyone, plus everyone I can think of. In this regard, I will call in your good friends from junior high school as witnesses of your character, if I can find them." "I dropped out in sixth grade," Lloyd said weakly. "After the circuit court dismissed our appeal, I will ask the Supreme Court to hear our request. I expect this request will be dismissed on the same day." Devins stopped talking and lit a cigarette. "What's next?" Lloyd asked. "From now on?" Devens asked, looking a bit surprised, staring angrily at Lloyd who continued to babble. "Then you're taken to death row at the state prison, where you eat and drink until it's time for you to go to the electric chair. But it won't be long." "They wouldn't actually do that," Lloyd said. "You're just scaring me." "Lloyd, all 4 states that have death penalty circuit courts do this. To date, 4 men and women have been executed in reference to the Markham case. It's worth the taxpayer extra for this extra court, but Not much, because they only deal with a very small percentage of first-degree murders. Taxpayers don’t actually mind opening their wallets for the death penalty. They like it.” Lloyd looked like he was going to throw up. "Anyway," Devens said, "the D.A.'s only looking at the Markham case to judge the defendant's total guilt. That's not enough for a dog with chicken feathers stuck to its mouth; Just grab it. They caught you right then and there." Lloyd was taken to top security authorities within 15 minutes of being intoxicated by the boys' cheers.Now thinking about the situation where I was stared at by people for two or three weeks, it was like falling into a bottomless abyss. "Are you scared, Sylvester?" Devens asked in a gentle tone. Lloyd had to lick his lips before he could answer. "Christ, I'm terrified. From what you've said, I'm doomed." "I don't want you to die," Devens said, "just to scare you. If you walk into that courtroom with a smirk, they'll tie you to the electric chair and switch it on. See Markham 1 case, your number is 41. But if you will listen to me, we may get away with it. I am not saying that we will succeed, but that we may succeed." "Please go on." "We've got to think about the jury thing," Devens said, "that's 12 random idiots off the street. I'd rather have some ladies chanting poor Winnie and throwing a backyard funeral for a pet bird." Come on the jury, that's how I want to be. Every juror, when they were put on the jury list, was very aware of the Markham consequences. They were unwilling to decide what might or might not be in after they forgot Execution case within six months or six years; the guy they found guilty in July was going to die before the star team was beaten." "You opened the gates of hell." De Wins dismissed this, and went on: "In some cases, only vigilance can get a jury to acquit. The Markham case is an example. In some cases, the jury will let the big The screaming murderers get off because they don't want their hands to be covered in blood." He picked up a piece of paper from the ground. "Although four people were executed in the Markham case, there were 70 death penalty appeals in the case. Of these, 30 were not executed, and the jury found 26 of them 'not guilty.' There were 4 Convictions were overturned by the Supreme Circuit, one in South Carolina, two in Florida, and one in Alabama." "Has anything like this ever happened in Arizona?" "No. I'm telling you, it's Western law. These five old guys want to make this case of you a fool. If we don't get out in front of a jury, you're screwed. I'm on this one The proposal on the issue is 90:1." "Under Arizona law, how many people have been found not guilty by a routine court jury to date?" "Two out of 14." "It's too bad." Devins smiled wryly. "I should submit," said he, "that one of them was protected by an accomplice. Like you, Lloyd, he was guilty of negligence. Judge Pechter barked at the ten women and the two men for twenty minutes. I think he's going to have a stroke." "If I'm found innocent, there's no way they'll try me again, is that right?" "Absolutely not." "Does that mean that only one or two files or nothing will be left?" "Is such that." "Good guy," Lloyd said, wiping his forehead. "Once you understand the situation and where we have to stand, we can discuss the substance." "I get that. Even so, I don't like doing it." "You'd be a fool if you didn't." Devins folded his arms and leaned over them. "Okay. You told me and you told the police, you... oh..." He pulled a stapled document from the pile in his briefcase and flipped through it. "Ah, that's it.' I never killed anyone. All the killings were done by Polk. It was his idea, not mine. To purify the world he experienced.'” "Yes, exactly. So what?" Lloyd said defensively. "That means you're afraid of Pok Freeman. What are you afraid of?" Devins asked cautiously. "Hey, I can't tell..." "In fact, you are fearing for your life." "I don't think so..." "You're frightened. Admit it, Sylvester. You're still playing tricks." Lloyd scoffed at his lawyer with a frown.It was the frown of a lad who wanted to be a good student but had the serious problem of getting caught. "Don't let me enlighten you again, Lloyd," Devens said. "I don't want to do it again. You may consider my advice. Pork will be stoned to death any minute." "He'll be stoned to death! We'll both be stoned to death!" "No. You won't, but he'll be stoned. When he gets stoned, he's crazy." "Dude, stop bragging." Lloyd remembered the ghost of Pork Freeman yelling excitedly, "Ho, ho," as he shot the woman in Blake's main store. "And he also shot you several times with a gun." "No, he did not." "Yes, he did. You just forgot for a while. In fact, he threatened you if you didn't support him in this farce." "Well, I have a gun too." "I believe that," Devens said, winking at Lloyd. "If you look back, you'll remember that Pork told you that your gun was unloaded. You didn't Remember that?" "you are right……" "When the shooting actually started, no one was surprised but you, was it?" "That's true," said Lloyd, nodding vigorously. "I almost fainted." "When Pok Freeman gets cut down, you want to put a gun on him to save you trouble." Lloyd stared at his lawyer with fading eyes. "Mr. Devins," he said with the utmost sincerity, "that's a little nonsense." Later that morning, he arrived at the practice field, watching a softball game and thinking about everything Devins had told him.A bulky cellmate named Mathers came up, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.Mathers' head, shaved shaved in the Telly Savalas style, gleamed in the hot desert climate. "Wait a minute," Lloyd said, "my lawyer has counted every single one of my teeth, seventeen in total. If you..." "Okay, that's exactly what Shockley was going to say," Mathers said, "so he told me..." Mathers flattened his knee and hit Lloyd's crotch hard, causing a piercing pain, like torture without screaming.He huddled and fell down, tightly covering his testicles that were peeling and cramping.His eyes glowed red from the excruciating pain. He didn't know how long it took before he looked up and saw that Mathers was still staring at him, the bald head still shining.The guards also started to stare this way.Lloyd curled up, groaning, tears gushing out like a spring, and there was a big ball of fire in his stomach. "It's not a private matter," said Mathers earnestly. "You know, it's a business matter. I hope you understand that myself. Markham's law sucks." He strode away, and Lloyd spotted the guard standing on top of the pickup truck on the other side of the practice field.The guard stuck his thumbs into his belt and smiled at Lloyd.When he saw that he had Lloyd's undivided attention, he poked Lloyd with the middle of both hands.Mathers strolled up to the wall, and the guard threw him a pack of Talay Etons.Lloyd was lying on the ground with his knees pressed against his chest, his hands clutching his cramping, aching balls. Devins' words echoed in his head: It's the old world of power, Lloyd, it's the old world of power. That's right.