LaMarque was slow off the mark and nervously cut his eyes at the jurors, as if he himself should’ve been on trial for some crime. The real reason he had been chosen to defend Hugh was that he was one of the few Malco employees with no criminal record.
If Hugh’s life depended on men like LaMarque, then the defendant was as good as dead.
The second star witness was even worse. Hoping to impress the male jurors, or even startle them, Burch called Tiffany Barnes to the stand. Onstage with her clothes off she went by Sugar, but when properly dressed and being a good girl she was Tiffany. Whether or not she was properly dressed could be debated. Her tight skirt stopped several inches above her knees, revealing long shapely legs that were impossible not to notice, if only for a second. Tight low-cut sweater, ample cleavage, lovely face with a sparkling smile. Half of her testimony was revealed just in the presentation.
The lying started immediately. Her story was that she and Hugh had been dating for three years, engaged for two, living together for one, and planned to get married the following month. Assuming, of course, he would be able to get married. She knew his innermost thoughts—his dreams, worries, fears, prejudices, everything. Her fiancé would never harm another human being; it simply wasn’t in his genetic makeup. He was a caring, loving man who went out of his way to help others. She had never heard him mention the name Jesse Rudy.
It was a splendid performance, and the jurors, at least the men, enjoyed it, if only for a moment.
Chuck McClure destroyed her in less than five minutes. He asked, “Miss Barnes, when did you and Hugh apply for a marriage license?”
Big smile, perfect teeth. “Well, we haven’t done that yet, you know? Kinda hard when he’s in jail.”
“Of course. Hugh has two sisters. Do you know their names?”
The smile vanished as her shoulders and breasts sagged a bit. She glanced at the jury box, the panicked look of a deer in headlights. “Yes, one is Kathy. I haven’t met the other.”
“No, sorry. Hugh has only one sister and her name is Holley. Does he have any brothers?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about them. The family is not close.”
“Well, surely he talks about his mother. She lives in Biloxi. What’s her name?”
“I just call her Mrs. Malco. That’s the way I was raised.”
“Of course. But what is her first name?”
“I’ve never asked.”
“Where does she live in Biloxi?”
“In the western part.”
“What street?”
“Goodness, I don’t know. I can’t remember street names.”
“Nor first names. You’ve dated for three years, been engaged for two, shacked up for one, and you don’t know where his mother lives in the same town.”
“As I said, she’s in the western section of Biloxi.”
“Sorry, Miss Tiffany, but Carmen, her first name, Carmen Malco moved to Ocean Springs two years ago.”
“Oh.”
“Do you know where you live?”
“Of course I do. With Hugh.”
“And what is your address?”
Perhaps tears might save her. She glared at McClure, summoned up a wave, and began wiping her cheeks. After a long painful silence, McClure said, “Your Honor, I have no further questions.”
* * *
Late Thursday afternoon, the jury deliberated for all of forty-seven minutes and found Hugh Malco guilty of capital murder. On Friday morning, the sentencing phase began when Chuck McClure called Agnes Rudy to the stand. With firm resolve and only a few quiet tears, she did a fine job of getting through the script she and Keith had memorized. She talked about her husband, their life together, their children, his work, and, most important, the unimaginable emptiness his death left behind.