Scott jumped up. "How'd she get that?"
"The D.A. had to leak it to her," Karen said. "Or that detective."
— "and that there's no evidence that anyone other than Rebecca Fenney entered the bedroom the night Trey was found dead in his bed. Prosecutors are convinced that Ms. Fenney did in fact kill Trey, a conclusion bolstered by the fact that she has refused to take a polygraph exam."
"Damnit-that taints the jury pool! Rex said he didn't try his cases in the press."
Back on the TV: "But while convinced she killed Trey, prosecutors are confounded by the apparent lack of a motive. Why would Rebecca Fenney kill the man who gave her everything from the clothes she wore to the Corvette she drove? She claims Trey proposed to her that same night. Surely that will all come out at trial, which promises to be another O.J. circus-like spectacle, particularly with the news that guns, porn, and Viagra were found in the residence and with the confirmation that Ms. Fenney is being represented by her ex-husband, A. Scott Fenney from Dallas. Scott Fenney was a star football player at SMU back in the early nineties-"
On the screen now was a clip of Scott running the football against Texas.
— "and became a legend when he rushed for one hundred ninety-three yards against UT. But he became a legal legend two years ago when he defended Shawanda Jones, a black Dallas prostitute charged with the murder of Clark McCall, the thirty-year-old son of the late Senator Mack McCall."
The screen showed Scott, Shawanda, and the girls on the courthouse steps after the verdict.
"She's gorgeous," Rebecca said.
"She was."
Renee Ramirez appeared on-screen. "Ms. Jones was acquitted by a federal jury in Dallas, but died of a heroin overdose two months later. Scott Fenney adopted her daughter. Rebecca Fenney began an extramarital affair with Trey Rawlins while he was an assistant golf pro at the Highland Park Country Club where the Fenneys were members. She left Scott Fenney for Trey, and now he's representing her. Now that's a man who really meant 'until death do us part.' Of course, that could happen. At Trey's funeral service this past Thursday, I spoke with his twin sister, Terri Rawlins."
The picture cut to the front of the church and the young woman Rebecca had identified as Terri on the funeral tape. She looked like Trey.
"I hope they give her the death penalty."
Scott turned to Rebecca just as she turned to him. Her face was pale.
"The death penalty?"
"It's not a capital murder case, Rebecca. They can't give you the death penalty."
"But this is Texas."
Back to Renee Ramirez: "While I certainly believe in 'innocent until proven guilty,' I must ask why Rebecca Fenney, an indicted murderer, is not in jail at this hour? Why was she released on her personal recognizance? Is the D.A. extending professional courtesy to Mr. Fenney because he's a Texas legend and thereby endangering the good citizens of Galveston? Is Mr. Fenney receiving preferential treatment because of his political connections-he was seen dining with our own Senator George Armstrong tonight at Gaido's by this reporter. Rumor has it that Mr. Fenney is up for a federal judgeship in Dallas. It is all quite interesting. Perhaps Judge Shelby Morgan will have something to say about all of this when Ms. Fenney is arraigned next week. Finally, Rebecca Fenney is reportedly residing until trial with Mr. Fenney and his family in a rented house here on the Island. Hopefully there are no sharp knives in the kitchen. Reporting live from Galveston Island, this is Renee Ramirez."
They went to commercial break.
"The D.A. was right," Scott said.
Karen looked up. "About what?"
"Her. She is annoying as hell."
"Bitch," Louis said.
"That, too."
"No, that's a five-letter word for 'female dog'."
TWENTY-TWO
They were dressed for church the next morning when Rebecca came downstairs looking like she hadn't slept all night. Scott caught Karen giving Bobby a quick glance.
"Where are y'all going?"
"To church," Scott said.
"You go to church now?"
"Pajamae got us going."
"You want to go with us, Mother?"
"Maybe next week, honey. I couldn't sleep. Anyone make coffee?"
"I liked that preacher," Pajamae said. "He was interesting."
They were driving back from church down Broadway when Scott spotted the red Corvette parked on 40th Street adjacent to the Old City Cemetery. He pulled over and parked.
"I'll be right back."
Consuela was up front, and Maria was sleeping in her car seat between the girls in the back. Scott got out and stepped over the low rock wall bordering the cemetery. A woman stood alone among the graves. He walked toward her, staying on the grid of sunken sidewalks fronting the graves of Confederate soldiers, members of the old Galveston families, and victims of the Great Storm, past gravestones and tombstones and family mausoleums, and cracked and weathered statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and an angel with one wing broken off. Rebecca was wearing sunglasses and a black wig. She was standing over Trey Rawlins' grave, and she was crying.
"I guess you never really know someone," she said.
"Were you happy with him?"
She nodded. "I loved him. I thought he loved me. But I didn't know the truth."
Scott thought of Trey Rawlins' all-American image and the real Trey Rawlins he was getting to know. What else would he learn about the man lying in that grave?
"I'm sorry," she said.
"For what?"
"Because now I know how much I hurt you."
"Rebecca, you need to stay at the house. I don't want Renee Ramirez to know where you're at."
"That's why I wore the wig."
"The wig works, but not the car. Everyone on the Island knows you drive that red Corvette."
"Oh."
"Where'd you get the wig?"
"From my closet. I told Bobby to bring everything."
They played tourist that day. Scott tried to put the murder trial out of his mind and to be a father instead of a lawyer, at least for a day. The top attraction on the Island is Moody Gardens, a 242-acre, "public, non-profit educational destination utilizing nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation and research." Three glass pyramids rise tall above the Island at Moody Gardens: the blue Aquarium Pyramid, where the girls shrieked at the sharks and posed with the penguins; the pink Discovery Pyramid, where they toured the "Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America through Galveston Island" exhibit which explained the history of immigration in Galveston, an entry point into America for white Europeans and African slaves-Negroes and cotton had been bought and sold on the docks of Galveston; and the white Rainforest Pyramid, where they touched the turtles and chased the birds and butterflies flying about the ten-story-tall, one-acre-under-glass living rainforest with plants, birds, bugs, and fish from Asian, African, and South American rainforests. The tarantulas creeped out Pajamae, but Boo thought the Macaws were cool. They took an extreme log ride in the IMAX RideFilm Theater and smelled the dinosaurs in the 4D Special FX film Walking with Dinosaurs. They took a ride on the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat and then finished the day swimming and playing on the white sand at the Palm Beach pool. Rebecca looked stunning in her black wig and white bikini.
She had recovered from her morning melancholy. She acted upbeat and energetic. She laughed and played with the girls. It was as if the knowledge of Trey's affairs had released her from his hold. As if she were free of Trey Rawlins. Over him. She was a different woman. When they walked out to the cars, Boo stopped Scott and said, "Mother's changed. She smiles… she's sweet… she sweats. I like her again."