Gary looked scared and uncertain. He turned to Peter.
"He's sending you home, Gary," Peter said.
Gary's mouth opened for a moment. Then it formed into a wide smile.
"I'm going home?" he asked as if he could not believe it.
Peter could not help smiling back. "Yeah, Gary, you're going home."
Gary's eyes shone. Then he whooped and threw his arms around Peter.
"You're a good lawyer, Pete. You're the best lawyer.
You made them _ send me home."
judge Kuffel started to gavel for order. Then he thought better of it and lay the gavel down. Peter stood helpless and speechless in Gary's embrace, blushing wildly.
Chapter THIRTY-TWO.
"Will you have another piece of pie, Peter?" Alice Harmon asked.
"Mrs. Harmon, if I eat one more slice of your apple pie, I'll explode."
"I believe I can fit in another piece somewhere," Amos Geary said.
"Gary, hand me Amos's plate, please," Alice told her son. When Gary picked up the plate his back was to Alice Harmon and he did not see how his mother beamed.
Donna stood up and turned to Peter.
"I'm going to get some fresh air. Do you want to join me?"
"Sure."
Donna opened the screen door and led Peter onto the front porch of her parents' house. It was mid-September, the sun was almost down and the night air was nippy.
Donna and Peter both wore sweaters. They walked into the front yard. Donna wrapped her arms around herself as she strolled slowly next to the white board fence that ran along the edge of the Harmons' property.
"It's so great having Gary home," Donna said. "You can't believe the change in Mom and Dad."
"It's not over yet," Peter cautioned. "We still have to get the charges dismissed."
"They won't send him back," Donna said confidently.
"They couldn't. Mr. Ridgely is too decent a man."
They walked in silence for a while. Then, Donna said, "It is amazing how everything conspired to make Gary took so guilty. His overhearing Wilma Polk, O'Shay telling Booth about the Crusader's Cross and Steve letting it slip that the dead woman was at the Stallion .. ."
"That's why Earl's going to go slowly before he charges anyone else. He won't want to make another mistake."
"Who do you think killed Sandra Whiley?" Donna asked when they reached the large oak that shaded the front lawn.
"I don't know. I really haven't given it that much thought. In the movies, the defense attorney always saves his client by figuring out who the killer is. In real life, defense attorneys really don't care. I've spent this whole case trying to counter the state's evidence in order to raise a reasonable doubt. I mean, it would be great if I did prove who killed Sandra Whiley, but as long as I can convince Earl that he should set Gary free, I've done my job."
"You must have some idea. What about Christopher Mammon? I heard that he's disappeared.
"Mammon is definitely not the killer."
"How can you be so certain?"
"In order to tell you, I'd have to break a promise I made. just trust me. I know it's not Mammon," Donna turned her back to Peter and bowed her head.
"If Christopher Mammon isn't guilty, then Steve probably is."
"I guess that's true," Peter answered thoughtfully.
"He's certainly the most likely suspect. "We just learned that his first wife left him because he also beat her, so he clearly has a propensity for violence. The problem with the case against Steve is Becky O'Shay's evidence."
Peter caught himself. Donna turned toward him and he turned red.
"I'm sorry.. ." he started, but Donna shook her head.
"Don't be. I'm glad I found out that he screwed her on the night before our wedding. It relieves me of any lingering doubts I may have had about Steve."
They walked on in silence until Donna asked, "Will you be moving back to Portland when you've wrapped up Gary's case?"
"No. I was really thoughtless leaving Amos shorthanded, so I'm going back to work for him tomorrow. I don't think I'll stay in criminal law forever, but it is sort of exciting."
"I'm glad you'll be around," Donna said, looking directly into Peter's eyes. Peter hesitated for a second.
Then he reached out and took her hand.
"There's another reason I'm sticking around Whitaker."
Peter waited for Donna to pull free. When she didn't, he said, "I don't know if this is the right time to say this.
You're going through so much right now and I'm still trying to figure out who I am and what I want. There are a lot of things about me you don't know, too. Things you might not like."
"We don't have to rush, Peter. Now that you're staying in town, we can take -our time. Let's just see how thingswork out. Okay?"
Then Donna kissed him. It was a soft kiss, but it stunned Peter. Donna rested her head on his shoulder and they held each other in the dark. Peter had never made a commitment to a woman before. Even thinking about it was a little scary. Was he capable of being true to one person? He thought he might be able to do it. He had done some pretty amazing things since arriving in Whitaker.
"You look pretty satisfied with yourself," Amos Geary said when they were on their way back to town in PCTER's car.
"What do you mean?" Peter asked self-consciously.
He had been reliving his kiss with Donna.
"She's not someone to play with. Donna's been through a lot. If you're not serious about her, don't start anything."
"Jesus, Amos, give me some credit, will you," Peter protested.
"Given your track record, I decided to be blunt."
"Hey, the old Peter is gone."
"We'll see."
They drove on in silence for a while. Peter drifted back to thoughts of love, but Geary was thinking*about something else. After a while, he let out a long breath.
"What?" Peter asked.
"I was thinking about that poor girl. The police have lost so much time that I don't think they'll ever catch Whiley's killer."
"We know it's not Mammon. I haven't ruled out Steve, but it's pretty unlikely that he killed her if O'Shay is telling the truth."
"Which she may not be doing. just thinking about O'Shay makes me sick."
"Something just occurred to me Ridgely should check on Steve's alibi for the time when those other two women were killed. With all the excitement, we forgot that the person who killed Whiley probably killed them, too."
"Earl's no dummy. I'm sure he's already thought about seeing if he can tie Mancini into the other killings.
I'll say one thing-whoever committed those murders is one sick son of a bitch. Killing someone is bad enough, but butchering a defenseless woman with a hatchet, like she was some kind of farm animal.
Geary lapsed into silence at the thought of such senseless slaughter. Suddenly, Peter pulled the car over to the side of the road. Geary wasn't wearing a seat belt and he was thrown forward. Fortunately, he caught the dashboard with his hands.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Geary shouted.
Peter wasn't listening. He looked stunned.
"Hale, are you having some sort of yuppie fn? Talk to me.71 Peter turned slowly. He looked pale.
"The hatchet. My God, I didn't even think ... We've got to go to the office and look up something in Mammon's file."
"What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, Peter hit the accelerator and Geary was thrown back into his seat.
"I'll explain on the way," Peter said, as Geary hurriedly fastened his seat belt.
"Is this where we turn?" Peter asked.
"I'm not certain," Geary answered.
"I thought you lived here most of your life."
"I'm a lawyer, not a goddamn surveyor. Now, shut up and give me a minute."
Geary studied a map of Whitaker and the surrounding area while Peter impatiently drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.