In a unanimous verdict, it found Pete Banning and his estate liable for the death of Dexter Bell, and awarded $50,000 in actual damages and $50,000 in punitive damages. For the second time in less than a year, Burch Dunlap set the record for the largest verdict in the Northern District of Mississippi.
Chapter 40
As Joel’s first year of law school wound down, he became more reclusive, even antisocial. The verdict against his father’s estate was well-known in legal circles, not to mention the now infamous execution. The Banning family was in free fall, and Joel suspected there were a lot of whispers behind his back. He envied Stella, a thousand miles away.
He drove to Whitfield to sit with his mother for a long weekend. First, though, Dr. Hilsabeck wanted to chat, and they strolled the grounds on a glorious spring day, with azaleas and dogwoods blooming. Hilsabeck lit a pipe, clasped his hands behind him, and ambled along slowly, as if heavily burdened.
“She’s not making a lot of progress,” he said gravely. “She’s been here for two years and I’m not pleased with her condition.”
“Thanks for admitting that,” Joel replied. “I’ve seen little improvement in the past eight months.”
“She cooperates to a point; then she shuts down. Something traumatic happened to her, Joel, something she cannot, or will not, confront. From what we know, your mother was a strong woman with an outsized personality with never a hint of mental instability or depression. There were several miscarriages, but they are not uncommon. With each, she withdrew and went through periods of darkness, probably temporary depression, but she always bounced back. The news that your father was missing and presumed dead was horrible, and we’ve discussed this many times. Me, you, Stella, Florry, we’ve covered this. That was in May of 1942. Almost three years passed, and, as you’ve said, the family did the only thing it could do — it survived. But something happened to her, Joel, during that period. Something traumatic, and I simply cannot get it out of her.”
“Are you suggesting I try?”
“No. It was something so awful I’m not sure she’ll ever discuss it. And, as long as she keeps it buried, improvement will be most difficult.”
“Do you think it involved Dexter Bell?”
“Yes. If not, why would your father do what he did?”
“That’s the big question. I’ve always assumed it was Bell, but the mystery is, how did my father learn their secrets? Now he’s dead, Bell’s dead, and she’s not talking. Looks like a dead end, Doc.”
“Indeed it does. The people who work for the family, have you quizzed them?”
“Not really. Nineva came with the house and doesn’t miss much. She’s also loyal to a fault and would never utter a word. She practically raised me and Stella, so we know her well. She never talks.”
“Even if she might be able to help us?”
“Help us in what way?”
“Perhaps she knows something, saw something, heard something. If she could confide in you and you to me, it could give me the opportunity to confront Liza. It might shock her, and that might be a good thing. She needs to be confronted. We’re in a rut here, Joel, and things need to change.”
“I guess it’s worth a try. What is there to lose?”
They walked past an old gentleman slouched in a wheelchair in the shade of an elm tree. He eyed them suspiciously but said nothing. Both nodded and smiled and Hilsabeck said, “Hello, Harry.” But Harry did not respond because Harry had not spoken in ten years. Joel often said hello to Harry as well. Sadly, Joel knew the names of many of building 41’s permanent residents. He prayed fervently that his mother would not become one.
“There’s something else,” Hilsabeck said. “There’s a new medication called Thorazine that’s slowly making its way onto the market. It’s an antipsychotic drug that’s being used to treat schizophrenia, depression, and a few other disorders. I think Liza is a good candidate for it.”
“Are you asking for my approval?”
“No, just wanted you to know. We’ll start it next week.”
“Any side effects?”
“So far, the most common one is weight gain, which in her case would be welcome.”
“Then I say we do it.”
They walked to the edge of a small lake and found a bench in a shaded, cool spot. They sat down and watched some ducks splatter about. “How often does she talk of going home?” Joel asked.
Hilsabeck thought for a moment, took a puff. “Not every day, but it’s certainly on her mind. Liza is too young for us to consider her a permanent resident here, so we treat her as if she’ll one day be healthy enough to go home. She doesn’t dwell on this, but she assumes, as do we, that the day will come. Why do you ask?”
“Because home might be in trouble. I’ve told you about the lawsuits brought by the family of Dexter Bell. We just lost the first one. We’ll appeal, and appeal again, and we’ll fight to the end. Another lawsuit is looming, and we could lose it too. There could be liens, judgments, injunctions, even a bankruptcy. A lot of legal maneuvering yet to come, but there is a real possibility that when the dust settles, we could lose the land and the farm.”
“And when might this dust settle?”
“Hard to say. Not this year, probably not next. But within two years all of the lawsuits and appeals could be over.”
Hilsabeck tapped his pipe on the edge of the bench and scraped out the burned tobacco. He deftly refilled it with fresh tobacco from a pouch, fired up a match, lit the bowl, and took a long puff. Eventually, he said, “That would be catastrophic for her. She dreams of being home with you and Stella. She talks of working the gardens with Amos, of riding her horses, of putting flowers on your father’s grave, of cooking and canning with Nineva.” Another long puff. “Where would she go?”
“I have no idea, Doc. We haven’t had that discussion yet. I’m just looking far down the road. We have good lawyers, but so does the family of Dexter Bell. And in addition to good lawyers, they have the facts and the law on their side.”
“It would be devastating, just devastating. I cannot imagine treating Liza if she knew her home was gone.”
“Well, just file it away. Meanwhile, we’re brawling in court.”
On a Friday morning when he was supposed to be in Oxford, Joel awoke early in his own bed, hustled to the kitchen and put on the coffee, bathed and dressed while it was percolating, and was waiting at the kitchen table with a fresh cup when Nineva arrived on the dot at 7:00. They exchanged “Good mornings” and Joel said, “Let’s have some coffee, Nineva. We need to talk.”
“Don’t you want breakfast?” she asked, pulling on an apron.
“No, I’ll get something later in town. I’m not much for breakfast.”
“Never was, not even as a little boy. A bite or two of eggs and you’d be off. What’s on your mind?”
“Fix your coffee.”
She took her time with heavy cream and heavier sugar, and finally sat, apprehensively, across the table from him. “We need to talk about Liza,” he said. “Her doctor is not happy with her progress down there at Whitfield. There are a lot of secrets in her world, Nineva, little mysteries that don’t add up. Until we know what happened to her, there’s a good chance Liza is never coming home.”
Nineva was already shaking her head as if she knew nothing.
“Pete’s gone, Nineva. Liza might be too. There’s a chance her doctor can help her but only if the truth is told. How much time did she spend with Dexter Bell when we thought Dad was dead?”
She held her cup with fingers from both hands and took a small sip. She set it on the saucer, thought for a second, and said, “He was here a lot. It was no secret. I was always around, so was Amos, even Jupe. Sometimes Mrs. Bell came with him. They would meet in Mista Banning’s study and read the Bible, say a prayer. He never stayed long.”