Place to Belong, a Read Free Page A

the parsonage next door to the church.

2

    M rs. Brandenburg greeted them at the door, and Lucas helped Cassie with her shawl. They filed into the dining room to sit, Lucas at Cassie’s elbow. Her knees thanked her as she dropped into her chair and Lucas scooted it in.
    Mrs. Brandenburg dished up bowls of steaming soup as soon as they sat down. “There is bread in one basket and crackers in the other. Mavis, I tried a new cracker recipe. You’ll have to be honest and tell me what you think of it. I put dill seed in it, of all things. Ran the seeds through the coffee mill. Now we’re probably going to have dill-flavored coffee for a while.”
    Reverend Brandenburg offered up the grace along with a plea for justice and nodded to the others. “We need to be back at the court by one thirty. Judge Cranston is a stickler for time, and I know he wants this wrapped up today.”
    Lucas snorted. “I don’t see any need for a hearing at all. We caught Jud red-handed, or redheaded as was the case for him, and the others never said they didn’t do it.”
    â€œBut they have the right to a trial. I’m just glad there is no juryto make it take longer. Although everyone here knows Case’s bigotry, he’s never been one to keep his mouth shut.” Brandenburg dunked one of the crackers in his soup. “Delicious.” He smiled at his wife.
    She looked not at him but to Mavis.
    â€œWhat do you think?”
    â€œI want the recipe.”
    Cassie could have been eating sawdust for all she knew. She could not pay attention. I don’t want to leave here, Lord. What’s wrong with wanting a home? Here I think I have one, and now this.
    â€œDon’t worry about this, Cassie.” Mrs. Brandenburg laid a hand on her arm. “All will be well.”
    Cassie sent her what she could manage of a smile. A nod would have to suffice. Both Mavis and Mrs. Brandenburg knew how to trust God, no matter what. She, however, was still trying to learn that.
    She did have enough curiosity to ask, “What does cross mean? The judge said it when he was looking at the lawyer.”
    â€œCross examination,” Reverend Brandenburg replied. “The defense declined, because they didn’t want the court to hear that damaging testimony twice. Not too important when it’s only a judge, but it’s very important when a jury is hearing the case.”
    â€œThank you.” She managed a smile this time. So the reverend knew quite a bit about law as well as faith.

    Cassie and the Engstroms arrived back in the courtroom with ten minutes to spare. Here came Sheriff McDougal with his charges; his deputies again handcuffed the three prisoners to their chairs. Loud enough to be heard easily, Case grumbled something about being bound to the chair like a common criminal.
    â€œShut up,” hissed one of the others. “You want to make this even worse?”
    â€œYou tell me to shut up and—” Case’s ugly face grew even more so.
    The judge entered, the sheriff called, “All rise,” and the afternoon was under way.
    The sheriff called Dr. Barnett to testify. He described the wounds and his treatment. “That young lady could have lost the use of her arm had things gone only a tiny bit differently. Even worse, she could have died from loss of blood.” He shook his head. “I left the South to get away from the Ku Klux Klan and to find that same kind of hatred here . . . Heartbreaking, that’s what it is.”
    Judge Cranston looked up. “Cross?”
    Again the lawyer shook his head.
    The sheriff announced, “The state rests.”
    â€œDefense?”
    Reluctantly, it would appear, the lawyer called, “Case Beckwith to the stand, please.”
    A deputy unlocked the chair half of his handcuffs, and Case bolted upright. He plopped down into the witness chair.
    The sheriff glared at him. “Up.”
    He stood.
    The sheriff