Sinner Read Free Page B

Billy had a knack for reading people, whether in a poker game or in a courtroom.
    Billy kept his eyes on Alice. “So there was no . . . disparity between your beliefs and his teaching?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œYou both believed in tolerance?”
    â€œYes.”
    A breath from Alice signaled her acceptance of this fact, at least for the moment.
    Billy put his other hand into his front pocket and faced the witness. “Musa bin Salman, do you find my client distasteful?”
    Silence.
    â€œJust be truthful. That’s why we’re here, to get to the truth. Do you find Anthony Sacks as disgusting a human being as I do?”
    â€œObjection, leading the witness . . .”
    Billy held up a hand. “Quite right, let me be more clear. Ignoring the fact that I think my client is a piece of human waste and should probably fry for a thousand offenses, none of which I am privy to, what is your opinion of him?”
    â€œYour Honor, I must protest this line of argument. The witness just stated that he’s never met the defendant.”
    â€œClarification of motive, Your Honor,” Billy said.
    â€œAnswer the question.”
    Musa looked at Sacks. “I’ve heard that he’s a distasteful man.”
    â€œSo you have no motivation to try to protect him?”
    â€œAs I said, he is a distasteful man.”
    â€œJust answer the question,” Billy pushed. “Do you have any reason to protect the defendant, Anthony Sacks?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œGood.” He strolled in front of the jury, watching their eyes. Truth was always in the eyes. Not windows to the souls. Windows to a person’s thoughts. At the moment, most of them were a bit lost. That would change now.
    â€œAnd do you believe that Anthony Sacks murdered Mohammed Ilah as the state has accused?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œNo? You’re a religious man who finds the accused distasteful, and you’re presumably outraged by the murder of your friend, the imam. Yet you wouldn’t want the murder pinned on this monstrous—my defendant? Why?”
    â€œBecause he didn’t kill the imam.”
    The courtroom stilled.
    â€œYou’re sure about this?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œCan you tell the court why you are so sure?”
    â€œBecause I know who did kill Imam Mohammed Ilah.”
    The room erupted in protests and gasps, all quickly brought to an end by the judge’s gavel.
    â€œOrder! Counselor, I hope you know how thin the ice beneath your feet is. I will not hear tertiary allegations—”
    â€œHe has material knowledge, Your Honor,” Billy said.
    â€œThe first hint that this is a red herring and I’ll have you thrown from my courtroom.”
    â€œI understand.”
    â€œContinue.”
    Billy pulled his hands from his pockets and walked back to the podium. He looked into the man’s brown eyes. “Will you please tell the court how you came into this knowledge.”
    You’re going to lose your arms.
    The man hadn’t said it, of course. Billy was thinking this himself, because although he had within his grasp the tools to free his client and save his arms, he wasn’t sure he could wield those tools, knowing what he did.
    Knowing that the witness was lying through his teeth, even now.
    â€œ. . . the extremists last Thursday night. Seven of them.”
    â€œAnd what did they say?”
    â€œThat tolerance was the greatest evil in the West. That any Muslim who was afraid to stand up for the truth and convert the West was no Muslim at all, but a pretender who is worthy of death.”
    â€œGo on.”
    That Muness has won this case, not you. Therefore he will expect payment in full from you.
    â€œThat the imam Mohammed Ilah, in his stand for tolerance toward Christianity and others’ disbelief in God, is a stench in God’s nostrils. For this reason they killed him.”
    Billy heard it all like a distant recording, exactly