The Trial of Dr. Kate (7 page)

“Junior Coleman, get up from there this minute,” yelled Dr. Kate Marlow. “Take your hands off Hank. Do it now!”

She marched in their direction with quick, steady steps, holding her father’s old army issue Colt .38 revolver pointed at Junior’s chest. Hank knew that Dr. Walt had trained her to shoot as a child, and she could hit a bull’s-eye at twenty paces. No one spoke to the Coleman men like that, especially when they’d been drinking, but Katherine Marlow stood her ground. “All of you get back and leave Hank alone. Look at what you’ve done. You’re all as drunk as skunks, and you’ve beat up an old man just because he’s colored. Shame on you.”

Junior used his bloodied hands to lift himself off Hank. Rising to his full height, he looked down on Kate.

“Nigger lover, don’t you be yelling at me. I’ll have me some of you, bitch. You don’t know nothing ‘bout guns, and you sure as hell ain’t gonna shoot me.”

As Junior started toward Dr. Kate, she said, “Junior Coleman, you should be ashamed of yourself. I’ve brought all of your babies into the world, as well as taken care of your wife and even you for years without receiving a lead penny. Pay me back now by leaving us alone. Go back to that campfire and drink yourself silly.”

Junior laughed. “I’ll pay you back with a quick fuck, bitch.”

Kate pointed the gun right at Junior’s face. “Junior, you’re nothing but a coward, and if you take one step closer, I’ll kill you. There’ll be six dead Coleman men lying on the ground when I get through, and there isn’t a jury in Parsons County that would convict me.”

Junior advanced toward her, and she pulled the hammer back on the pistol, the click loud and clear. That sound somehow registered in Junior’s drunken mind because he stopped dead in his tracks.

Motioning toward Hank, Dr. Kate said, “Pick that poor man up and put him in the back of my station wagon. Do it
now
.”

Junior leaned over and picked Hank up like a log for the fire and walked him to the doctor’s old Ford. She opened the back door, and Junior laid Hank on the rubber floor mat.

The door slammed and she turned on the ignition. As they moved toward Round Rock, she asked, “You okay, Hank?”

“Yes, ma’am, I be fine.”

Then she started laughing. “Were you as scared as I was?”

“I reckon.”

* * *

“Sheriff Jeb took me out there the next day to get my car. Pulled me into town with a chain and dropped me at Army Johnson’s garage. I don’t reckon Dr. Kate told him what happened ‘cause he’d have beat up on Junior for sure if she had.”

“That’s quite a story. Know anyone else who’d talk to me?”

“Let me think on it, Miss Shenandoah. I would be a character witness for Dr. Kate and so would Jazz. But nobody would pay any mind to what a colored person said.”

“You’re probably right about that. I have another question for you. Have you heard anyone mention my name?”

“Miss Hattie Mae told me about your car. I’m right sorry about that. You being a Coleman don’t make you real popular around these parts. Lots of folks got it in for your kin. Maybe somebody’s trying to get back at Junior and taking it out on you.”

“That’s a thought. Could be somebody is upset that I’m trying to help Dr. Kate. If you hear any gossip, let me know.”

“Yes, ma’am, I sure will.”

Shenandoah looked at her watch and got up from the table. She had just enough time to freshen up before the evening meal. After saying good-bye to Hank, she washed her hands and threw some cold water on her face.

Leaving the bathroom, she found Hattie Mae and Mr. Applebee in the hallway, staring at her. Hattie Mae had a slack-jawed expression on her face.

“You okay, Hattie Mae?” Shenandoah asked.

Hattie Mae walked slowly toward Shenandoah, Mr. Applebee trailing, and said, “I’m sorry, Shenandoah. I don’t mean no harm. It’s jest …”

Hattie Mae choked up, and tears filled her eyes. It was Shenandoah’s turn to stare. She asked, “What’s wrong, Hattie Mae? I do something wrong?”

“No, child. I’m sorry. You jest remind me of her, that’s all.”

“I don’t understand.”

“My Sally. She’d be about twenty-five now.”

“Your daughter?”

Hattie Mae shifted her eyes to the floor and gave a mournful sigh. “Poor little child come down with the double pneumonia when jest six year old. Didn’t have that penicillin stuff back then, and Dr. Walt couldn’t do nothing for her. Broke my heart, Shenandoah. I ain’t never been the same.”

“I’m sorry, Hattie Mae. I can’t imagine anything worse.”

“Well, come on, honey. I got our supper ready.”

T
he next morning as Shenandoah climbed the steps to the courthouse, she saw Army Johnson coming down toward her. Army walked with the swagger of a man who knew he was in complete charge of his body. His six foot two frame was topped with dark brown hair worn unfashionably long with small ringlets hanging over his collar. His eyes, more penetrating than Shenandoah remembered, gave Army a hard look. He wore Levis and highly polished black cowboy boots.

Extending her hand, she said, “Hi, Army, it’s been a long time.”

Looking at Shenandoah with a puzzled expression, Army asked, “I know you, lady?”

“Shenandoah Coleman. We went to school together.”

Army took Shenandoah’s hand and squeezed hard. He said, “Kate told me you were in town. You’re a reporter?”

“Yes, I’m here to cover the trial. I’m sorry about Lillian. I take it you don’t believe Kate had anything to do with her death.”

Army took a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes from his shirt pocket and tapped one out. Lighting it with a gold Zippo, he inhaled deeply. “I think Kate’s innocent.”

“You have any idea why Kate passed out?”

“You’ll have to ask her about that. I’m running late. Maybe we can talk later.”

“I’ll stop by the garage.”

When Shenandoah opened the door to the vestibule of the jail, she saw Deputy Masterson sitting behind the desk.

“Doc’s waiting for you, Shenandoah. I just left her in there ‘cause I knew you’d be coming.”

Kate looked up as Shenandoah entered the room. “Morning, Shenandoah. I’m glad to see you.”

“Was Army just here?” Shenandoah asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you think that’s wise?”

Looking away, Kate said, “Army is a longtime friend. I won’t ignore my friends just because of vicious rumors.”

Her voice seemed strained, and she fidgeted with a pocket in her dress. Shenandoah put her hand on Kate’s and felt a hard object. Pulling her hand away, Shenandoah saw the top of a small silver flask sticking out of the pocket of Kate’s dress.

“Is that what I think it is?” Shenandoah asked.

Kate’s face flushed. She wouldn’t meet Shenandoah’s eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me you have a drinking problem?” Shenandoah continued. “Is that why you can’t remember anything about the day Lillie died?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“No, Kate, you’ve got to level with me.”

“You’re not my attorney. What gives you the right to judge me?” Kate said, raising her voice two octaves. “I think you should go.”

“I’m not judging you, Kate. I’m only here because you’re a dear friend and I care what happens to you.”

“Leave me alone.” Kate’s eyes flashed, and she swallowed hard.

“So you can take a drink, stave off the DTs? Is that vodka? Is that how you’ve hidden your problem for all these years?”

Kate’s shoulders began to shake, tears flooding her eyes, but she remained silent.

Shenandoah moved her chair closer and put her arm around Kate’s shoulders. Pulling Kate toward her, she said, “Did Army get you hooked on this stuff?”

Kate raised her head and looked Shenandoah in the eye. “I’d like to blame it on my father’s genes, but in truth I’m the one who’s responsible. I saw what it did to him, yet I took the same path.”

“Does Jake know?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you still drinking? Have you tried to quit?”

“Over the years I’ve tried to quit several times. I even joined Alcoholics Anonymous for a while. I drove to Cookeville once a month. But I’d get stressed out over work and start drinking again. I’m what’s known as a functioning alcoholic. The reason I can’t remember anything about the day Lillie died is because I blacked out.”

“I thought you said you
passed
out. What’s the difference?”

“When someone drinks alcohol over a long period of time—when they’re an alcoholic—there can be problems with their memory. Alcohol interferes with the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory. In a blackout the individual may act normal, drive a car, walk around, do all kinds of things, and yet have no recollection of what they did. It’s called an alcohol blackout. Sometimes the person does pass out, falls asleep. That’s what happens to me a lot of the time.

“I’m weaning myself off, though. I have to do it slowly or I would go into the DTs. You may not know it, but the mortality rate when you go into the DTs is twenty-five percent.”

“Does Kingman know what’s going on?” Shenandoah asked.

“No. He wouldn’t care if I died in his rotten jail.”

“Why does he hate you?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ll listen.”

* * *

WPA workers built the Round Rock High School in 1936 when Kate was a sophomore. The water tower, where the city stored water from the deep wells at its base, stood like a sentinel across the street. The town’s name, painted in big black letters on the body of the tower, could be seen from miles away.

In high school, Kate and Army Johnson dated on a steady basis, so most boys were afraid to approach her. There was one exception. Jasper Kingman, a junior that year, was a bitter enemy of Army Johnson, and they fought constantly both on and off the athletic field.

Kate made a habit of studying in the library after school for an hour before returning to her father’s clinic. Jasper Kingman found her there on a Thursday afternoon and pulled out a chair opposite hers.

Grinning like a village idiot and leaning forward on his elbows, he said, “Army ain’t around, Katie girl, so I think I’ll get in your pants.”

She looked up from her work. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

“You’d better get out of here, Jasper.”

“What’re you going to do, call your boyfriend?”

Just then, Mr. Applewhite, the principal, entered the room, and Kate glanced in his direction. Jasper smiled and got up. “There’s plenty of time, girl. I ain’t graduating ‘til next year.”

The next day, as the students were changing classes, Jasper walked up behind Kate, pinched her derriere, and strolled on by. She watched in shock as he sauntered down the hall.

For the next week, Jasper went out of his way to harass Kate. He would shove her into a wall, pinch her, or knock her books to the floor. The final insult occurred at lunchtime on a Friday. Kate and two of her girlfriends were walking down the stairs from their second floor American history class when Jasper sidled up to her, threw his arms around her shoulders, and planted a wet kiss on her lips. Several of his friends stood at the bottom of the stairs and cheered.

Kate’s reaction was swift. She brought her right knee up into Jasper’s crotch with all her might, doubling him over. As he lowered his head, she brought her knee up again, breaking his nose and causing him to tumble backward down the stairs.

She looked down on his prostrate body, blood flowing from his nose, and shouted, “Don’t you ever touch me again, you goddamned bully, or I’ll slit your throat!”

Jasper’s friends bent double with laughter, and one of them tried to help him up. When Jasper stood, he slipped in his own blood and fell. That brought more laughter and a flush to Jasper’s face.

Kate’s friends began to heckle Jasper and taunt him: “Big bully let a girl beat him up. Big bully let a girl beat him up.”

Kate tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder and said loudly, “I guess you thought I’d get Army to fight my battles. I fight my own.”

* * *

Shenandoah laughed. “That explains it all. Wonder why I never heard that story.”

“I doubt Jasper or his friends wanted to spread the word, and I had my revenge already. I never told Army.”

“How have you been able to keep your drinking from Jasper?”

“Jasper is afraid of Army. He’s not about to challenge him. And Masterson is on my side. He helps me hide it from Jasper because I saved his little girl when she came down with a severe case of pneumonia.”

Taking Kate’s hand in hers, Shenandoah said, “I’m sorry if I came off as sanctimonious. I was just shocked to learn you have a drinking problem. Has it affected your work?”

“Most of the time it hasn’t, but I’d be lying if I told you it never did. The blackouts have been very worrisome. Sometimes I can’t account for two or three days. Nurse Little and Jazz Boldt cover for me a lot. Believe me, this thing with Lillian finally convinced me I had to get the situation under control once and for all. I’m going to quit.”

Shenandoah nodded. “Okay. I trust you. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

“Just keep what you know to yourself. Who’d you talk to yesterday?”

“I talked to Baxter, Coach Brown, and Brother Abernathy. And Hank Boldt—Jazz’s father.”

“And?” Kate asked, her eyebrows raised. “Hank vouched for me, didn’t he?”

“He did, although I’m not sure how useful he’d be as a witness, of course. As for Baxter—as you might expect, Baxter has it in for you and for me as well. There’s no question he’s a powerful enemy.”

“We’ve been at each other’s throats for years. What about Coach?”

“He’s in your corner. We talked about the state tournament.”

“My glory days,” Kate said, a smile crossing her lips. “I can just imagine what the preacher said.”

“Thinks you’re a sinner. He’s pretty sure you do abortions, but he has no proof. Do you?”

“Sitting in jail is probably not the place to discuss that topic.”

“Okay. I’m going to swing by Army’s garage today.”

“Go easy on Army. He’s still in shock over Lillian.”

“See you tomorrow,” Shenandoah said as she stood to leave.