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THE PHONE RANG LATE ONE evening at the Barkley home. Mike answered it on the second ring: “Well it’s about time you called. Jim has been going crazy with worry because you haven’t called. Do you have good news? When are you coming to Blue Ridge? Saturday at your cabin would be wonderful. I’ll tell Mother. Hold on, I’ll get Jim. Jim, it’s Sam... he says the new county judge has gotten Peggy’s execution postponed. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Jim ran to the phone. “Peggy’s execution is postponed? Does that mean we got a new trial?”
Mike could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Right. We can talk in more detail on Saturday. Around noon, we’ll see you then. Thanks, bye.”
Mike stood there with a question on his face. He was too polite to ask. Jim felt he should know so he quietly said: “Sam said the new judge, a Judge Colwell from Blairsville, requested the postponement. But he didn’t request a new trial.”
“Son, it’s good Peggy has Judge Colwell on her side.”
“Why is that? What do you mean?”
“Ever since Judge Foster beat him in an election years ago there has been a feud between them. The reason was that Mr. Bob bought the election. Nothing would make Judge Colwell happier than putting egg on Judge Foster’s face. If Sam and that GBI fellow can find anything, I’m sure Judge Colwell will use it. I can feel things turning in our favor. I can feel it.”
“That’s good, isn’t it”— he asked with hope on his face once again.
“I think so.”
Saturday noon arrived with everyone comfortable on the front porch of the Wright’s cabin. An outsider seeing the gathering would have thought it was a typical family reunion. In a way it was. In most families the common bond is blood. In this family the common bond was Michael Barkley. Even though he had been dead for years the bond was still as strong as blood relation.
After a couple of hours, Jim and Sam found a place they could quietly talk. Jim was quick to ask how he was coming with his investigation.
“We talked to Kurt. He remembered you and the scope. This is the first hard evidence we’ve found.”
“That’s good isn’t it?”
“It’s a start but this by itself would be only enough to prove you were an accomplice to the killings.”
“What about the other rifles?”
“That’s our next step.”
“Good! I’m starting to feel we’re on the right tract now.”
“Me too! I’ll give you a call at the end of the month.”
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