“No, approach them discreetly,” he said. “Talk to them unofficially. Off the record. Remember, Maverick can’t know what you are up to. And another thing; look at their enemies.”
“Enemies?” I asked.
“A family that powerful is bound to have some enemies,” Dad said. “And enemies love to talk. They have wronged far too many people, Gale. You will find them scattered everywhere. Look closely. Look very closely. They are all there. Find those little people who he has abused. Not just girls, but local workers, servants, or anyone he even mistreated. One of them will have the answers you need. Tear down his alibi, and then you can prove he was at the farmhouse.”
“The locals who stated that he was there have been scared off,”
I said. “They won’t testify.”
“Perhaps,” he said. “Perhaps not. You will be surprised what people can do if they think they have hope. Plus, now that the public is on your side. The Mavericks can’t use their normal tactics. There is too much attention on them at the moment.”
“If I do prove he was there, the defense can still state that the farmhouse is not the scene of the crime,” I said.
“Come on, Gale, you are a better lawyer than this,” Dad said, grinning.
“I need to prove it beyond all doubt, Dad. If there is even a slight doubt left, the jury might acquit him,” I said.
“Once again, I ask you to talk to the people under them,” he said. “You would be surprised by what you hear.”
I became silent, lost in thought about all he had just told me.
“It scares me at times,” I said, laughing. “How your mind works.”
“I didn’t get where I am just by swatting flies, you know,” Dad said, grinning. “You need to think out of the box. To be a lawyer, you must see a perspective that no one else does. You have to think of things that the other party won’t.”
“And if I don’t find anything to help me?” I asked.
“Keep doing what you are doing,” he said. “Go to the press. Do personal interviews of each other victims. Interview the parents and release it for the world. Get the public on your side, so it puts pressure on the judiciary system. Remember, the Mavericks can buy the judge, but they can’t buy the jury. Even with just enough evidence, if you have the jury on your side, you can win this.”
I nodded, a plan forming in my head. The trial started in a few days, so I had to do the best I could as soon as I could.
