Gary wished he could have spared Jesse the pain of testifying, but he knew he couldn't. Hearing her tell of the life they lived sickened him. He wondered if the people in this room would believe either of them. He knew his life depended on what he said. They would never know Gary Tyler, as he didn't really know himself.
David wheeled Jesse's chair back to where Gary sat and she reached out her hand to him. "I'm sorry, Jes," he whispered.
"Don't be," she replied, softly. "I told the truth, not just for you, but for me."
Before Gary could answer, he felt David's hand on his shoulder. Turning, he looked into the eyes of perhaps the only man in the room who believed in him.
"I call Gary Tyler to the stand," David said.
Gary got to his feet, slowly, casting one last glance at Jesse. Ahead of him, he saw Russ, holding a Bible out to him.
"Raise your right hand and put your left hand on the Bible," Russ said.
"No," Gary replied, firmly. "I can't swear on your Bible. I don't believe in your God."
An audible gasp came from those assembled. It surprised Gary to see the girl he noticed earlier put her hand to her mouth as though shocked by his words. Her soft gray eyes turned as cold as a silent gun barrel. Abruptly, she got up from her chair and left the room.
"Explain yourself, young man," the judge said, forcing Gary's attention from the young woman with the cold gray eyes. "What do you mean you won't swear on the Bible?"
"Like I said, I don't believe in your God. I learned a long time ago, there ain't no God for the Tylers. If I swear on your Bible, it would be meaningless. I'll swear on my sister's life, on my mother's grave, but not on your Bible."
The judge sat quietly for a moment. "I have difficulty understanding the likes of you, Mr. Tyler. I cannot comprehend why you so despise God, but I will make an exception to the usual rules of this court. Do you swear, on your sister's life, to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
"I do," Gary answered, solemnly. He took a seat in the witness chair and looked at Jesse. Her reassuring smile came as little comfort. He certainly didn't know what he was doing here. He allowed his eyes to wander to where the girl sat. Her empty seat bothered him, but he dismissed his thoughts. He could claim no right to be bothered by her absence. After all, she, like everyone else in the room, came to see a Tyler hang.
"Please state your name and age," David said, coming to stand in front of him, to block his view of the spectators.
"My name is Gary Tyler and I'm twenty years old."
"How long have you ridden with your father?"
"Caleb took me with him just after I turned thirteen."
"Seven years?" David questioned. He acted surprised, yet he shouldn't have been. He and Hattie took Jesse in just months after Caleb came to get Gary. "Why did you stay?"
"Where else could I go?" Gary asked, answering David's question with one of his own. "I was a kid. Dying scared me more than staying."
"What do you mean?"
"Ain't it evident? The law wants to hang me and Caleb would have killed me, himself, if I'd left him."
"But you left him now. Why didn't he kill you for leaving?"
"Because it didn't matter any more," Gary said flatly.
David looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face. Gary hoped he wouldn't be asked to explain. The thought of having to tell these strangers how much Caleb despised him hurt more than any beatings he'd ever taken. No matter what Caleb Tyler was, he had still fathered Gary.
"Have you ever shot anyone, Gary?" David asked, moving on, rather than expecting a more detailed answer.
The question caught him off guard. These people wanted him to be a murderer, David wanted him to convince them of his innocence, but he couldn't lie. He'd sworn, on Jesse's life, to tell the truth.
The events surrounding her leaving crossed his mind. He could hear Jeb bragging on how he shot her. He could feel the gun in his hand. He could hear its explosion ringing in his ears.
)
