The Guardians

Post goes to meet a man named Gerald Cook, a prospective client. A 43-year-old white male, Cook was set up by his ex-wife and stepdaughters, who accused him of sexually molesting them. It was all a scam to put Gerald away, so the ex could get her hands on his lottery winnings in their divorce. Although Post believes Gerald’s story, he refuses to take him on as a client because of Gerald’s vindictive nature: Gerald is angry and bitter, and Post is worried he may try to harm his ex-wife if he’s exonerated and freed. Post follows up his visit to Gerald with a visit with Shasta Briley, one of their few woman clients: “Very few women are criminals. Their mistakes are picking bad boyfriends” (99). Shasta is convicted of burning her apartment down with her children in it to cash in on their life insurance. She is sweet and enjoys talking to Post. Post reveals she’s on death row, and he says that “[o]f our six current clients, Shasta Briley has the worst chance of survival” (102).

Post meets Bruno McKnatt, who was Seabrook’s police chief at the time of the Russo murder. Bruno tells him Sheriff Pfitzner was the first person at the scene of the crime, and “[h]e didn’t want anybody else working the case” (105). Bruno didn’t have a good relationship with Pfitzner, which he blames on “small-town politics.” Pfitzner even got Bruno fired from his job (106). Post asks Bruno about Kenny Taft, the Black deputy who was killed a few months after the Russo murder. The official story is that Kenny was killed in a fight with “drug thugs,” a narrative Bruno doesn’t question because “[d]rug thugs don’t care if you’re Black or white, especially in a gun battle” (108).

There is an unexpected break in Quincy’s case when Carrie Pruitt/Holland contacts Guardian Ministries and tells them she wants to talk. She and her partner Buck meet Post at a diner. Before they sit down, Frankie places a salt and pepper shaker with a recording device in it on the table where they’ll be seated. Post reveals that if Carrie refuses to cooperate, he will find a way to get her recorded statements on the court record, noting “I’ve done it before” (119).

Carrie reveals that she was dating a sheriff’s deputy, Lonnie, at the time of Keith’s murder. When Carrie got caught with drugs, Lonnie helped her out. After Russo’s murder, Lonnie and Pfitzner encouraged her to give a false testimony saying she saw a Black man running away from Russo’s office. In exchange, they would get her drug charges dismissed. Carrie agreed. Post explains to Carrie that if she signs an affidavit recanting her original testimony and telling the truth, this can be used to reopen Quincy’s case. Carrie remains hesitant to participate: “I’m worried about my boys […] They don’t know. I’d be ashamed if they found out their mother lied in court and sent a man to prison” (115).

Chapter 15 returns the narrative to the subplot of Duke Russel. Frankie has hired a private investigator to follow Mark Carter to a bar—the man who Post believes really raped and killed Emily Broone—and get some of Carter’s DNA from a used beer bottle. There were seven pubic hairs found at the crime scene, none of which were DNA tested. Chad Falwright seems uninterested in testing the hairs. Frankie arranges for DNA testing, comparing the DNA from the beer bottle to one of the pubic hairs—which Post stole from the evidence file. It’s a match. Post goes to Falwright’s office to tell him the news. Falwright refuses to give in and instead says he plans to indict Post for stealing evidence. Post doesn’t care and rushes to visit Duke and tell him the good news.

Frankie and Post go to see Tyler Townsend, Quincy’s former defense lawyer. Tyler left Seabrook shortly after Quincy’s case and started a new life in Deerfield. He refuses to cooperate now: “I’m not getting involved in this. Years ago I tried to prove his innocence and I failed. That was another life. Now I have three kids, a beautiful wife, money, no worries. I’m not going back there. Sorry” (130). He further warns Post that he’s “walking into a bad situation” (130).

Meanwhile, Chad Falwright is fighting Post’s wish to have the pubic hairs from Emily Broone’s rape and murder tested. He is further threatening to have Post indicted for tampering with evidence. Post could face up to a year in jail if convicted. He sees the ludicrousness of the situation as he surmises he would be “[l]ocked up over one lousy pubic hair” (131). With the new evidence (the DNA results), the Guardian Ministries team prepares a petition for post-conviction relief, an essential step in getting Duke Russell exonerated and freed.

Post goes to visit Glenn Colacurci, a 91-year-old Seabrook lawyer, who was active when Keith was murdered. Post wants to learn more about what was happening in the town—and what Keith Russo was up to—when he was murdered. He asks Colacurci about Sheriff Bradley Pfitzner, informing him that Pfitzner retired to the Florida Keys where he lives in a condo valued at $1.6 million and implying Pfitzner was involved in some sort of corruption in Seabrook at the time by stating that it’s “[n]ot a bad retirement for a public servant who never earned more than $60,000 a year (139). Glenn doesn’t provide Post with any major new information of note.

Post meets with the current sheriff of Seabrook, Wink Castle, who took over after Bradley Pfitzner retired. Post wants Wink to reopen the case of Keith’s murder—it will help with Quincy’s case if the local authorities show they aren’t convinced of Quincy’s guilt. However, Wink is reluctant to reopen a case that was closed over 20 years ago. Wink tells Post he’ll think about it. While in Seabrook, Post gets the official report of the fire that destroyed much of the evidence in Quincy’s case, most notably the flashlight that was found (planted) in Quincy’s trunk. The cause of the fire is officially listed as “unknown,” but Post strongly suspects it was arson (148).

After continual follow-ups by Post, Carrie Holland/Pruitt agrees to sign the affidavit stating she lied in Quincy’s original case. Afterward, Post goes to visit his mother in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Post tells his mother all about the case he’s working on. He concludes by telling her, “These six cases are my life and career. I live with them every day and I often tire of thinking and talking about them” (151).

Post meets with Zeke Huffey. Post is still trying to get Zeke to sign an affidavit admitting he lied in Quincy’s trial. Zeke is difficult to convince and only agrees after Post promises Zeke he has connections who can help knock some time off Zeke’s sentence—if he’ll sign the affidavit. Meanwhile, June Walker remains uncooperative. Since she won’t cooperate, Frankie goes to visit James Rhoad, the man June married after Quincy. Frankie discovers that June confided in Rhoad that she lied to help put Quincy away, and her lies were encouraged by Pfitzner and the prosecutor in the case, Forrest Burkhead. Upon Frankie’s urging, Rhoad agrees to sign an affidavit testifying to this story.