Chapters 21-25 Summary
While Adam is interviewing Wyn Lettner over the weekend, Garner Goodman has been busy in Chicago. He has drafted, on behalf of Adam, the petition arguing that the gas chamber is not appropriate. Adam files the petition in court on Monday morning and visits Sam later that day. Adam informs Sam that he isn't the only one with reservations about Sam's stories—Wyn also believes that Sam had an accomplice. The conversation turns personal and becomes heated. Adam has trouble believing that his grandfather committed the crimes he had been convicted of. However, since Sam would not name an accomplice, and takes responsibility for the crime as his own, Adam is left to ponder what that says about his grandfather's moral character. He wonders why Sam could kill so easily, and demands truthful answers to tough questions. He wonders aloud why his father refused the traditional Klan upbringing that had been a part of his family's heritage for at least four generations. The subject of his father, Eddie, arouses curiosity in Sam. He had never witnessed his son as a father and wants to know about Adam's childhood and Eddie's death. They both ask many questions and receive some, but not all, of the answers to their questions. Sam becomes agitated and requests that Adam leave for the day.
When Adam leaves the prison, he searches for space in which to think. He drives to the town of Greenville and parks his car. A park had been created where Marvin Kramer's law office had once stood. Adam walks to and sits beneath the Kramer memorial. He reserves a room at the local motel and ruminates. He didn't expect a response from the petition very quickly and is surprised to find out upon his return that not only had his petition been denied, but it had already been forwarded to the federal court. This is a routine order of events, and Adam would have filed similarly, but he finds it odd and insulting that the court system did so without his assistance.
When he arrives at Judge Slattery's office at the appointed time, he is admitted into a room that is already full of people. He surmises that the real meeting had been conducted in his absence. The governor of Mississippi, David McAllister, is present, as well as Steve Roxburgh, the Attorney General. Following the meeting, Adam speaks with the governor. They speak off the record because Adam's contract with Sam forbids him to speak with McAllister, a man Sam does not trust. McAllister, however, wishes to speak to Adam about the possibility of clemency. It appears that even the governor is not convinced by Sam's version of events.
When Adam enters his office, he is met by Garner Goodman, who bears bad news. It seems that they had underestimated Daniel Rosen. He was not kidding when he suggested that Adam should be terminated for not disclosing his birth name with the firm and accepting the job under false pretenses. Goodman and Wycoff have assured Adam that they could appease Rosen, but that i not the case. Rosen had spent the week scheduling a meeting of the Personnel Committee and calling in favors to sway the vote in his favor. However, Adam prevails, and his job remains secure. Another complication comes in the form of Rollie Wedge. He arrives unannounced in the United Sates and stakes out the Kravitz and Bane offices as well as Lee's place of employment and condominium complex.
Chapters 21-25 Analysis
Despite his grandfather's determination to take responsibility for the deaths of the Kramers, Adam still genuinely wishes to find a scapegoat. He has had the chance to learn more about Sam, and although he vehemently disagrees with his grandfather's crimes and the ideals he believed in, he also disagrees with the death penalty. Adam's family was kept from him for the first sixteen years of his life, and now that he has finally had the opportunity to meet Sam, Adam feels that to lose yet another family member is cruel. He holds on to the idea of an accomplice and presses Sam hard for information. When he finds Sam not forthcoming, he spends the weekend with Wyn Lettner, peppering him with a similar line of questioning. Adam is disappointed to find no solid leads there, either. Adam is further disappointed to learn that Rosen's threat, that had appeared in chapter five, rears its ugly head. He could not be pacified by Wycoff and Goodman. So, in addition to the stress of defending his first death penalty client, reuniting with and then possibly losing his grandfather, Adam is faced with the prospect of losing his job. A further complication is that losing his position at Kravitz and Bane would mean losing the support of such a massive firm, and at that point Adam needs their resources to launch a successful defense for Sam.