Chapter 5 Summary

Lester Hailey has driven from Chicago to Clanton by himself. He is the only Hailey who has ever married "mixed," and the family might not too warmly welcome his wife. He arrives at the hospital late Wednesday night and seeks out Carl Lee. The two of them find a deserted waiting room and plot their revenge, drawing diagrams of the courthouse on napkins. On Thursday, Tonya is released from intensive care. She has two broken jaws, and her wounds hurt. She is on regular pain medication. The Memphis TV station reports the story of her attack, and she sees the blurry image of the two white men on the screen.

On Friday, when the courthouse closes at 4:30, Carl Lee is hiding in a restroom. When the building is deserted, he prowls around. He imagines himself a prisoner brought in for trial, counting the...