Chapter 7, Testimony Summary and Analysis

The preliminary hearing in the case against Ward and Fontenot began on January 7, 1985. Present throughout the hearing was a cowboy with his name on the back of his belt. At one point, this stranger spoke to Miz Ward and assured her that Tommy had nothing to do with Denice Haraway's disappearance. At another point, Karen Wise became frightened at the sight of the man, sure that he was the second person she had seen at J.P.'s that April night with Tommy Ward. Karen even called the police at one point during the preliminary hearing because she believed she saw the cowboy outside her apartment, staring up at her windows.

The district attorney began the preliminary hearing by presenting witnesses who had seen Tommy Ward ride in a grey pickup like the one seen at McAnally's the night...