Detective by Arthur Hailey Page A

any
court proceeding, have I ordered a
defendant restrained as you are now,
and I regret this action greatly. But
your disorderly behavior and abusive
language leave me no choice. However,
if your counsel comes to me tomorrow,
before this trial resumes, with your
solemn promise of good behavior for
however long these proceedings take,
I will consider having the restraints
removed. But I caution that if your
promise is broken, there will be no
second chance; the restraints will be
reinstated for the remainder of this
trial."
    The next day, Steltzer did make the
promise on behalf of his client, and
Doil's gag was removed, though the
handcuffs remained. Before the day's
proceedings were an hour old, Doil
leaped up in his chair and screamed
at the judge, "Go fuck your mother,
you asshole!" after which the gag was
reinstated and remained in place for
the duration of the trial.
    54 Arthur Halley
    On both occasions when the
restraints were ordered, the judge
cautioned the jury, "The
restrictions I have placed upon the
defendant must have no effect on
your verdict. You are concerned here
solely with the evidence presented."
    Ainslie remembered thinking how
impossible it was for the jurors to
ignore the image of Doil's courtroom
histrionics. But whether that
influenced a decision or not, at the
conclusion of a six-day trial, and
after five hours of deliberation,
the jury returned with a unanimous
verdict: "Guilty of murder in the
first degree."
    A sentence of death inevitably
followed. Subsequently, while still
insisting on his innocence, Doil
refused to cooperate in any appeal
process and stubbornly denied others
the right to appeal on his behalf.
Even so, substantial paperwork was
needed before the legal machinery
ground out an execution date. The
law's tedious process between sen-
tencing and execution took a year
and seven months.
    But now, inexorably, the day had
come, and with it the tantalizing
question: What did Doll want to say
to Ainslie in the closing moments of
his life?
    If they made it in time. . .
    Jorge was still speeding north on
Highway 441 in the mist and rain.
    Ainslie checked the time: 5:48.
    He reached for his notepad and the
cellular phone, then tapped out the
number. There was a curt answer on
the first ring.
    "State Prison."
    "Lieutenant Hambrick, please."
    "This is Hambrick. Is this Sergeant
Ainslie?"
    "Yes, sir. I'm about twenty minutes
away."
    DETECTIVE 55
    "Well, you've cut it fine, but
we'll do our best when you get here.
You understand, though nothing can
be delayed?"
    "I understand that."
    "Do you have your escort yet?"
    "No . . . Wait! I see a traffic
light ahead."
    Jorge nodded vigorously as two
green lights came into view.
    "Turn right at the light," Hambrick
instructed. "Your escort is around
the corner. We're alerting Trooper
Sequiera now. He'll be rolling when
you get there."
    "Thanks, Lieutenant."
    "Okay, listen carefully. Follow
Sequiera closely. You're already
cleared through our outer gate, the
main gate, and two checkpoints after
that. The tower will spotlight you,
but keep moving. Stop at the front
entrance to Administration. I'll be
waiting. Got all that?"
    "Got it.''
    "I presume you're armed, Sergeant."
    "Yes, I am."
    "We'll immediately enter the
control room, where you'll hand over
all weapons, ammunition, and police
ID. Be ready. Who's driving you?"
    "Detective Jorge Rodriguez.
Plainclothes."
    "We'll give him separate
instructions when you get here.
Listen, Sergeant. You've got to move
fast, okay?"
    "I'll be ready, Lieutenant. Thank
you."
    Ainslie turned to Jorge and asked,
"Could you hear all that?"
    ''Got it all, Sergeant."
    The traffic light ahead turned red,
but Jorge ignored it. Barely
slowing, he entered the four-way
intersection and swung right.
Directly ahead, a Highway Patrol
black-andyellow Mercury Marquis,
bristling with roof antennae and
    56 Arthur Halley
    flashing emergency lights, was
already moving. The Miami
blue-and-white fell in behind, and
within seconds the two were a