| Plexiglas, you’ll have to stay on the other. You talk by phone. It’s ridiculous, but then this is Texas.” “No hugs, no kisses?” Andrea said. “No. They have their rules.” Roberta began crying, quiet sniffles with big tears. “I can’t hug my baby,” she said. One of her brothers handed her a tissue and patted her shoulder. After a minute or so, she pulled herself together and said, “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be sorry, Roberta,” Robbie said. “You’re the mother, and your son is about to be executed for something he didn’t do. You have the right to cry. Me, I’d be bawling and screaming and shooting at people. Still might do it.” Andrea asked, “What about the execution itself? Who’s supposed to be there?” “The witness room is divided by a wall to separate the victim’s family from the inmate’s family. All witnesses stand. There are no seats. They get five slots, you get five slots. The rest are given to the lawyers, prison officials, members of the press, and a few others. I’ll be there. Roberta, I know you plan to be a witness, but Donté is adamant that he doesn’t want you there. Your name is on his list, but he doesn’t want you to watch.” “I’m sorry, Robbie,” she said, wiping her nose. “We’ve had this discussion. I was there when he was born and I’ll be there when he dies. He may not know it, but he’ll need me. I will be a witness.” Robbie wasn’t |
sanitary gloves and masks, and when everyone had put them on, Robbie handed him the camera and told him to start filming. He instructed Aaron to step down and slowly open the lid. He did so. There was no corpse, only bones, the skeletal remains of someone, Nicole they assumed. Her hands and fingers were laced together below her ribs, but her feet were near her knees, as if Boyette had been forced to fold her to fit her in the toolbox. Her skull was intact but a molar was missing. She’d had perfect teeth; they knew that from the photographs. Around the skull there were strands of long blond hair. Between the skull and the shoulder, there was a length of black leather, the belt, they assumed. Next to the skull, in the corner of the box, there appeared to be clothing. Keith closed his eyes and said a prayer. Robbie closed his eyes and cursed the world. Boyette stepped back and sat on the edge of the tractor tire, in the weeds, and began rubbing his head. With Fred filming, Robbie directed Aaron to gently remove the roll of clothing. The articles were intact, though frayed along some of the edges and stained in places. A blouse, blue and yellow with some type of fringe, and a large ugly hole made by either insects or decaying flesh. A short white skirt, badly stained. Brown sandals. Matching bra and panties, dark blue. And two plastic cards, one her driver’s |
