He looked down and nodded at his court reporter and cleared his throat, thoroughly relishing the moment. Then the wrinkles softened around his eyes, the jaw muscles loosened, the shoulders sagged a bit, and, to Wes anyway, there was suddenly hope that the jury had scorched the defendant.

In a slow, loud voice, Judge Harrison read: "Question number one: “Do you find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the groundwater at issue was contaminated by Krane Chemical Corporation?”After a treacherous pause that lasted no more than five seconds, he continued, "The answer is “Yes.”

One side of the courtroom managed to breathe while the other side began to turn blue.

"Question number two: “Do you find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the contamination was the proximate cause of the death or deaths of (a) Chad Baker and/or (b) Pete Baker?”Answer: “Yes, for both.”

Mary Grace managed to pluck tissues from a box and hand them over with her left hand while writing furiously with her right. Wes managed to steal a glance at juror number four, who happened to be glancing at him with a humorous grin that seemed to say, "Now for the good part."

"Question number three: “For Chad Baker, what amount of money do you award to his mother, Jeannette Baker, as damages for his wrongful death?”Answer: “Five hundred thousand dollars.”

Dead children aren't worth much, because they earn nothing, but Chad 's impressive award rang like an alarm because it gave a quick preview of what was to come. Wes stared at the clock above the judge and thanked God that bankruptcy had been averted.

"Question number four: “For Pete Baker, what amount of money do you award to his widow, Jeannette Baker, as damages for his wrongful death?”Answer: “Two and a half million dollars.”