‘No. I told you. I broke it off with him. I just wanted to get away from him.’
‘Thank you,’ said Marjorie. She turned to the D.A. ‘Your witness.’
The D.A. almost seemed pleased, as if Marjorie had given him a gift. He walked up to the witness box, a look of consternation on his face. ‘Ms Wickes, we seem to have a case here of “He said, she said”. You watched Mr Dupree’s deposition, where he said that Mr Petty was planning to break up with you. Now, when Mr Petty is not here to dispute your version, you make it sound as if it were all your idea.’
‘It was my idea,’ said Lisa coolly. The expression in her gray eyes was impassive.
‘Ms Wickes, as I understand it, you are a single mother who lives with your daughter at your parents’ house. Weren’t you, in fact, hoping to make Mr Petty the stepfather of your child? Weren’t you hoping to be moving out of your parents’ home and in with Mr Petty?’
‘No,’ said Lisa.
‘I submit that you were hoping exactly that. Why else would you bring your child along on dates?’
‘I wanted to spend my free time with her. And Mr Petty lived right by a lake. It was pretty there. He showed her how to fish.’
D.A. Castor pursued it. ‘An unwed mother, still in school, saddled with a mountain of debt. Living at home with her parents. Finding a man willing to take that burden on must have seemed almost impossible.’
‘Well, if you put it that way,’ said Lisa coolly, ‘perhaps I’m not that great a catch, so to speak.’
The spectators tittered, relieved to have a light moment in the testimony.
‘They say that “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”,’ said D.A. Castor. ‘Didn’t you, in fact, feel completely betrayed by Mr Petty when he broke off your relationship? Didn’t you pick up something heavy – the brass desk lamp perhaps – and whack him over the head with it? Didn’t you turn on the gas and leave with his paycheck? All to get back at him for dumping you?’
‘No, I did not,’ said Lisa. ‘I wanted to get away from him. He was dangerous.’
‘I see. Now that he can’t speak for himself, you are claiming that Troy Petty struck you? Did you ever call the police, seek treatment for your injuries?’
‘I didn’t have injuries. He didn’t strike me. But he was dangerous. He had certain … proclivities that I didn’t know about … that were disgusting.’
‘Sexual proclivities?’
‘That’s right,’ said Lisa.
The D.A. rolled his eyes. ‘Come, come, Ms Wickes. You’re a medical student. I’m assuming you’re not naive. Surely you could have simply said no.’
Lisa lowered her head and took a deep breath. ‘He didn’t ask me.’
D.A. Castor raised his eyebrows. On the one hand, the D.A. was clearly excited that Lisa seemed to have revealed a motive, beyond greed, for her alleged actions. On the other hand, he wasn’t exactly sure what was developing here. He hesitated, clearly considering the possibility of no more questions. And then he changed his mind and decided to go for it. ‘He didn’t ask you? Are you saying he forced himself on you? Is that why you decided to kill the man?’
Lisa looked him in the eye but her voice was calm. ‘I didn’t kill him. But if I had, no one would have blamed me. I caught him behaving indecently with my two-year-old daughter.’
FOURTEEN
‘You lying bitch!’ Nadine Melton cried out from her seat in the courtroom.
Lisa looked at her blankly as the courtroom erupted around them. Hannah felt woozy. She looked at Adam, who was equally stunned. They could not believe what they had heard. Suddenly it all made sense. Now Hannah understood why Lisa had not seemed very upset when she learned of Troy’s death. Cashing his paycheck almost seemed frivolous, compared to this hideous allegation. She herself felt a sudden, murderous fury at Troy Petty.
‘Order in the court,’ the judge shouted, slamming down his gavel.
Nadine would not be silenced. ‘You horrible monster! How dare you say such a thing about my brother? He was a saint. He would never, never …’
‘Bailiff,’ the judge instructed angrily, ‘have that woman removed.’
The bailiff lumbered over to Nadine and virtually lifted her, flailing her arms and protesting, from her seat. He had to half-push, half-drag her from the courtroom.
‘Wow,’ said Jackie, still gripping Hannah’s hand. ‘She never told you or Adam about that?’
‘Adam would have killed that young man with his bare hands,’ Hannah said. Suddenly, a terrible thought crossed her mind. She turned to Adam. ‘She never … You didn’t know?’
‘Are you kidding?’ he said. ‘I would have broken his neck.’
His unfeigned fury was all the reassurance she needed.
The D.A. hurriedly tried to turn this unsavory image of the victim to his advantage by going on the attack.
When the courtroom simmered down, the D.A. took a deep breath and approached the witness stand again. Lisa regarded him coolly.
‘Ms Wickes, are you claiming that Mr Petty raped your daughter?’
‘No. I’m saying that he was undressed, and behaving in an indecent manner around her. I think he was preparing to actually assault her.’
‘So your story,’ he said scornfully, ‘is that nothing actually happened. Because if he’d actually assaulted your daughter, there would be forensic evidence of that assault. Conveniently, there is no evidence to be found, is there? Because it never happened.’
‘No, it didn’t happen,’ said Lisa. ‘I made sure of that.’
‘By killing him?’ asked Castor.
‘No, by getting myself and my daughter away from him,’ said Lisa calmly.
‘Aren’t you, in fact, attacking the character of the deceased in an effort to excuse your own actions? You can say anything you want about Mr Petty, now that he cannot defend himself. Didn’t you just fabricate this alleged indecent behavior to try to draw attention away from your own crimes?’
‘No,’ said Lisa calmly. ‘That’s what he intended. He intended to harm my daughter. Naturally, I was not going to see him ever again. I just wanted to get my money back first.’
The D.A. walked slowly to the prosecution’s table, his eyes narrowed, as if he were lost in thought.
‘Mr Castor?’ asked the judge.
The D.A. turned back to stare at Lisa. ‘If this outlandish charge of yours is true, wouldn’t that, in fact, give you even more reason to want to kill him? I mean, what parent wouldn’t be outraged? Was that what made you so angry that you knocked him out and then turned on the gas, causing the explosion which resulted in his death? After, that is, you made sure to take his paycheck and forged his signature.’
Lisa sat up straight in the box, silent and aggrieved. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I didn’t kill him. It’s not up to me to rid the world of sexual perverts. I just had to protect my daughter from this one pedophile.’
The D.A. was red in the face. ‘Tell the truth, Ms Wickes. Isn’t this just a desperate effort on your part to smear an innocent man who cannot defend himself?’
‘It’s the truth, whether you like it or not.’
Castor looked disgusted. ‘I have no further questions of this witness,’ he said in a sarcastic tone.
As soon as Lisa was excused, Marjorie called a man named Carl Halloran to the stand.
Carl Halloran, fit-looking, middle-aged and wearing a polo shirt, took the oath and sat down.
‘Mr Halloran,’ said Marjorie, ‘could you tell us what you do for a living, please?’
‘Yes, ma’am. I own the Sunflower Acres sleepaway camp out on Rider Lake.’
‘Tell us a little bit about your camp.’
‘Well, it’s a charitable organization. Fully funded by contributions. I founded it when my wife and I lost our … our son, Gregory, when he was seven years old.’ The courtroom fell silent as the witness, who looked stricken for a moment, composed himself and continued. ‘It’s a place where kids who are sick, with very serious illnesses, ca
n come to have a few weeks of recreation with other kids who are just like them. We have lots of equipment adapted for children with handicaps. We have nurses on our staff, and doctors always available.
‘Did Troy Petty ever work at your camp?’
‘Yes, ma’am. He did. About ten years ago.’
‘Was he a good employee?’ Marjorie asked.
‘I thought so. At first. He seemed to be very caring when it came to the children. He told me that being at the camp inspired him to become a nurse.’
‘But you fired him, correct?’
Halloran nodded, and then said, ‘Correct.’
‘So why was he dismissed from your employ?’
Carl Halloran frowned. ‘There were allegations made against him. By a camper. A seven year old girl.’
‘What sort of allegations?’ Marjorie asked.
‘She claimed that Mr Petty had sexually molested her.’
‘Objection!’ D.A. Castor exploded. ‘This is an irrelevant, blatant attempt to smear the character of the victim. Mr Petty was never in his life charged with a sexual assault.’
‘Your honor,’ said Marjorie calmly, ‘the District Attorney has suggested that my client perjured herself with regards to Mr Petty’s intentions. Mr Halloran is here to supply relevant evidence which will reinforce my client’s account of Mr Petty’s character.’
‘Mr Petty is the victim, your honor,’ the D.A. insisted. ‘He is not on trial here.’
‘Nonetheless,’ Marjorie insisted, ‘the jury’s decision about my client’s fate rests, in part, on whether or not they see her as a truthful witness. Mr Halloran’s testimony supports her account.’
The D.A. shook his head emphatically. ‘There were never any charges of sexual molestation brought against Troy Petty. Ms Fox’s goal is simply to cast aspersions on the character of the victim. She hasn’t even been able to produce the so-called victim in question,’ the D.A. asserted.
‘Your honor, we cannot produce the camper who made this complaint because she died not long after the alleged incident,’ said Marjorie solemnly.
There was a murmur of horror and dismay in the courtroom.
‘Attorneys, approach the bench,’ the judge commanded.
Marjorie Fox and the D.A. stood before the judge, and a heated discussion ensued among them in urgent, quiet voices.
Hannah shook her head in disbelief. ‘Oh my God. Troy was a monster. Think what might have happened to Sydney,’ she whispered.
‘The D.A. would love to ask more about it but now he doesn’t dare,’ said Jackie. ‘The answer might only make it worse. See that guy at the prosecution’s table frantically working the iPad? The D.A.’s got his assistant trying to google the information right now. The D.A. walked right into this trap. He really has only himself to blame. All he can hope for now is damage control. He needs to have the witness dismissed.’
‘How do you know that?’ Hannah asked. ‘You sound like a lawyer.’
‘I testify a lot in custody hearings. This is not my first time in court. One of the accepted rules among attorneys is that you try never to ask a witness a question unless you already know the answer they are going to give. This D.A. clearly didn’t investigate the testimony that this camp owner was going to give. Really. This is bad for the D.A. Good for Lisa, though.’
‘Step back,’ said the judge. The two attorneys did as they were bidden. The judge turned to the jury. ‘Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the testimony of this witness will be stricken from the record. You will disregard his testimony …’
‘Your honor,’ Marjorie protested.
The judge glared at Castor. Then he turned to Carl Halloran. ‘Mr Halloran, you are excused.’
Hannah turned to Jackie. ‘What just happened?’
Jackie spoke in a whisper. ‘The D.A. won the battle and lost the war.’
‘Meaning?’
‘The judge ruled that the witness can’t testify. The jury is forbidden to consider his testimony in their deliberations. But do you think anyone in this courtroom will be able to shake that image of a mortally ill child being molested by our so-called victim?’
‘I know I couldn’t,’ said Hannah.
‘Neither can anybody else.’
Carl Halloran stepped down and left the courtroom.
Hannah looked at Adam. ‘To think I was actually glad that Lisa had such a nice boyfriend.’
Adam shook his head, disgust in his eyes. ‘Bastard.’
With the dismissal of the camp owner, the day in court ended. Hannah could see exactly what had happened. This had turned the tide. Troy Petty may not have faced charges but in this courtroom he looked guilty. The judge announced that they would reconvene the next morning. After he left the bench, the murmurs in the courtroom rose around them. Hannah turned to Jackie.
‘What do you think?’
‘Quite a turn of events,’ said Jackie.
‘You picked a good day to come,’ said Adam grimly.
‘So it seems.’
‘Come with me,’ said Hannah. ‘I’ll introduce you.’
Lisa and Marjorie had their heads together at the defense table. They looked up as Hannah touched Lisa on the shoulder.
‘You did a wonderful job today,’ said Hannah sincerely. ‘Lisa, this is my friend, Jackie, from work. I’ve told you about her.’
Lisa’s smile was satisfied. ‘Did you enjoy the show?’ she asked.
Hannah frowned at her daughter’s choice of words. ‘It was terrible,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t believe it.’
‘She was perfect on the stand, wasn’t she?’ Marjorie said, beaming at her client.
‘Lisa, you did very well. But why didn’t you tell us what Troy was like?’ Hannah asked.
‘Mother, I didn’t know what he was like until I caught him with Sydney. Well, it doesn’t matter now. This has changed everything. Wouldn’t you say?’ She looked at her attorney for confirmation.
‘We’re not out of the woods yet.’
Adam came up and rubbed Lisa’s shoulder. ‘You should have told me what he was up to.’ He shook his head. ‘When I think about it, I just want to …’
‘That’s why I didn’t tell you,’ Lisa said drily. ‘I was worried what you might do to him. Not that he didn’t deserve it.’
‘Don’t say that. Even as a joke,’ said Hannah.
The guards from the county jail came over to the defense table. It was time for Lisa to go. She gave her parents a smile and a thumbs-up as she was led away. Hannah blew her a kiss. Then Hannah, Jackie and Adam headed for the exit.
‘I can’t wait till this nightmare is over and we can take her home,’ said Hannah.
‘I don’t think it will be long now,’ said Adam.
As they walked through the busy foyer, they were accosted by Troy Petty’s sister.
‘Your daughter is a liar,’ Nadine Melton said. There were tears standing in her eyes. ‘She’s trying to destroy my brother’s good name to save herself.’
Adam’s normally calm temperament suddenly flared. ‘Listen, lady, your brother was a pervert. You heard that witness in court today.’
‘It’s not true,’ said Nadine, tears streaking down her face.
‘Did you know about that incident at the camp?’ Adam demanded.
‘I knew about the kid’s accusation but it turned out to be false. She made it up so that she could go home from that camp …’
‘Tell yourself that,’ Adam said bitterly.
Hannah took his arm. ‘Honey, don’t. Don’t get into this. We need to leave our fight in the courtroom. Please, Mrs Melton. We have no quarrel with you. I’m sure you didn’t know about Troy. I always liked your brother. I would never have guessed this either.’
‘Because it isn’t true. He was kind and good. He would never hurt a child.’
‘Excuse me,’ Adam cried. ‘But you say you did know about the camp incident?’
‘Troy was never charged. And never arrested!’ Nadine exclaimed. ‘Never.’
/> ‘The fact that there were no charges doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. It just means that they couldn’t prove it.’
‘Adam, come on,’ Hannah pleaded. ‘Let’s not make this any worse.’
‘How could it be any worse?’ Nadine cried. ‘Troy is dead and now your lying, scheming daughter has destroyed his reputation forever. She’d say anything to save herself. Every word out of her mouth is a lie.’
‘You know, I have put up with about enough …’ said Adam.
A reporter who was standing with a knot of other journalists spotted them arguing and began to move in their direction, followed by his colleagues.
‘We need to leave,’ said Hannah. ‘Come on.’ She reached for Adam’s arm but he resisted, wanting to pursue the argument with Nadine. Jackie, who had hung back to this point, listening, now helped Hannah to corral her husband and lead him through the busy foyer and to the sidewalk. ‘Don’t rise to it,’ Hannah insisted. ‘She just can’t deal with the truth.’
The afternoon was steamy, and sweat trickled down them as they rushed down the steps and moved rapidly out of reach of the reporters. At their cars, Hannah turned to the psychologist. ‘Thank you for coming today,’ she said. ‘It really helped to have you there.’
‘I was glad to be there.’
Adam thanked her too and got into the driver’s seat of their car. Hannah went to open the passenger door. Jackie was still standing by her own car, turning her keys over thoughtfully.
‘What is it?’ Hannah asked.
‘I’m just wondering something,’ said Jackie.
Hannah looked at her curiously.
‘You just have to wonder. Maybe Sydney said something.’
Hannah frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well,’ said Jackie, ‘if Troy was a pedophile, he may have already assaulted Sydney – maybe more than once – before Lisa found out about his … tastes. Although I can’t imagine that he spent much time alone with Sydney.’
Hannah’s face flamed, as she instantly remembered Tiffany saying that Troy would occasionally pick up Sydney at Lisa’s behest. That he took Sydney fishing while Lisa studied. ‘Oh my God,’ she said.
Jackie frowned at her. ‘Did he?’
Hannah slumped against the side of the car. The hot metal of the fender seemed to burn through her silky skirt, and her sweat began to streak down her face. ‘How do we find out?’ she asked.
I See You Page 11
