Next Veronica called the police officer who’d gotten Sterling Greene’s supposedly frantic phone call and two of the SWAT team members. She tried to use them to convey a sense of dramatic urgency, the horror of the crime scene, but cops weren’t good witnesses for that sort of thing. They were too focused on the appearance of just another day on the job, I can handle whatever comes. If police ever formed an acting troupe, their only production ever would be Waiting for Godot. Performed in the original Deadpan.
‘How did you rescue Mrs Greene, Sergeant Vasquez?’
‘She sort of rescued herself,’ said the witness. Not very tall, he apparently made up for that by living in the gym. His uniform shirt was tight everywhere. ‘Our negotiator had been talking to the suspect for almost an hour, we had men stationed at every angle of the house, and were starting to talk about some going in through the back while we distracted him in front. But of course the safety of the hostage—’
‘Object to narrative,’ Edward said, just to slow down the rush of drama.
‘Yes,’ said Judge Roberts. ‘Ask questions, please, counsel.’
‘Certainly, Your Honor.’ Veronica was cool as summer dessert. ‘What was your primary imperative, Sergeant?’
‘The safety of the hostage,’ he said flatly. ‘We didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize her.’
‘What do you know about the perpetrator generally in that situation?’
The witness shrugged. ‘He only has one card to play. That he’s got a hostage. And this time he only had the one, so he couldn’t start shooting them one at a time. He knew we weren’t going anywhere, so like I said, it had been a standoff for an hour or so.’
‘You said something about the hostage rescuing herself. What did you mean by that?’
The cop stared off into the recent past. ‘Our negotiator was talking, maybe he distracted the suspect, I don’t know, but we heard a little scream. I sort of jerked my head, because I thought he was hurting her and we’d have to make a quick decision, but then the front door burst open and she came running out. In her stockinged feet, still screaming, waving her arms. Thank God none of us fired. Our training—’
‘What did happen to her?’
‘Her husband was there, she ran to him, he grabbed her, and somebody scurried them both out of the line of fire.’
‘And then the suspect was alone in the house?’ Then There Were None.
‘As far as we knew.’ The sergeant shrugged.
‘So did your team open fire?’
He shook his head. ‘We still wanted to take him alive if we could. So we waited. Our negotiator started talking to him again. It wasn’t long before he came out. We took him down without much fuss.’
After a couple of more questions Veronica passed the witness. She wasn’t looking at Edward any more. When she wasn’t questioning a witness she had her head down, making furious notes. There must have been more drama on her legal pad than in the courtroom.
Edward said, ‘How much fire did you take from the suspect, Sergeant?’
‘None.’ The witness had his fingers interlaced now. Some police officers seemed to hate defense lawyers, staring at them while answering cross-examination. Sergeant Vasquez appeared indifferent.
‘Did you find any gun?’
‘No, sir. There were none in the house.’
‘Seems like a pretty poorly-planned kidnapping, doesn’t it, Sergeant?’
‘It may have been spur of the moment, sir, I have no way of knowing. But Mrs Greene is a fairly small woman and she seemed very timid that day. Your client wouldn’t have had to do much to control her. Look at him.’
People kept saying that about Donald. Size-ists.
‘Nonetheless, over the course of hours, don’t people have to go to the bathroom?’
‘Most people. Of course.’ The cop may have been implying he was Super Bladder, but Edward didn’t care.
‘And a kidnapper has to look out the window, make phone calls, get, as you say, distracted. Isn’t that your experience?’
‘Yes. Sure.’
‘Did you examine Mrs Greene after she came out of the house, Sergeant?’
‘No, sir. Not one of my functions.’
‘No more questions, Your Honor.’
Edward turned and watched the witness stroll out of the well of the courtroom and up the aisle. Edward glanced at Sterling Greene, now sitting in the audience looking at him intently. Then Edward looked up higher and saw Linda again. He couldn’t smile at her, not in front of the jury, but hoped she could see the gleam in his eye when he spotted her.
If she did, she completely took it in her stride.
They broke for lunch. Veronica turned toward Edward, leaned toward him, in fact, then thought better of whatever she intended to say and went out quickly, through the door that led to the hallway behind the courtroom.
As she exited Linda appeared to take her place, coming into the well. Edward stood and hugged her. She felt very tight. And she had been more responsive to hugs. When Edward stepped back Linda crossed her arms.
‘What?’
‘What’s up with you and the lady prosecutor?’
‘What are you talking about? It’s enmity. Adversarial relationship.’
‘That’s not what it looked like when you were in each other’s faces in front of the judge when the jury was out.’
Edward started to respond, then just cocked his head to the side. After a moment Linda shook her own head and said, ‘I know. What’s wrong with me? Well, I know what’s wrong. There’s something you and I have to do.’ She shook off the petty jealousy that fast. But her focus had changed. Now she just looked at him.
After a moment Edward said, ‘No.’ Irritably.
Linda just shifted her stance a little. She brought her hands up, palms upward.
Edward shook his head firmly.
‘What?’ Donald said, still seated.
‘Nothing. No,’ Edward repeated to his lover.
She sighed.
‘This is some white people thing, right? You people don’t want to say anything in front of the black guy, right?’
It was such a great opening for Who are you calling ‘You people?’. But Edward didn’t take it. ‘Not the black guy, the client.’ Or any witness, for that matter. He turned back to Linda, raised his eyebrows, giving her the crazy eyes, because that’s what she was proposing.
‘What?’ Donald said again.
Edward turned to him. ‘Linda wants us to do something. I think it’s a poor idea. It’s also illegal, which is why we’re not saying it in front of you. OK, Donald? We’re protecting you from joining us in crime.’ Donald shrugged.
Linda would not let it go. ‘What other choice do we have? How’s your trial strategy going so far, Edward?’
‘It’s fine. I discredited some of Sterling Greene’s testimony. The rest of the witnesses were inconsequential.’
‘Except for proving your client committed the crime he’s charged with.’
‘You think?’ Donald asked. Alarmed.
Linda glanced at him. ‘I’m sorry, Donald. Maybe, maybe not.’ She returned her gaze to Edward. He sighed and rolled his eyes.
‘Donald, will you excuse us, please?’
‘Why? Why don’t you just go on “talking” right in front of me? I can’t understand a word you’re not saying anyway.’
‘Never mind. We can talk about this later. Let’s just go to lunch and get ready for the afternoon.’
Linda also silently agreed to truce. ‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘I have to see someone and I’m in another court this afternoon, filling in for their regular reporter.’
‘OK.’ Edward hugged her again. This one was better, Linda’s hands coming up his back. Then she hurried away.
Edward and Donald went to Treebeard’s, a Creole restaurant a couple of blocks from the Justice Center. It had been there for decades, minimally decorated and furnished with long picnic-type tables where one grabbed seats catch-as-catch-can, sitting close with strangers, and the noise level was high. But the jambalaya made up for all that. And the hubbub meant conversations were private. When you could barely hear the person sitting across the table, eavesdropping by others was extremely unlikely.
‘What about Sterling Greene’s testimony was untrue?’ Edward asked.
Donald’s eyes widened. ‘Easier to say what wasn’t. Yeah, she called him on her cell a couple of times, but all they talked about was why the guy with the jewelry was late.’
‘Did you ever call him on your phone?’
‘I got a call from him to set the whole thing up, telling me where to go pick her up.’
‘Where were you?’
‘I showed you. Just around, you know. I didn’t know it was going to be important to remember that.’
Edward nodded. ‘And you two waited hours in that house for a stolen jewelry guy who wasn’t showing.’
‘More like a couple of hours. You heard what the neighbor said.’
‘Did you have her restrained in any way? Tied to a chair, something like that?’
Donald stared at him. ‘Why would I do that, man? You think I’m into that kind of thing?’
Edward sat thinking for a minute. In his head, the uproar around them went silent.
‘You got an idea?’ Donald asked.
‘I hope to God I’ve got more than one.’ Because Linda was right. This trial was going smoothly without any bumps. That kind of trial only ever ended in one verdict.