False Accusations by Jacobson, Alan (great novels of all time .txt) 📕

Madison looked down at his lap and paused. When he looked up, his eyes were again glassy. “I wish I’d never met Brittany Harding...she nearly destroyed my personal and professional lives. My wife and children left me. My practice is a ghost of what it once was. I lost my privileges at the hospital I helped build. I’ve been attacked in public. My friends stayed away out of fear of association. The embarrassment, the stress—” He stopped, bit his lip. “It’s impossible to describe what I’ve been through. What my family’s been through.” He grabbed a tissue from the dispenser on the shelf in front of the witness chair and ran it across his wet eyes.

“When it all comes down to it, all you have in life is your good name, your reputation, family and friends. She took all of that away from me. I can’t explain what it was like not knowing when it was going to end, what scheme she was going to dream up next. When she was going to stop.”

Denton glanced to his left at Harding, who was staring at Madison. Even from this distance, he could see that her jaw was clenched, her shoulders bunched up toward her ears. Burning anger. Intense hatred. Denton waited a moment, allowing the jury to see her less-than-subtle reaction to Madison’s testimony. Finally, he turned back to his witness. “Thank you. Nothing further.”

“Doctor,” Calvino said, “do you need a short break to collect yourself?”

Madison took a breath and squared his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Your Honor. No, I’ll be fine. I’d rather get this over with.”

Calvino nodded. “Mr. Warwick, you may begin cross.”

“Dr. Madison,” Warwick said as he arose and briskly walked toward the witness, “your wife didn’t really leave you, now did she?”

“Yes, she did. I didn’t know if she was ever going to come back.”

“But she did come back, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did.”

“Sir, who is Catherine Parker?”

Madison swallowed hard. Denton clenched his jaw and leaned over to his assistant, whispering in his ear, inquiring as to who Catherine Parker was and what significance there could be to the case.

“...a friend, you say?” Warwick was asking.

“Yes. We go back a long time, to law school. We haven’t kept in touch.”

“In fact, you were going to marry Miss Parker, isn’t that correct?”

“Yes, eighteen years ago.”

“And what happened?”

“She married someone else.”

“When was the last time that you saw her, Doctor?”

“Objection!” Denton was on his feet, waving his hands in the air. “Your Honor, this is completely irrelevant.”

Calvino looked down at Warwick, cocking his head as if to ask for a response.

“Your Honor, I will make the relevance clear shortly.”

“Remember, counselor, you don’t want to get into a situation where I have to count questions.”

Warwick managed a smile and nodded.

“Overruled.”

“So, Doctor,” Warwick said, “when was the last time that you spoke with Miss Parker?”

“About two or three months ago.”

“And what was the reason for that communication?”

“She called me. She’d read about the case in the paper, and read that my wife had left me.” He raised his eyebrows. “She was hoping that we could get together and renew our relationship.”

“And?”

“And nothing. I told her I wasn’t interested, that I still loved my wife. We had dinner and talked. Caught up on eighteen years of being out of touch.”

“Did you have intercourse with Miss Parker that night?”

Madison sat straight up and his face flushed. “Absolutely not. Not that night or any other night. I haven’t had relations with Miss Parker in eighteen years.”

“Your Honor,” Denton said, “I renew my objection to the relevance of this line of questioning.”

“I believe it goes to the credibility of the witness.”

“What, that he had dinner with an old friend?”

“It was more than that, Your Honor.”

“Does counsel have proof?” Denton shot back.

Calvino looked over at Warwick, his eyes tiny and his brow crumpled. “Well, counselor, do you?”

“We’re following up some leads as we speak, Your Honor.”

“That sounds to me like a ‘no.’ Mr. Warwick, you’ve asked the court for leniency on two occasions and failed to make your case both times. I suggest you stop reaching and stick to the facts. I won’t tolerate any more waste of the court’s time.”

Warwick walked over to the defense table and picked up a folder. “Dr. Madison,” he said, turning to face the witness, “a while ago you outlined all of the hardships you’ve had to endure because of your relationship with my client. My heart goes out to you, sir.”

“Objection.”

“Sustained. Mr. Warwick—”

“I’ll get to a question, Your Honor.” He got a nod from Calvino and a wave of a hand to make it quick.

“Do you still have your family?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still have your big, expensive house?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still have your license to practice medicine?”

“Yes.”

“Were your hospital privileges reinstated?”

“No.”

“Do you expect them to be?”

“I’ve gotten no assurances, but I hope so.”

Warwick began to approach Madison. “And you still have your health. Otis Silvers and Imogene Pringle, the two people who were run over, had nothing. With the exception of a young child, Ms. Pringle had no family. In fact, aside from a few meager possessions, the only thing they had was their lives, and even that was taken away from them.”

“Sir, you have no idea how awful I feel that these people were killed—not to mention the fact that my car was used to commit this heinous crime. I’ve devoted my life to saving people from pain and suffering, to improving their condition. But I can’t be responsible for your client’s illness. She’s a sick individual who in my professional opinion requires treatment.”

“Your Honor, move to strike!”

“So stricken,” Calvino said, his voice booming through the speakers in a fit of sudden anger. “Dr. Madison, do not offer medical opinions as to the state of Miss Harding. That is not your purpose here today, and if you do so again, I’m going to have to hold you in contempt of court.”

“I’m sorry, Your Honor.”

“Jury will disregard that last comment by the witness.

“Continue, Mr. Warwick.”

Warwick paced back over toward the defense table,