In Self Defense by Susan Sloan (phonics books .TXT) 📕

Dusty said finally.  “You need a break.  Why don’t you take some time off, relax, go sit in a courtroom, work it out?”

“Are you sure?” Erin asked, perhaps a trifle too eagerly.

“Yes, I’m sure,” he said.  “It’s a fact you’re no good to me the way you are now.”

Fortunately, the captain agreed, and the next morning, Erin found herself being waived into the courtroom by a friendly bailiff and put in a seat ahead of dozens of others waiting in line.

***

With the aid of a cane, Emma Durant walked slowly into the courtroom and down the center aisle.  She had suffered a stroke several months after Richard’s death, and lost control of much of her right side.  The bailiff helped her onto the witness stand, and didn’t insist she put her hand on the bible to take the oath.

“Mrs. Durant, did you have occasion to talk to the defendant shortly before your son’s death?” Sundstrom began his examination.

“I did,” Emma replied.

“Why?”

“Because she’d been threatening Richard with all sorts of terrible things -- divorce, dismissal from Nicolaidis Industries -- if he didn’t break off his relationship with the woman he was seeing.”

“Stephanie Burdick?”

“Yes, I guess that’s who she meant, although I didn’t know anything about her at the time.”

“And your conversation consisted of?”

“I asked Clare to reconsider both.  I said it wasn’t Richard’s fault if she couldn’t keep him interested at home, but it was Richard’s fault that her father’s nice little company had made her a multi-millionaire.  And the one thing should have nothing to do with the other.”

“And her response?”

“She as good as told me to shut up,” Emma declared.  “She said I didn’t know anything about anything, and I should mind my own business.  But I did know -- Richard talked to me all the time.  I knew exactly what was going on.”

***

“And when exactly did this conversation you had with your daughter-in-law take place, Mrs. Durant?” the defense attorney inquired on cross-examination.

“It was in October,” Emma said, “barely a week before my Richard was murdered.”

“You mean, two days after Clare returned from the hospital with a concussion and a spinal contusion, after having been run off the road, is that correct?”

“I guess so.”

“And during that conversation, did my client ever once tell you that she was going to murder your son if he didn’t break off his relationship with Stephanie Burdick?”

“No, of course not,” Emma had to admit.  “If she had, I’d have done something about it, now wouldn’t I?”

David’s tone changed abruptly, from interrogative to sympathetic.  “Well then, did she ever tell you, so you could be prepared, that she was going to murder your son for any other reason?” he asked softly.

“No,” Emma said, tearing up.  “But, of course, she couldn’t have, now could she?  Because, if she had, she wouldn’t now be able to hide behind this ridiculous claim of self-defense.”

David considered that for a moment.  “No, she wouldn’t have,” he said finally.

***

In her seat in the second row of the gallery, Erin’s eyes narrowed.  Being able to see and hear what was going on put a totally different slant on everything, and made all the difference.  For example, there was something about that last question the attorney asked, something about the way he asked it, that the witness missed, but that sent a little shiver down the detective’s back.

***

“You believe Clare Durant planned to murder your son, Mrs. Durant?” Sundstrom asked on redirect.

“Yes.”

“You never liked your daughter-in-law?”

“On the contrary, I always loved her,” Emma said.  “She was a wonderful wife and an excellent mother.”

“Then what changed your mind?”

“Clare changed my mind.  She changed.  After she fell off that mountain, she was never the same. It was like she didn’t trust anyone anymore, not even Richard.  So he had a few other women on the side.  So what?  He was discreet about it.  He didn’t rub her nose in it.  A lot of wives go through that sort of thing.  They learn to live with it, or they leave their husbands.  Clare didn’t do either.  And then, when Richard got serious about Stephanie Burdick, and Clare realized that threatening him with losing his job wasn’t going to keep him tied to her, and she was going to be unceremoniously dumped, she decided there was only one thing left for her to do.”

“Objection, Your Honor,” David declared.  “There’s been no evidence presented here to back up this fantasy.”

“Sustained,” the judge said mildly.  “The jury will disregard the witness’s last statement.”

But of course, again, the jury had already heard it.

              “I have nothing further,” Mark Sundstrom declared.  And then he turned to the judge.  “Your Honor,” he said, “the People rest.”

Eleven

David Johansen stood in the shower, the hot water pelting down on him, making no move to reach for either the shampoo or the soap.  He knew he was as ready as he would ever be, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it, but there was always that possibility, when you held someone’s life in your hands, that your best wouldn’t be good enough.

His witnesses were solid, and it was clear he had the advantage.  While he had been privy to all the evidence in the prosecution’s case, the prosecution had only his list of witnesses to go by -- not what they would testify to in court.  The element of surprise was his.  And in a case like this, that could mean everything.  All he had to do was stay focused and stick to his plan and do his best not to blow it.

It wasn’t just that Clare was as good as a sister to him, or that he owed so much that could never be repaid to Gus, it was that he believed in his case -- in its truth and its justness -- with his whole being, and he would fight to win it with every ounce of his strength.

He took in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and reached for the