Дэвид Балдаччи - One Summer

Jack watched as Bonnie’s lawyer handed Jenna a packet of documents. She frowned and asked him something, but he shook his head. She said something else to him that Jack couldn’t hear, but it made the other man turn red and scowl. She whipped around and marched back over to Jack. She sat down and pulled her chair closer to him and the kids.

At that moment, Sammy walked in with Charles Pinckney. Pinckney greeted Jack, Jenna, and the kids. Then he eyed Bonnie. He surprised Jack by walking over to her.

“Fred,” he said. “How are you?”

Fred O’Toole looked up and seemed surprised to see Pinckney standing there. He took the other man’s extended hand. “Fine, Charles, you?”

“I’ve been better, actually, but thank you for asking.” He turned to Bonnie, who was gazing steadily at him. “Hello, Bonnie.”

She nodded curtly. “Charles.”

“Let’s just be thankful Lizzie and Cee aren’t alive to see this god-awful spectacle,” he said in a tight voice.

Bonnie looked like she had been slapped. But Charles had already turned away.

Jenna held up the stack of documents and whispered to Jack. “Opposing counsel just now gave me these documents. I asked him if he would not contest an extension on the hearing date, but he refused.”

“What’s in those documents?” Jack asked.

“I haven’t had a chance to read them, but I’ve glanced at a few pages. Your mother-in-law apparently has had a private detective follow you this summer.” She pointed to the other man holding the laptop. “That guy.”

“What?” said a shocked Jack.

“That is, like, totally insane,” added Mikki.

Jack gazed nervously at him. “What’s he got on the laptop?”

“Apparently some video they intend to show the judge.”

“Video? Of what?”

“I don’t know.”

“I didn’t think they could do stuff like this,” said Sammy. “Surprise the other side with crap.”

“Normally they can’t. But this is family court. The rules are different. Everything is supposed to be done with the best interests of the children in mind. That sometimes trumps official procedures. And they’re alleging that the children are in an unsafe and even dangerous environment.”

“That’s poppycock,” said Charles.

“And we’ll show it,” promised Jenna. She had previously gone over with them the questions she would ask and what questions to expect the other side to throw at them.

A moment later, the bailiff announced the entrance of the judge. He turned out to be a small, thin, balding man, with thick spectacles, named Leroy Grubbs.

They rose on his entrance and then took their seats. The case was called, and Bonnie’s lawyer, Bob Paterson, rose. But Jenna cut him off and asked the court for an extension, citing the late delivery of crucial documents. This was denied by Grubbs almost before Jenna finished speaking.

Paterson made his opening statement.

“Fine. Call your witnesses,” said Grubbs.

The lawyer said, “Bonnie O’Toole.”

Bonnie was sworn in and sat down in the witness box.

“You’re the children’s grandmother?” asked Paterson.

“Yes.”

“Can you lead us through the series of events leading up to your filing this legal action?”

Bonnie spoke about Jack’s illness, her daughter’s death, Jack being in hospice, the children living with relatives, and Jack’s recovery and his taking the children back. And, finally, she described her offer to have them all live with her because of her concerns, after consulting with doctors, that Jack’s illness would most assuredly come back with fatal results.

“And what was Mr. Armstrong’s response to your offer?”

“He categorically refused it.”

“And what specific event prompted you to have your son-in-law put under surveillance?”

“I saw Jack beating up two men on the street in Channing, South Carolina, in broad daylight while his children were with him. The youngest, Jackie, was bawling his eyes out. It was awful. It was like Jack had lost his mind. I don’t know if it was a symptom of the disease coming back or not, but I was terrified and I could tell the children were too.”

The lawyer finished with Bonnie, and Jenna rose.

“Mrs. O’Toole, do you love your grandchildren?”

“Of course I do.”

“And yet you seek to separate them from their father?”

“For their own good.”

“And not to punish Mr. Armstrong?”

“No, of course not.”

“So you’re not angry with your son-in-law? You don’t blame him for your daughter’s death?”

“I’ve never blamed him. I told him that I knew it was an accident.”

“But did you really believe that? Didn’t you tell Mr. Armstrong that you thought he should be dead and not your daughter?”

Bonnie pursed her lips and remained silent.

“Mrs. O’Toole?”

“I’ve tried to move past that.”

“But you still harbor resentment toward him?”

“I don’t think so, no.”

“And that is partly the reason you’re filing for custody, for revenge?”

“Objection,” said Paterson. “The witness has said she harbors no resentment.”

“Withdrawn,” said Jenna. “No more questions.”

“Next witness,” said Grubbs.

Jack and the others were surprised to see Sheriff Nathan Tammie amble into the courtroom, not looking too happy about being there. He was sworn in, and Paterson took him through his paces as a witness.

“So you warned Mr. Armstrong on the occasion of the first assault he was involved in?”

“Yes, although I warned the other guys too. Apparently Mr. Armstrong was provoked.”

“And there was a second, more recent, assault involving Mr. Armstrong, was there not?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell us the circumstances?”

Tammie sighed, glanced at Jack, and explained the altercation in the alley.

“So, to sum up your testimony, Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Duvall were holding baseball bats in an alley, and three unconscious men were lying at their feet?” The lawyer glanced at the judge, presumably to gauge the man’s reaction. The judge was following the line of questioning very closely. “So you arrested Mr. Armstrong and his companion, Mr. Duvall?”

“Yes. But I arrested the other guys too.”

“But Mr. Armstrong will be going to court on these charges?”

“Yes.”

“Could he receive prison time?”

“I really doubt that—”

“Could he?”

“Well, yes.”

“No further questions.”

Jenna rose. “Sheriff Tammie, why didn’t you charge Mr. Armstrong on the first altercation?”

“Well, from the witness statements it was clear that he was provoked.”

Jenna glanced at Bonnie. “Provoked how?”

Tammie took out his notebook. “Three witnesses said that one of the guys Mr. Armstrong went after had yelled out something about him being the miracle man and they were willing to pay him five dollars to perform a miracle on him. And he said other stuff, trying to get Mr. Armstrong’s goat, I guess.”

“All directed at Mr. Armstrong personally?”

“Yes.”

“Did Mr. Armstrong attack at that point, when he was the subject of these statements?”

“No. He just kept walking along with his kids.”

“Go on.”

Tammie looked at his notes. “Then the same guy said, “Hey, Miracle, was it true your slutty wife was cheating on you? That why you came back from the dead?”

Jenna turned to look at Bonnie in time to see her glance sharply at Jack.

“And is that when Mr. Armstrong went after them? Because they insulted his deceased wife?”

“Yes.”

“So he exercised admirable restraint when the insults were only directed to him?”