For the People Chapter 28
As Kate comes into the loft, Rick envelops her in a hug. "I watched the day's wrap-up on ZNN. The talking heads all agree that you won your case today."
Kate stretches up for a quick kiss. "Yeah, well those same talking heads all agreed that you-know-who would never be president. And look what happened. They couldn't get into the minds of all the voters, and they can't get into the minds of the jury either. Kudrow hasn't even made his case yet. Anything can happen. But I did knock some of the wind out of his sails today."
"From what I heard, you did more than that. And regardless of how Kudrow strikes back, that's worth celebrating. Since Champagne is out, how do you feel about hot chocolate? The temperature's been plummeting out there, and the forecast says it's going to continue to drop. The polar bears will be filling the sidewalks tomorrow. Come to think of it, they may be more polite than the city's usual pedestrians."
Kate pulls off her leather gloves and stuffs them in the pockets of her coat. "I wouldn't count on it. But it was getting pretty cold by the time I got here. Hot chocolate sounds great."
Rick pours milk into a pan and puts it over a low flame. "So how do you think Kudrow's going to present the argument for the defense?"
"He gave us a long list of possible witnesses, but as far as I can tell, none of them have any expertise in forensics. I imagine he doesn't need any since Duffy confessed to setting the fire. My guess is that Kudrow will put up a long string of the faithful who will testify to Duffy's devotion to God. There's also a psychiatrist. She'll probably claim that Duffy's actions were the result of pathological religious fervor."
"How about the other two fires? Since when is someone supposed to get paid for religious fervor? Scratch that! The pastors of some of the mega-churches are richer than Patterson."
"Duffy's not being tried for those other fires. He's being tried for the arson murder of Fiona Morgan. So Kudrow can still argue that Duffy believed he was fulfilling God's will. The social media are already full of a quotation from the book of Ezra about God raising up the evil pagan king Cyrus to fulfill his own purposes. The theory is that God can use anyone, however evil, for the good."
"Same excuse that went around for electing what's his name – even after he admitted on tape to sexually assaulting women."
"Exactly."
"And you think the jury will buy it?"
"I don't know. Kudrow's won a lot of cases that should have been open and shut. We'll just have to wait and see."
Rick starts adding his secret blend of ingredients to his pan. "Speaking of waiting and seeing, have you come to any decision about a gender reveal?"
"With the case, I haven't had much time to think about it."
Milk splashes under Rick's overenthusiastic stirring. "Well, are you leaning in a particular direction?"
"I don't know. But Babe, I don't need any extra pressure right now."
Rick pulls the pan off the burner and steps around the counter to embrace his wife. "I know. I'll shut up – about that, anyway. So, are you going to want whipped cream or marshmallows?"
"Whipped cream if you can drizzle chocolate syrup over it like Java Hut does."
"I think I can manage."
Kudrow stands at his place at the defense table. "Call Lulu Tidwell." He smiles as she enthusiastically swears to tell the truth and takes the witness chair. "Ms. Tidwill, are you acquainted with the defendant?"
"I know Mr. Duffy, but I call him Linny, short for Linwood, you know. We were both at protests against the unspeakable things those murderers at the Women's Health Clinic did."
Kate pushes to her feet. "Your Honor, I object to the characterization of the staff of the Women's Health Clinic as murderers. No one there was ever charged with any illegal act."
"The jury will ignore Ms. Tidwell's characterization," Willis instructs. "Continue, Mr. Kudrow."
"Miss Tidwell, how much time did you spend with Mr. Duffy?"
Tidwell presses her palm to her chin, showing bright red fingernails. "Must have been at least 3 or 4 hours, maybe more."
"And how did he behave during that time?"
"He was shouting louder than anyone there. And he was jumping up and down, too. I couldn't keep up with him."
"What was he shouting, Ms. Tidwell?"
"I don't remember exactly. Maybe 'Save the unborn!' Oh, and something about cleansing sin with fire."
"And you heard these things many times?"
"Yes," Tidwell declares, "yes, I did."
Kudrow nods. "Defense has no more questions for this witness."
Willis glances toward Kate. "Cross, Ms. Beckett?"
Kate returns to her feet. "Ms. Tidwell, did you ever spend time with Mr. Duffy anywhere besides a protest? For example, did you ever attend the same church service?"
Tidwell thoughtfully shakes her head. "No, if we did, I can't recall it."
"Might Mr. Duffy have gathered in prayer with you and others before or after a protest?"
Tidwell splays her hand over her generous breast. "No, I don't remember him doing that either."
"So he would show up at a protest, shout and jump around for a while and leave?"
"Yes, Ms. Beckett, I suppose that's right."
"Thank you, Ms. Tidwell. No more questions."
"Recross, Mr. Kudrow?" Willis asks.
"No, Your Honor."
Willis turns to the witness. "You may step down, Ms. Tidwell. I understand that the jury requires a comfort break. Twenty-minute recess."
Kate strides quickly toward the ladies' room, and gratefully snags a stall. As she settles in for a few moments, she pulls out her phone.
Rick picks up Kate's call immediately. "How did it go with Kudrow's first witness?"
"Not too bad. I believe that Kudrow's starting to build a picture of Duffy devoted to his cause. I think that so far, I've shown that Duffy didn't act as devoted as he might have. But Kudrow may just be getting warmed up. If I were defense, I'd want to build to a crescendo. I'll have to see where he's going. And I want to go grab a quick snack before court reconvenes. Talk to you later. Love you."
"Love you too."
The toilet barely flushes as Kate leaves the stall. After making sure her clothes are straight, if increasingly voluminous, Kate turns a water faucet in a sink to wash her hands. Nothing comes out. She tries another sink with the same result. After doing the best she can to clean up with a wipe from her purse, she heads for the nearest bank of vending machines. Someone is pounding on the coffee machine complaining that almost nothing is dispensing. After choosing the healthiest of the chip selection, Kate returns to the courtroom.
Judge Willis bangs her gavel for attention. "I've just been informed that the pipe bringing water into the building has cracked due to the effects of the extreme shift in temperature. The courthouse will have no running water until it can be repaired. Court will be in recess until the water can be restored. Active participants in the trial and press will be notified as soon as we can resume. Please leave the courtroom and the building in an orderly manner."
Kate scans Kudrow's face. He looks relieved. Maybe he wasn't prepared to build as strong a case as she thought. But now he has more time. And she has more time too, to figure out what to tell the doctor at her next ultrasound.
