Heart racing, Zoe adopted her most unctuous tone. “I understand, Your Worship, but it’s very important that I have a word with Mr. Zulu before he proceeds. Five minutes is all I ask.”
Mubita stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged. “I’ll give you grace this one time. Five minutes then.” He departed the courtroom in a flurry of robes.
Zoe ignored the sniggering of Luchembe’s legal team and wheeled Kuyeya out to the arcade. Sister Irina, Joseph, and the two CILA lawyers followed in her wake. They regrouped in a quiet spot beside a patch of grass.
“That was quite a stunt you pulled,” Niza said.
Zoe nodded, feeling the weight of her gamble. “Hear me out. If you give her the doll, she’ll get upset and say what we expect: ‘The man is bad. Baby is not bad.’ It’s dramatic and worth some sympathy, but it won’t point the finger at Darious.”
Zoe reached into her pocket and took out the emerald ring. “Doris gave this to me last night. It was Charity’s. I want to give it to Kuyeya now, and then I want you to put her glasses on and let her confront Darious. I have no idea what she’ll do, but it may be our only chance to get useful testimony out of her.”
Sarge looked skeptical. “Let’s see how she responds to the ring.”
Zoe knelt down in front of the wheelchair and brought her face close to Kuyeya’s. “I have a present from your mommy,” she said, holding up the ring. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
Kuyeya’s reaction surpassed all of Zoe’s hopes. Her mouth stretched into a wide smile and laughter bubbled out of her. She cupped the ring in her hands as if it were a living thing.
“Mommy loves me,” she said between chuckles. “Mommy will be home soon.” Her voice trailed off, but she whispered the last two words over and over again like a prayer. “Home soon … Home soon … Home soon.”
Zoe pictured Charity speaking the promise to her daughter as she prepared for another night in the embrace of strangers. She saw Kuyeya rehearsing it as she fell asleep in the room she had scored with her fingernails. She imagined Charity’s thoughts as she followed Doris out the door: Everything I do, I do for you.
Zoe touched Kuyeya’s face. “Yes, your mommy loves you. She loves you very much.” She looked at Sarge and saw the light of understanding in his eyes.
“Let’s introduce her to Darious,” he said.
“Your Worship,” Sarge began, when everyone had reassembled in the courtroom, “I have only a few more questions for the child. But for the inquiry to be meaningful, she must be able to see the accused clearly. I ask that you order him to stand before her.”
Benson Luchembe stood so quickly he nearly knocked over his chair. “I object! My client is not a …” He searched for the right word. “… marionette. And this trial is not cheap theater.”
“I don’t like it,” Mubita snapped at Sarge. “I indulged Ms. Fleming’s unprecedented motion, and now you ask me to modify the dimensions of this chamber.” He scribbled a few notes on his pad. “However, if the child can’t see …” He waved toward the courtroom deputy and barked, “Escort the accused to a spot beside counsel table.”
Zoe held her breath as Darious walked across the floor and stood before the witness stand. Sarge slid Kuyeya’s glasses into place and stepped aside. The girl blinked once, then twice, startled by a world suddenly in focus. What if she doesn’t react at all? Zoe thought. What if she doesn’t remember his face?
“Kuyeya,” Sarge said softly, “your mommy’s ring is pretty, isn’t it?”
The girl nodded.
“Remember what Mommy said?” he went on. “Men are not supposed to touch.” He gestured at Darious. “Did this man touch you where only Mommy was supposed to touch?”
Kuyeya cast a glance at Darious and looked away. For excruciating seconds nothing happened. No one in the courtroom moved. No one dared to speak. The silence was complete.
Then Kuyeya looked at Darious a second time. Slowly, she started to rock. Then she began to groan. Finally, the dam broke and words poured out of her in a torrent.
“Giftie is gone, Auntie is gone,” she said, staring at the floor. “The door is open. The street is noisy. The boy is running. The car is loud. The man has sweets.” The cadence of her rocking increased. “Men not supposed to touch. Not supposed to touch.”
Zoe sat riveted, knowing how close they were to a breakthrough. Yet the last push was also the most delicate. If Sarge missed the mark, even slightly, he could lose her.
“Kuyeya,” Sarge said with consummate gentleness, like he was trying to wake her from sleep, “Did this man touch you? Did he hurt you?”
The girl faced Darious and her groaning ceased. Her mouth moved but no sound came out. Zoe studied her lips and gripped Joseph’s hand. Come on, Kuyeya, say it! Say the words!