“Yes, I lived in his house. The staff prepared my food and he had clothes for me.”
“Now, Mrs. Rawlings, were these old clothes or did he buy you new clothes?”
“They were new. But I never asked—”
“Please just answer the question. So the clothes were new. You lived in his mansion and he paid off $215,000 worth of debt. Tell me what you did as Mr. Rawlings’s personal assistant. Did you answer his phone?”
“No.” He continued, Did you answer his e-mails? No. Did you coordinate his schedule? No. Did you make him food? No. Did you make him drinks? No.
“Mrs. Rawlings, what did you do?”
Claire felt her face flush. “I was supposed to be available whenever he wanted me.”
“Can you please explain yourself? What do you mean available whenever he wanted you?” Mr. Evergreen leaned into the table.
“I was supposed to satisfy his sexual wants and needs.” Claire was looking down.
“Did you do your job?”
“I didn’t have a choice.” Claire was still looking at the table.
“Mrs. Rawlings, I asked if you did your job. Yes or no?”
Claire looked the prosecuting attorney in his eyes. “Yes, I did what I was told.”
“And if my notes are correct you and Anthony Rawlings married nine months after you began your job, is that correct?”
“Yes, we discussed that.”
“Yes, we did. I am just trying to understand. At $215,000, housing, food, and clothing for a period of nine months, I figure that Mr. Rawlings paid you nearly $1,000 a day for sexual pleasure. You must be a great lay!”
Claire glared at the prosecutor. Jane and Paul exploded, “That is unnecessary!”
Mr. Evergreen apologized and continued with his questioning. He asked questions about Claire’s claim of imprisonment. Then he showed pictures of her with Anthony at various activities: dinners, fund-raisers, and outings. Claire thought he had a picture of almost every time she was out of the house during the first six months of her imprisonment. “You don’t understand. I was only allowed out—”
“Mrs. Rawlings, you’ll have the opportunity to discuss your reasons for exaggerating the truth when your attorney is examining you. This is my opportunity. I will ask the questions.” His tone was condescending. He went on, asking about supposed physical abuse. Did she have any doctor’s statements? Had she reported the abuse? Had she even told Mr. Rawlings she didn’t like it?
This again got Jane and Paul out of their seats. Claire felt ill. Her head pounded and her blood sugar felt low. She leaned toward Jane. “Could we break for lunch?”
While Paul went to get sandwiches, Jane and Claire spoke privately. Claire had told them all the information before. She explained how Tony controlled her, she hadn’t been allowed to complain, she couldn’t leave her suite for the longest time, and she was never allowed to leave the property without his permission, even after they were married. But the way Mr. Evergreen was twisting it, it seemed like she was some kind of prostitute. He made it seem like she was after Anthony’s money from the beginning. Jane reassured her that the defense has an opportunity to ask more questions following the prosecution. That would be their time to explain things to the jury.
Even Jane was concerned about the pictures showing Claire and Anthony out in public. Claire didn’t look like a woman being held against her will. Jane had photos on her laptop sent by Mr. Evergreen during the preexamination. She pulled up a picture of the two of them at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. Claire remembered that night. Tony had completed a big business deal and celebrated before dinner. She remembered hating him that night, but the person in the picture didn’t look like she hated him. The Claire in the picture was the perfect companion, exquisitely dressed, beautiful, contented, and attentive. The realization that she’d learned her lessons too well began to add to her pounding head.
Feeling more nourished, they resumed the questioning. “Mrs. Rawlings, you stated that Anthony Rawlings was physically and mentally abusive, yet you decided to marry him. Isn’t that true?”
“Yes.”
“Now can you please tell us who took care of the wedding? And if it was nice?”
“Tony paid for the wedding, he hired wedding planners, they did everything, and it was beautiful. You should know, you were there.”
“Do you have any idea of the cost of your wedding?”
“No.”
“Well, for your information it came to over $350,000. Your dress alone was over $70,000.” Claire really had no idea. “And those figures do not include your rings or your honeymoon. Mrs. Rawlings, can you tell us where you went on your honeymoon?”
“We went to Fiji, to a private island.”
“The cost of this honeymoon, Mrs. Rawlings, do you know the cost?”