‘Anna, yes, I swear. I loved you from the day you were born and I love you still.’ Maggie touched her hand. ‘I’m very, very sorry that I wasn’t with you, that you grew up without me, but I swear to you, I tried. I can show you how hard I fought for you in court. You sent me that letter, remember? You said you didn’t want me in your life.’
‘Yes, but that was because you hit me. Dad told me you hit me.’
‘But I didn’t. Ever. I only wanted to be in your life, to be your mother. Your mom. I promise you that, Anna.’
Suddenly the waiter materialized with a tray bearing the salads. ‘Chow time!’ he said brightly.
Chapter Nine
Noah, After
TRIAL, DAY 6
Noah watched as Thomas called their witness to the stand, hoping that he could help the defense, which badly needed it. Thomas had told Noah to keep the faith, but it was almost impossible. Still he held his head high as the witness was sworn in and sat down, adjusting the black microphone.
‘Please, state your name and address for the record,’ Thomas said, from in front of the witness box.
‘My name is Richard Weissberg and I live at 474 Marlin Road, in Haverford, Pennsylvania.’
‘Mr Weissberg, do you know Dr Alderman?’
‘No.’
Noah had never met Weissberg, who was of average height and build, with horn-rimmed frames that looked bookish on his round, friendly face, framed by dark brown hair cut in layers. He had on a dark wool suit and a silk tie, and Noah felt encouraged that Weissberg made a nice, reliable appearance on the stand.
‘Mr Weissberg, did there come a time when you became aware that Dr Alderman lived around the block from you at 460 Howell Road?’
‘Yes.’
‘Please tell us where your apartment is located, using this map, Defendant’s Exhibit 52.’ Thomas gestured to an enlarged diagram of two blocks of Noah’s neighborhood, including his carriage house and in front of it, the main house, where Noah’s landlord lived.
‘I’m at the bottom of my street, there.’ Weissberg pointed to south Marlin Road. ‘I live on the first floor of a duplex. Most of the other houses are single homes.’
‘What do you do for a living?’
‘I’m a teaching assistant in linguistics at Temple University.’
‘Now, let’s turn to the events of the night in question, Wednesday, May 10. What time did you get home from work that night?’
‘Almost nine o’clock. I worked late.’
‘And what did you do then?’
‘I walked my dog.’
‘What time did you leave to walk your dog?’
‘About 9:15 P.M.’
‘Please tell the jury which route you took. Feel free to use this map.’
Weissberg pointed to the map, generally. ‘I took a right at the end of my street, onto Devonette Road, then I took a right and walked up Howell.’
‘Did you walk on the same side of the street as Dr Alderman’s house or the opposite side?’
‘The opposite.’
‘And was Howell Road dark or well-lit?’
‘It was dark. It’s generally a dark neighborhood. There are so many big trees. It’s residential, and the houses are big.’
‘Are there streetlights on Howell Road, if you know?’
‘No, I don’t think there are.’
‘Were there any parties or anything like that, on the night in question?’
‘No. People go to bed early. It’s the suburbs, with families and kids. They’re inside, watching TV and doing homework.’
‘Did you see anyone on your walk that night?’
‘No.’
‘While you were walking along, were you doing anything else?’
‘Yes, I was talking on the phone.’
‘May I ask with whom you were talking?’
‘My then-girlfriend. I called her when I left the house with the dog. She worked at NYU, and we were long-distance.’
‘And what, if anything, happened on your walk?’
‘I heard a shout.’
‘What did the shout sound like?’
‘It was abrupt, like someone yelling “no” or “oh!” ’
Thomas cocked his head. ‘Was it “oh” or “no”?’
‘It was “oh.” ’
‘Was it a woman’s voice or a man’s voice?’
‘A woman’s.’
‘Adult or child?’
‘Adult.’
‘Where did the shout come from?’
‘From Dr Alderman’s house, across the street.’
‘Mr Weissberg, do you know at what time you heard that shout?’
Weissberg nodded. ‘I heard it at 9:28 P.M.’
‘And how do you know?’
‘Because I happened to look at my phone.’
‘Where were you when you heard the shout?’
‘Near Dr Alderman’s driveway, like, fifty feet away, it was up and to the left, like this.’ Weissberg pointed on the exhibit.
‘From your vantage point, did you have a view of Dr Alderman’s house?’
‘No, there were trees in the way.’
‘Did you have a view of Dr Alderman’s driveway?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you see anything in the driveway?’
‘Yes, a black Range Rover.’
‘How did you know that, if it was dark?’
‘I saw it clearly. It’s a distinctive car, and I got a good look, uh, because of what happened next.’
Thomas paused. ‘Was there any other car in the driveway at that time?’
‘No. Only the one.’
Noah knew it was a good point for him. It was already in the record that Anna had a black Range Rover and Noah drove an Audi SUV.
‘Mr Weissberg, what happened after you heard the shout?’
‘My dog pulled against the leash, and I dropped the leash and he took off running.’
‘Did he run toward the shout?’
‘Yes, at first. He ran across the street, but then he ran back to the same side of the street. He zigzagged, and then he was running away from me, up Howell Road. He’s a beagle, a scent hound.’ Weissberg shook his head. ‘He’ll dig in everybody’s trash cans for scraps.’
‘So then what happened?’
‘I started running after him.’
‘And did you run with the phone call connected to your girlfriend during this time?’
‘In the beginning, but then I told her I had to hang up because I was worried I would lose him.’
‘And did you catch him?’
‘Yes, it took me twenty minutes.’
‘Where did you catch him?’
‘He was at the top of Howell Road.’
Thomas paused. ‘How did you get such a good look at the car in Dr Alderman’s driveway?’
‘Because I ran toward it when I was chasing the dog.’
‘When you heard the shout, how did you feel?’
‘Alarmed, I mean, I sensed it was a bad thing. Instinctively.’ Weissberg frowned. ‘I still feel guilty about it. It’s just that I got so distracted when the dog ran away. I didn’t want him to get hit.’
‘Your Honor, may I approach the witness?’ Thomas returned to counsel table when Judge Gardner nodded, and he slid three copies of a document from atop his legal pad, then handed one each to the judge, Linda, and finally to Weissberg. ‘Mr Weissberg, I’m showing you a computer printout and I’m asking you, does this represent the phone calls you made that evening?’
‘Yes.’
Thomas nodded. ‘Your Honor, I move this printout into evidence as Defendant’s Exhibit 32.’
Linda waved her hand, dismissing it. ‘No objection, Your Honor.’
‘It’s admitted.’ Judge Gardner nodded, and Thomas faced the witness stand.
‘Mr Weissberg, does it show the phone call with your girlfriend commencing at 9:02 P.M. and ending at 9:47 P.M.?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you tell her that you heard a shout?’
‘No.’
‘Do you know how long you stayed on the phone with her after you heard the shout?’
‘No.’
‘Now, after you caught the dog, did you walk back down Dr Alderman’s street?’
‘Yes.’
‘And did you pass Dr Alderman’s house?’
‘Yes.’
‘And did you look in Dr Alderman’s driveway?’
‘Yes, I did. I remembered about the shout.’
‘And what did you see in Dr Alderman’s driveway the second time?’
‘I saw that another car had pulled in behind the Range Rover.’
‘And what type of car was that?’
‘It was a gray Audi SUV.’
Noah breathed a relieved sigh. Weissberg’s testimony had gone beautifully. Thomas had made his point. Noah’s Audi SUV hadn’t been in the driveway when the shout was heard, presumably from Anna.
‘I have no further questions. Thank you, Mr Weissberg.’
Thomas returned to counsel table as Linda shot up, brushed off her suit, and powered to the witness box.
‘Mr Weissberg, my name is Linda Swain-Pettit and I represent the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Thank you for your time today.’