After Anna

by Lisa Scottoline

  ‘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.’

  ‘You’re welcome,’ Weissberg answered with a warm smile, not realizing it was a formality.

  ‘You said you were certain that you heard the shout coming from the direction of the defendant’s house, isn’t that correct?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But you also said it was a nice night, is that correct?’


  ‘Yes.’

  Linda turned to Judge Gardner. ‘Perhaps Your Honor would take judicial notice of the fact that it was clear and temperate at that hour of the evening, 72 degrees and low humidity. I verified this information with accuweather.com.’

  ‘Fine, go ahead.’ Judge Gardner nodded.

  ‘Thank you, Your Honor.’ Linda turned back to the witness stand. ‘Mr Weissberg, do you recall whether any residents had their windows open that evening?’

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  ‘But you testified that people were inside watching television, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes, I did.’

  ‘Mr Weissberg, didn’t you know that because you saw flickering TVs?’

  ‘Yes. You can see inside the houses, and people had TVs on.’

  ‘So it’s certainly possible the windows were open, given the temperate weather, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so.’ Weissberg blinked behind his glasses.

  ‘And isn’t it also possible that the sound you heard was coming from a television?’

  ‘No, I think I heard it from the driveway.’ Weissberg shook his head.

  Noah remained impassive, but he felt like cheering.

  Linda frowned. ‘But you can’t be absolutely 100 percent sure that’s where the sound came from, can you?’

  ‘I think I’m pretty sure.’

  Linda shot him a look. ‘Mr Weissberg, you think you’re pretty sure, but you were on the phone at the time, were you not?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And if your dog is a beagle, he pulls when you walk him, doesn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, the whole time.’

  ‘Doesn’t he pant when you walk him, too?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Mr Weissberg, so we’re clear, you’re walking him, he’s tugging and panting, and you’re talking with your girlfriend, isn’t that correct?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Mr Weissberg, what was the subject matter of the conversation?’

  At counsel table, Thomas shifted in his seat, but didn’t object. Noah’s heart began to sink. Linda appeared to mull it over, but he knew she already had a plan.

  Weissberg hesitated. ‘It was about our relationship.’

  ‘Was it a calm or emotional conversation?’

  ‘Emotional.’

  ‘Were either of you raising your voices?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Were either of you crying?’

  Weissberg blinked. ‘She was.’

  Linda cocked her coiffed head. ‘So you’re walking down the street at night, your dog is panting and pulling, and you’re on the phone having an emotional conversation with your girlfriend, who is crying, and the televisions are playing in the houses, isn’t that correct?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘In fact, weren’t you so distracted that you dropped the dog’s leash, isn’t that correct?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Yet despite all of these distractions, the dog pulling and panting, your girlfriend crying, the TVs playing through the windows that could have been open, you feel positive that you heard the sound coming from the defendant’s house at exactly 9:28?’

  ‘I did notice the time on my phone screen,’ Weissberg answered, newly defensive.

  ‘Mr Weissberg.’ Linda looked at him like he was nuts. ‘You saw those little tiny numbers on the top of the screen in the dark, with all of those distractions?’

  ‘The, uh, screen was lit.’

  ‘You saw them exactly at the very moment your beloved dog ran away, your girlfriend cried, and you were distracted, is that your testimony?’

  ‘I thought . . . I had, but maybe I didn’t,’ Weissberg answered, faltering.

  ‘So isn’t it possible that you were wrong?’

  ‘I guess it’s possible.’ Weissberg swallowed hard.

  ‘I have no further questions, Your Honor.’ Linda turned on her heel.

  Chapter Ten

  Maggie, Before

  ‘Anna, tell me what it’s like at Congreve,’ Maggie asked, trying to recover from the revelation that Anna had been lied to about being abused. It had thrown Maggie off-balance, but she couldn’t let that ruin their dinner. She would set the record as straight as she could, but it was hard to prove a negative. She worried Anna would always wonder whether Maggie was telling her the truth.

  ‘Before that, I have bad news.’ Anna pursed her lips, looking down and pushing her salad away. ‘I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. Dad died, in a plane crash.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, I did know that.’ Maggie felt a pang, seeing the change come over Anna’s face, as her lovely features fell into grief-stricken lines.

  ‘It’s horrible.’ Anna’s big eyes glistened. ‘I don’t know how it happened. He was a good pilot. He loved flying, but they think he had, like, a heart attack. He wasn’t even that old.’

  ‘I’m so very sorry, truly.’ Maggie patted her hand. ‘I saw an article about it online, after you called.’

  ‘So then you know. They were all killed, my stepmom and my stepbrothers.’

  ‘I know, it’s so awful.’ Maggie could see Anna’s pain at losing the entire family.

  ‘And my stepbrothers were so little.’ Anna grimaced. ‘I didn’t know them that well, but still. They were so cute. They were nice kids. It’s so awful. Michel and Paul. And my stepmom Nathalie was nice, too.’

  ‘I bet.’ Maggie heard Anna pronounce the names in an authentically French way, though her English was flawless. ‘It really is, and it’s hard for you to lose them, I know.’

  ‘It shouldn’t be. Like, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, it’s not like I saw Dad so much, or them.’ Anna frowned, blinking her eyes clear. ‘I hardly knew Nathalie. I met her for the first time when Michel was born. They flew me home for the christening. It was a big deal.’

  ‘Oh?’ Maggie kept her surprise from her tone. ‘But what about the wedding? You must have met her then.’

  ‘No, Dad didn’t invite me. They had it in Morocco. He told me it was on impulse, like, they eloped? But I saw the pictures later. There were three hundred people there.’

  ‘Even so, it’s hard for you to lose him.’ Maggie simmered but tried not to let it show. It was Anna who mattered, not Florian.

  ‘Yeah, it is, hard. It was a month ago, but it still, I don’t know, it messes me up. Ellen, my therapist, says that can be worse because conflicted emotions are harder to grieve. She says it’s normal to be depressed and crumbly.’

  ‘Of course, that’s very normal, honey.’ Maggie patted her hand again. ‘I don’t think you ever truly get over the death of a parent. My parents were gone before you were born, and I still miss them every day. I wish they got to meet you.’

  ‘You only got to meet me today, for real.’

  ‘That’s true.’ Maggie let the awkward moment pass, though she felt proud of Anna for her honesty. ‘Well, it’s good you have a therapist to get you through something this difficult. And your friends.’

  ‘Honestly, I don’t have that many friends.’ Anna shrugged. ‘Congreve isn’t such a great place if you’re a boarder. Most of the other boarders are international and they’re not that friendly.’

  ‘There must be some Americans who board.’

  ‘Not that many. Congreve is popular with European families. American kids go to Andover or Moses Brown because they’re coed.’ Anna shook her head. ‘I wanted to come stateside, but Dad said he would only let me go to Congreve.’

  Maggie wondered if Florian had picked Congreve because it was so far from Pennsylvania, but whatever. ‘You make friends in your classes, right?’

  ‘Not so much. And they separate themselves from the Parkers.’

  ‘Parkers?’

  ‘That’s what they call us.’ Anna’s eyebrows sloped unhappily down. ‘The boarders live in Parker Hall, like, we’re parked.’

  ‘That’s so mean.’

  ‘But it’s true. I’m parked.’

  ‘No, you’re no
t.’ Maggie felt tears come to her eyes, hearing how lonely Anna must have been. Guilt made her heart feel heavy and hurt.

  ‘Yes, I am,’ Anna shot back, without self-pity. ‘Dad totally parked me. I talk about it in therapy. He wasn’t capable of more. My grandparents weren’t either. I wish I could leave but I don’t know where to go.’

  ‘You mean leave Congreve?’ Maggie blinked, surprised. ‘You’re seventeen, almost finished. You only have one year left before college.’

  ‘I know, but I can’t make it here another year.’ Anna brushed a strand of hair from her troubled forehead.

  ‘What do you mean, “make it”?’ Maggie worried that Anna was depressed. She herself had that tendency and wondered if Anna inherited it from her, like dimples.

  ‘Dad was the one who wanted me to stay, but now that he’s, uh, gone, I wish I could leave. If I could get out of here today, I would.’ Anna sipped her water. ‘I already talked to James about it. He’s our lawyer. He runs the trust that pays my bills. He said I could go to any boarding school I wanted and the trust would pay. But I can’t believe that it would be any better than here. Wherever I go, I’m parked.’

  ‘Anna, listen.’ Maggie was formulating an idea. ‘If you wanted to, you could live with me. Would you consider that? Because I would do it in a second.’

  ‘I have to admit, I was wondering about that.’ Anna smiled, cautiously. ‘Like, if living with you and your family was an option for me.’

  ‘Of course it is! I’m your mother!’ Maggie’s thoughts raced. ‘I could get back in touch with my lawyer, and I may have to go to court, but I never lost legal custody of you, only physical, and that was way back when.’

  ‘I mentioned it to James, and he said that would be a formality, but that’s all.’ Anna shifted forward, with a new frown. ‘But first you should talk to him. His office is right in town. I already talked to him about you, and I talked to Ellen about you already, too. They think you abused me when I was little. You have to tell them what really happened, just like you told me.’

  ‘I will. I can send them the papers from your custody case. I’ll call my husband and have him scan and email them, right now. But if we can explain it to them, I would love to have you live with us! Please consider it, I would really love it so much and so would Noah.’ Maggie felt her heart open at having Anna at home with her, a part of her and Noah’s family, with Caleb and Wreck-It Ralph.