Noah, here they are, and they even have a sample, so you can feel the thread count.
Which ones do you want? Your call.
I want whatever feels the softest. This feels soft. Anna had fingered the material of the first sample, her lips curving into an oddly suggestive smile. Don’t you want to feel it, Noah? Don’t you want to see how soft it really is?
What? Noah didn’t know if he heard her correctly, though her facial expression had turned suddenly seductive, her blue eyes glittering.
Noah, don’t you want to see if I’m as soft as you think?
Noah still didn’t think he’d heard her correctly, but Caleb came running up rattling boxes of Sugar Babies, and Anna’s features had rearranged themselves back into a sweet, innocent mask.
Noah felt his gut clench at the memory, another red flag that he’d ignored. In retrospect, he’d gotten a glimpse of who Anna really was then, manipulating them all. The craziest thing was that he had been wondering how soft she really was. Not consciously, but in the primal part of his brain where he wasn’t a suburban husband and father, but a man. There had been something about the way her jacket kept opening and closing over her dress, teasing glimpses of her cleavage. The pinkish skin of her breasts swelled over the top, and she was so young, and it was Saturday night. He’d been looking for sheets, but what he really wanted was sex.
Noah should’ve known to watch himself, after that. But he hadn’t, and that was the reason he was on trial for murder today, with Linda approaching the stand wearing the smirk she had on after Noah’s testimony about the text.
‘Dr Alderman, what time did you leave the gym, do you know?’
‘At about 8:15.’
‘You didn’t go straight home after you left the gym, did you?’
‘No, I did not.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I went to the car to get my wallet and phone, then to the grocery store to pick up some prepared food for dinner.’
‘By the way, whoever sent this text did not steal your wallet, isn’t that correct?’
‘Yes.’
Linda signaled her paralegal, who recalled a grocery store receipt to the projector screen. ‘Dr Alderman, I’m showing you Commonwealth Exhibit 45, which has been previously admitted. You see that receipt, don’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘The receipt shows that you left the store at 9:03 P.M., does it not?’
‘Yes.’
‘Dr Alderman, you then drove directly home, did you not?’
‘Yes.’
‘Dr Alderman, how long did it take you to drive home?’
‘About twenty minutes. I pulled into my driveway at 9:30 behind Anna’s car.’
‘You weren’t surprised to see Anna’s car in your driveway, were you?’
‘Yes, I was.’
‘Why were you surprised if you had sent a text asking her to meet you at your house?’
‘I didn’t send the text.’
Linda mock-slapped her forehead. ‘So that’s your story and you’re sticking to it?’
Thomas rose. ‘Objection, Your Honor. The prosecutor’s comments are improper and prejudicial.’
‘Sustained.’ Judge Gardner waved Thomas back into his seat. ‘Ms Swain-Pettit, you’re on notice.’
‘Thank you, Your Honor.’ Linda turned to face Noah, folding her arms. ‘Dr Alderman, what happened when you returned home?’
‘I got out of my car with the groceries, and Anna’s car was in my driveway. I looked inside the car and she wasn’t there.’ Noah had told this on direct, so he summarized it now. ‘I kept going to the house, and it was dark. The porch light was off. I looked around since I knew that Anna didn’t have a key, so she would be outside.’
Linda kept her arms folded, letting him speak without interruption, and Noah realized that this would be the first time that Maggie would hear his story from start to finish. He prayed she would believe him, and so would the jury. When he’d told it on direct, they had listened attentively, but Noah knew Linda was having him tell it again so she could destroy him.
‘I saw that she was lying on the porch floor, and I thought she had fallen asleep, so I set the grocery bag down and said, “Why are you here?” But when she didn’t move, I went over to her and realized that she was dead.’
‘How did you realize she was dead?’
‘She didn’t move or answer, then I touched her arm and there was no response, so I went closer to her and I looked into her face. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I could see her eyes were open.’ Noah realized he was volunteering but he felt shaken, knowing that Maggie was hearing every word. ‘I felt for a pulse at her neck, then at her wrist, and there was no pulse, but the skin on her neck was warm, so I tried CPR. I began chest compressions, and at the same time I got my phone out of my pocket and called 911 and put them on speaker while I did the compressions.’
Linda frowned. ‘How did you determine she had been strangled if it was dark?’
‘Oh, right. I had my phone in my hand and I turned on the flashlight and shined it on her face.’
‘Why didn’t you mention the flashlight just now?’
‘I forgot about it. I said it before, when I testified on direct.’
Linda arched an eyebrow. ‘You mean, you mentioned it when your lawyer took you through your questions, but not now?’
‘Objection.’ Thomas rose, frowning. ‘That comment is testimony, Your Honor.’
‘Sustained.’ Judge Gardner waved Thomas back down. ‘Counsel, please rephrase.’
‘I’ll withdraw the question,’ Linda said, though she had made her point. ‘Dr Alderman, are you saying that you examined her on the porch?’
‘Well, not examined, but I looked at her, and I could see that she had been strangled.’
‘You hadn’t seen the corpse of a person who had been strangled before, had you?’
‘No, I hadn’t. But it was obvious.’ Noah told himself to stop volunteering. He realized he was trying to explain to Maggie, his audience of one. But he was getting himself in deeper and deeper.
‘Isn’t it true that you knew Anna had been strangled because you strangled her?’
‘No.’
‘Then how specifically did you know she had been strangled?’
Noah hesitated. He didn’t want to say it in front of Maggie. ‘I just knew. It was obvious. Her body was still and her eyes were fixed. She was motionless, as in death.’
‘But if you were only going by the stillness, couldn’t she have died of a heart attack or an aneurysm?’
‘No, that wasn’t what it was.’ Noah knew he sounded evasive, because he was being evasive. He had to say something. ‘The vessels were broken in her eyes. The petechiae, the capillaries in the whites of her eyes, had burst.’
‘So now we’re hearing that her capillaries were broken, but you didn’t mention that before, did you?’
‘Uh, no, I guess not.’ Noah couldn’t imagine how Maggie felt right now.
‘Dr Alderman, aren’t you making this up as you go along?’
‘No.’
‘But you didn’t mention it in your direct testimony, did you?’
‘No.’ Thomas hadn’t thought it was necessary. They hadn’t gone into detail about Noah’s actions on the porch. It wouldn’t have helped him.
‘Why didn’t you mention that before?’
‘I . . . must have forgotten.’
‘You’re so forgetful today, aren’t you?’
‘Objection, Your Honor.’ Thomas rose. ‘Is this a question or harassment?’
Linda snorted. ‘It’s cross-examination, Your Honor. It’s within the bounds of permissible.’
Judge Gardner nodded. ‘Overruled.’
‘Dr Alderman, didn’t you observe anything on her neck?’
‘Not at first. I saw her eyes first, but then I turned on the flashlight on my phone and then I saw some pinkish swelling around her neck and that confirmed it was strangulation.’
‘So, you find your beloved stepdaughter strangled on the porch, and what you do is take out your flashlight and visually examine her?’
‘Yes.’ Noah knew it sounded bad. It had sounded better on direct. Thomas had ordered it for him, chronologically. He was getting confused, and Maggie must have been heartbroken, hearing this testimony.
‘But didn’t you cry out in horror?’
‘No.’
‘Didn’t you shout for help?’
‘No, I’m a doctor. I am help.’ Noah felt good saying it, and he saw a flicker of an approving smile from Thomas.
‘Dr Alderman, do you recall what you said to 911 or do I need to replay the 911 tape to refresh your recollection?’
‘No, I . . . recall.’ Noah felt himself falter, though he remembered exactly what he had said. He didn’t want to say it in front of Maggie. He reached for his plastic cup of water. His hand shook, and he knew the jurors noticed.
Linda signaled to her paralegal. ‘I’ll replay the 911 tape and ask you some questions about it.’
‘No . . . I can recall it.’ Noah wanted to spare Maggie. She never listened to 911 tapes when they came on the news. She thought it was sad and invasive. Now this 911 tape was about her daughter’s murder. She would never have heard it before. Noah repeated, ‘I can recall it, you don’t have to –’
Linda waved Noah into silence, as the 911 audiotape began to play.
Chapter Twenty-two
Maggie, Before
It was midnight by the time Maggie closed the kitchen, pressing the dishwasher’s Start button, like the period at the end of a busy day. They had stowed Anna’s towels and toiletries in her room upstairs, and the bedroom furniture was getting delivered tomorrow. They had used the new sheets to make a temporary bed out of the couch in the family room, and she was in there now, watching Saturday Night Live. Noah was upstairs, tucking Caleb in. It was way past his bedtime, but he’d been excited to help with Anna, and neither Maggie nor Noah wanted to discourage him.
Maggie left the kitchen and entered the family room, where Anna was on her laptop, propped up on the couch. ‘How are you doing, honey?’
‘Great, thanks.’ Anna smiled. ‘I love my new sheets.’
‘They’re pretty, even on the couch.’ Maggie sat down on the chair catty-corner to Anna.
‘You don’t think the canopy is too little-girl, do you?’ Anna bit her fingernails.
‘Not at all. It’s feminine.’
‘Do you think I’ll start school Monday?’
‘I doubt it, but I’ll email tomorrow. I’m sure we can get a meeting on Monday or maybe it’s a shadow day.’
‘I got their calendar online. They’re just coming back from Spring Break. I already figured out my classes.’
‘Wow,’ Maggie said, impressed at her initiative. ‘Can I see?’
‘Sure.’ Maggie looked over as Anna hit a button and a spreadsheet came on the page, with a course load of AP Gov, AP Spanish, Honors Algebra 2, AP Language/Comp, Honors Environmental Science, Honors Psych. ‘Yikes, that looks hard. Maybe you should take it easy in the beginning?’
‘I can’t for college.’ Anna bit her nail. ‘It’s the same courses that I took at Congreve, roughly. Some of the textbooks are different, but I can deal with that. I made a new Facebook profile, too. I just posted. Wanna see?’
‘Sure.’ Maggie watched as Anna hit another button and a Facebook profile came on. The first picture was the four of them on the couch in the furniture store, with the caption:
Here I am with my family – my mom Maggie, my stepfather Noah, and my adorable little stepbrother Caleb. Missing from the photo is Wreck-It Ralph, our cat. Because they wouldn’t let him in the store . . .
‘That’s so cute!’ Maggie felt pleased. Somehow seeing it on Facebook made them a real family, a thought even she realized was ridiculous.
‘I posted some other pics of us. It’s fun.’ Anna scrolled down, showing a photo of Ralph looking out the kitchen window. ‘He always looks thoughtful.’
‘Really he’s just wishing treats would jump into his mouth.’
‘I know, I gave him some. Caleb showed me where you keep them.’
Maggie burst into laughter, thinking of the two kids in cahoots. ‘I really appreciate how nice you’re being to Caleb. You couldn’t have been interested in trains at dinner.’
‘I was! It was cute.’
Maggie sighed, happily. ‘Well, I’m beat. You’re going to go to bed sometime, aren’t you?’
‘Soon. I’m just doing some research. I’m trying to learn as much as I can about my class. You know, scope out some friends.’
‘That’s a good idea.’
‘And you know what? I don’t really have any clothes for school. Remember, we had a uniform at Congreve, and the only things I have are weekend clothes.’ Anna made a sad-emoji face. ‘Do you think we can go shopping?’
‘Of course.’ Maggie remembered her own school days, out of nowhere. It was funny how having Anna around was bringing back a lot of memories. ‘I used to have a new outfit every first day of school. My mom and I went shopping for it every year.’
‘Aw, you sure you don’t mind? I know you have work and everything.’
‘Not at all. I’m taking the week off to get you situated. I missed years of going clothes-shopping with you and I’m happy to make up the time.’
‘Great.’ Anna’s gaze returned to her laptop. ‘I’m starting a new Insta and Snapchat, and I was looking on Facebook, and you can see the clubs at school that have Facebook pages.’
Maggie looked over as Anna clicked to the Poetry Club page, which showed a group of long-haired girls and boys with man buns relaxing on the lawn behind the school. ‘They look nice. That would be perfect for you.’
‘I know. The poetry magazine is called Phrases. They also have clubs for the literary magazine, the newspaper, and the yearbook. They have tons of clubs.’ Anna clicked through a bunch of Facebook windows, all of which had been open. ‘There’s the musical theater club, choir, select chorale, then there’s all the girls’ sports. Since it’s spring, it’s tennis, lacrosse, and track.’
‘Do you play any sports?’
‘No, I’m an indoor cat.’ Anna wrinkled her nose. ‘What about you?’
‘I walk, but Noah works out religiously.’ Maggie smiled. ‘I’m the one with the Dad Bod.’
Anna smiled back. ‘You guys are so much fun. I mean, you’re really happy together, right?’
‘Right.’
‘It’s cool, there’s three last names and four people in this house. But I like that your last name is my middle name. Anna Ippoliti Desroches.’
‘I like it too.’ Maggie had insisted on it, way back when. ‘And don’t worry about school. You’ll make friends.’
‘I didn’t at Congreve.’ Anna shot her a skeptical look.
‘You will here. People are more open.’ Maggie kept her voice gentle, so Anna didn’t feel criticized, just encouraged.
‘Still. These girls are pretty, and pretty girls are the same everywhere.’ Anna opened a Facebook page from Phrases magazine, which showed a group of artsy Goth girls. ‘This is my tribe.’
‘You are pretty, and you’re not Goth.’
‘I had a Goth friend at Congreve. I liked her, but she left school. This is her.’ Anna hit a few buttons, calling to the screen a window that showed a head shot of a wan-looking girl with matte-black hair, black eye makeup, and a red-paper crown. ‘Jamie Covington. She called herself a Visigoth. She said that was a Goth with contact lenses.’
Maggie smiled. ‘Why did she leave school?’
‘Same reason I did. It is hard to fit in there if you’re different. She tried to start a Wiccan club.’ Anna shifted her gaze, with an ironic smile. ‘You can’t see a Wiccan with a Congreve totebag, can you?’
‘No.’ Maggie laughed, getting the picture. Anna had been on the outside and identified with the outsiders.
‘She went to Ellen too. We both liked her.�
�� Anna glanced over. ‘And you know what, I don’t think I need to start with a therapist down here.’
‘Really?’ Maggie wasn’t sure she agreed, but kept a pleasant expression. ‘Why?’
‘I don’t know, I just don’t feel like I need it.’ Anna shrugged. ‘If I need to, I’ll call Ellen. She said I could if I wanted to.’
‘I told her that we would get you somebody here. You’re going to have a lot of changes to go through, and it might be good to have someone to talk to.’
‘I’ll have you, won’t I?’
‘Of course,’ Maggie answered, touched. ‘And I think we need to get you a lawyer here, too.’
‘What about James?’ Anna frowned.
‘Noah thinks you’re better off with someone down here and he’s probably right.’
‘You guys want to fire James?’ Anna recoiled. ‘I don’t. He hasn’t done anything wrong and he knows me. You liked James, didn’t you? You said you did.’
‘Yes, I did.’ Maggie kicked herself for bringing it up so soon. ‘Okay, I’ll talk it over with Noah, okay?’
‘Okay.’ Anna hesitated. ‘Hey, can I talk to you about him? You can’t tell him about it, okay?’
‘Okay,’ Maggie answered, suppressing her discomfort.
‘I don’t think he likes me. When we were picking out the sheets at Bed Bath & Beyond, he was, well, cold.’
Maggie cringed. ‘He doesn’t know you that well, Anna. He can be on the reserved side.’
‘No, that wasn’t it.’ Anna shook her head, her mouth a flat line. ‘I tried to get him to help me with the sheets, but it was all about Caleb. He was with him the whole time. It was like I didn’t even exist.’
‘Oh no.’ Maggie felt a wave of guilt. Caleb had been an only child for so long, and they both lavished a lot of attention on him. It was possible that Noah had inadvertently paid Caleb more attention than Anna. ‘I’m so sorry that happened.’
‘You don’t have to apologize, but what if he doesn’t want me living here?’
‘Yes, he does, Anna.’ Maggie covered Anna’s hand, with its beleaguered fingernails. ‘He wants you here, I know he does, you’ll see.’
After Anna Page 11