Girl, Under Oath (Michael Gresham Series)

by John Ellsworth

  "You know we were talking last week about the case. You must have strong feelings over being charged with your husband's death. Is that something you carry around with you every day?"

  "Of course, I do. I think about it every moment of every day. For one thing, it's terrifying to think they could put me in prison for something I didn't do. Plus, I feel ashamed being charged with a crime about the man I adored. I know other people know, and I can feel their eyes on me even when I'm just walking to the grocery store behind the cart. Plus, the social life Joe and I enjoyed together is all but dried up. Our friends don't call me anymore. My mother is constantly phoning and asking me if I need anything.”

  “Mothers do worry.”

  “I'm getting very paranoid at how people look at me. Even people I don't know. And I can tell you for a certainty, my medical practice has lost patients by the score. Many parents don't want their children treated by some doctor who's going through a trial for murdering her husband. Quite frankly, I don't blame them a bit. If nothing else, this case is going to put me out of business. When it's over, I'm thinking of moving to a new state and starting over. My name has been ruined here, and even a ‘not guilty’ verdict will not get it back. I'm sure you can understand."

  Dr. Gresham nodded. "Yes, that must be very difficult. How are you handling it as far as your feelings? Can you share your feelings with me?"

  "I thought I just did. I'm feeling angry, and I feel shame, and I feel like I want to scream. Plus, I want to run and take my kids with me and hide in a new place. Plus, there's the thing with Elise going on. The woman won't leave me alone and keeps texting and saying terrible things about me. She will send one text to me, my lawyer, her lawyer, and the judge on my case, and will say horrible things about me and how I hated our husband and wanted him dead after I found out he had another wife besides me. And nothing could be further from the truth. How I actually felt when I found out, believe it or not, was a certain amount of pity for him. I couldn't imagine how a man could be so needy that he would have to take a second wife."

  "What is the timing on all of this? I mean, it can't go on forever."

  "Well, tomorrow I'm meeting with my lawyer, her lawyer, and her. We’re going to try to settle her case against me and divvy up the assets."

  "How do you feel about that?"

  "I'm mad as hell. How would you feel if everything you had worked for was up for grabs by your husband’s second wife?"

  "So, you're feeling a great deal of anger about tomorrow's meeting?"

  "Yes. I don't know what I'm going to say. I might just take a gun in there and shoot everyone."

  "Please don't say that. People like me are supposed to take those things seriously and report our patients to the authorities. Please tell me you were only expressing yourself, that you would never consider really doing that."

  "Of course not. I just want to say that I'm that angry. How I will react, I'm not sure yet. But I might want to bitch-slap that woman."

  "What else can you tell me about the meeting? Maybe we can develop some healthy ways to react to what's going to be done tomorrow. How do you feel about your house? Is the other wife after that?"

  "She better not be. I've made one-half of those payments all the way through. She's entitled to none of it."

  "Did she and Joseph have a child?"

  "They did. They have a young girl together. When I found out, I cried for three days. It broke my heart that my husband did that to me. I felt so threatened by the young girl, and yet she was a child, no different than the children I treat every day in my practice. I found myself beating myself up for those feelings. There have been times I have wanted the two of them to just disappear from the face of the earth. I can't even stand thinking about them or thinking about her with him, I mean. I feel so betrayed."

  "What are you going to do with all these feelings you're having?"

  "Just what I'm doing right now, talking about them. Are you asking me if I'm going to pick up a gun and go after anyone? Not likely. I talk a mean game, but I never follow through with that kind of stuff. I'm way too healthy for that. You've nothing to fear from me, doctor."

  "Jennifer, have you ever experienced loss of time, memory lapses, that sort of thing?"

  "I suppose everyone has. It happened today. Yes, I have. Is that so abnormal, given what's happened to me?"

  "And how long might those periods of lost time last?”

  "How long would those times be when I wasn't reacting properly? I don't know, maybe an hour, maybe two. It's very hard for me to say because it’s not like all one or all the other. It's like I go in and out."

  "At the meeting tomorrow, can you remember that this other woman probably has the same feelings you are? I mean, what if it turns out that your husband didn't tell her he was already married? Wouldn't that make her one of the innocent ones? Wouldn't that make her situation just as sad as yours? Do you know whether she knew when she married him?"

  "I have no idea and don't give a damn. At this point, I'm in survival mode. I’ve been broken by Joe and now I’m looking to put myself back together again. I’m holding on to what I have left. Picking up the pieces and looking for new ones.”

  At just that moment, we heard a loud commotion just beyond the closed office door. It was coming from the waiting room area. A man's voice had risen and was demanding to see the doctor without waiting another minute. We could hear the receptionist trying to calm him down. But his voice kept growing and sounding angrier with each sentence. Finally, Dr. Gresham looked at me and shook her head. "It appears I'm going to have to go out to my waiting room for just a moment. Can you excuse me?"

  "Of course. I'll sit right here and wait."

  Dr. Gresham exited her office, closing the door behind her. I waited until she was gone, then jumped up and went to her desk and began looking over her things. There were the usual desk objects—the blotter, the paperweight, the paper tablet holder, the laptop, but what really caught my eye was a silver and turquoise wristwatch. I picked it up, turned it over, and read the inscription on the back of the watch: Verona, Michael. Let's pass our time together.

  I slipped the watch into my purse and hurried back to my chair. Retaking my seat, I folded my hands in my lap and waited. I could hear Dr. Gresham's voice coming through the door and then heard the tinkling bell of the outer door as the man, I can only assume, had been calmed down and agreed to leave. Dr. Gresham returned moments later. In all, she had been out of the office less than five minutes.

  She sat down at her desk and shook her head. "So sorry. Now and then, it happens. I'm sure you don't get that in your practice. Or maybe you do, dealing with babies and small children. I expect you hear lots of crying and see lots of tears shed in your office every day."

  "Indeed. My office is a vale of tears," I said with a laugh.

  "All right," said Verona. "Where were we?"

  "You were just about to tell me how to get through tomorrow's meeting without throttling someone. Please elaborate."

  Dr. Gresham smiled and launched into a set of relationship tools she thought I could take with me and try.

  I heard none of it. My thoughts were on the wristwatch in my purse. All I wanted to do was get someplace private and slip it on my wrist. Michael would notice me wearing it in court. It would bring us closer together. The first piece added into myself. My self, right?

  And it wasn't just a mind game. I was way down the road on that. I had real feelings for Michael—Mike?—and needed to let him know that, just like Verona had accepted the watch, I had accepted it, too. It meant just as much to me as it meant to her. Would he be able to understand this? I had to give him credit.

  I thought he would definitely understand.

  27

  Michael

  Saturday at noon, the four of us met at Denny's restaurant on Warner Road in Old Town. We took a corner booth and ordered coffee. I smiled at the waitress, who looked disappointed, but brightened up when I told her I would leave a hefty t
ip if she would leave us alone except to refill our coffee. She smiled and said she would.

  Elise had just flown in from France and was looking jet-lagged. But there was also an air about her that she was anxious to get going. So, I didn't disappoint her.

  "All right then," I said. "I'm delighted the four of us could get together, and it's my sincere hope that we can arrive at a settlement here today. I want nothing more than to conclude this dispute between Elise and Jennifer."

  Frank Wilder shook his head. He held up one hand at me like he was directing traffic. "Not so fast, Michael. Not so fast with the hope that we can settle here today. We are here only to investigate and find out about the property the parties claim in common. I know that Elise has a certain amount of property in Paris that belonged to her and Joseph and that Doctor Ipswich has a certain amount of property here in Chicago that belonged one-half to Joseph.”

  I smiled and couldn’t let it pass. “Wilder, you might know that, but I don’t know that. Nor does my client.”

  He went ahead. “All we want to do here today is discover what that property is and see if we can arrive at a temporary arrangement. Right now, I'm handing you a list of the property Elise knows about in Paris. I know you have a list prepared for me of the property Jennifer knows about here in Chicago. Please pass that to me now.”

  We exchanged property lists, and then Wilder continued his comments.

  "We know that Joseph Ipswich was a very peripatetic man, and we wouldn't be surprised to learn that he had property stashed all around the world. In particular, Elise remembers him talking about bank accounts that he might have opened in the Caribbean. We would be very interested in hearing about those, as well.”

  “No such thing,” Jennifer interjected. “That’s a load of you know what.”

  Wilder ignored her. “If you are not forthcoming about them, Mr. Gresham, then you will leave me no choice except to begin taking depositions around the Caribbean.”

  “On your own dime,” I said.

  “Maybe not. I will be looking for any hidden assets of Dr. Ipswich. As you might imagine, those depositions will be costly when you add in the cost of my air travel, my hotels, the cost of the deposition, and my hourly rate. I can promise you that, in the end, Jennifer Ipswich will ultimately be responsible for those costs for failing to tell us about these hidden assets upfront. So, what do you say, Mr. Gresham? Are we going to have a full and open discussion about Dr. Ipswich's assets? Or are we going to play hide the ball?"

  I shook my head. I started to have that feeling in my chest like this guy was after much more than legal fees. He wanted it all. I understood the game. He was going to create chaos and uproar and disagreement because he knew that all those difficulties would result in additional legal fees for him for having to go to court and straighten out the turmoil he had caused. I was going to try to avoid that, if possible.

  I said, “It really disappoints me to hear you take such an aggressive attitude right out of the gate, Mr. Wilder. At this time, I can only tell you that Jennifer Ipswich is unaware of any assets owned by Joe Ipswich beyond the borders of the state of Illinois. Should you decide to back up your threat of depositions around the Caribbean by going there and taking depositions, it will be my client who has her costs paid for by your client. I can also guarantee you that these hidden assets are figments of your imagination and not based on true facts upon which the court would award legal fees to you. I have handed to you a four-page document signed and notarized by my client. It includes every asset of the marriage known to Jennifer Ipswich. Maybe we can take a couple of minutes now and go over each other's lists with our clients.”

  28

  Michael

  It was at that moment, at that Denny’s, that it happened.

  In looking back, I remember that I was at first stunned by what Jennifer had to say. But then it came back to me in a rush—her medical records. The doctor had said she had a tendency toward psychoses. That she saw things in bushes. That she saw people in the shadows who were waiting to jump out at her and grab her.

  In retrospect, all I could think about was her outburst. For, out of nowhere, she said, “You're much more handsome than the Chicago Bar Association directory makes you out to be, Mr. Wilder. If I were you, I would change my picture for one more attractive. If you do that, I can assure you your law practice will double from the female population alone."

  For just the briefest of moments, no one said anything. Then Wilder laughed, tossing his head back before leaning forward. As usual, he was not at a loss for words.

  "That's very nice of you to say, Dr. Ipswich, but look," he said, holding up his left hand. "As you can see, I'm wearing a wedding band, so I must decline any stirrings you might have toward me. In other words, doll face, I'm taken. I'm a married man. Please get back to reading and get ready to explain what assets are being hidden on this half-assed list your attorney has come up with. Your efforts at clouding this discussion with your comments about me have failed."

  I remember I leaned over to Jennifer and whispered in her ear, “What in the world, Jennifer? Are you losing it here?"

  Jennifer reached out and covered my right hand with her left hand. "Darling man," she whispered back, "I'm only trying to get inside his head. If it's a game he wants to play, then I'm ready to play it with him."

  "You're going to have to leave that to me," I said. "If you refuse, I'm going to conclude this meeting, and you’re going to be shortchanged in finding out what assets your husband owned overseas. You know what else? Those comments are nothing like you. And they border on the ridiculous."

  Jennifer then said in a firm voice, one I know was heard several booths away because I saw the startled looks, “Say what you will, Michael. I find Frank Wilder very attractive. I might even have a drink with him sometime."

  Again, I was totally stunned. That time I just didn't even have any words.

  "Maybe we can shelve that for now," said Wilder. "I think we all understand what you're trying to do, Doctor Ipswich. So you can consider it done. You've gotten inside my head and played your little game. But now, let's try to get down to the business at hand. And thank you."

  I just couldn't believe it. I took a long drink of my coffee and sat there with my eyes closed for several moments. Then I put my mug back down on the table.

  I said, “So, it appears that Elise, with Joe Ipswich, had thirty-five-thousand euros in liquid assets at the bank known as Banque De France. That thirty-five-thousand is a marital asset. So, it’s subject to equal division between Elise and Jennifer. I'm going to put it on a piece of ledger paper in a column that I will title ‘marital assets.’ I understand there was also an American Express account with a credit balance of fifty-five-hundred dollars. I'm going to put that in the same column as well."

  "Not so fast, Mr. Gresham," said Wilder. "The truth of the matter is, the thirty-five thousand euros bank deposit represents the work of Elise Ipswich in Paris. It is her sole and separate property and not subject to division.”

  “I disagree. The asset should be split fifty-fifty. We have to agree to disagree. Because the assets you're talking about in Paris, even if they were separate property, in the beginning, they have now been co-mingled. That makes them the property of the marriage, and Jennifer Ipswich is going to make a full claim against that property of the marriage in the full amount of one half of thirty-five thousand euros.”

  Wilder smiled. "We strongly disagree. Disagreements like this are what cause lawsuits. Moving right along, Elise Ipswich claims one-half of the bank deposits at Bank of America in the sum of one-hundred-twenty thousand. She claims one-half of the assets in the sum of sixty-five-thousand dollars at the Fifth Third Bank. And she claims one-half of the assets at the Bank of Chicago in the sum of eleven-thousand-seven-hundred dollars. Also, I can see that the medical practice account at the Bank of Chicago is for one-hundred fifty-five-thousand dollars. Elise Ipswich claims one-half of that by the equities.”

  “Are you
finished?” Jennifer asked. “Does she want one-half of my underwear, too?”

  Wilder continued, “All in all, my client is laying claim to one-half of each of these accounts. Any attempt on your client's part to avoid immediately making available to my client one-half of the sums will be raised at next week's hearing for temporary orders.” He handed me a pleading. He had filed with the court a request for an accounting of all American assets and a request for a temporary distribution of those assets. She wanted half and wanted it right now.

  “All right, Gresham? You’ve read my pleading? There is absolutely no reason for your client to walk out of here today without turning over to my client a check in the amount of one-half of the total balance in those accounts. So put that on your ledger sheet—that’s joint property."

  And then Jennifer spoke up again. It happened so quickly there was no chance to stop her. "Pure nonsense," she said. "Except for the medical account funds, all of that money belongs to me and me alone because I earned it in my medical practice. I earned it while Dr. Ipswich was away in Paris enjoying his sleepover with your client, Mr. Wilder."

  I remember I nudged her quite hard and then leaned over and whispered that she would have to shut up and let me do the talking. Yes, I was really upset. I was pissed with her. I also told her she was going to have to keep her opinions to herself or give them to me after the meeting when it was just she and me.

  "Then why am I even here?" she said in a loud voice. "If you won't let me talk about how cute this man is, and you won't let me talk about the assets that belong to me, then why am I here? Anyone?"

  "You're here because you're trying to hide assets, and we know it,” said Wilder. "And while you're so outspoken, maybe you can divulge the other assets that you are trying so damned hard to cover up. I'm waiting…dear."

  Wilder took a big drink of his coffee, and he scowled. He waved at the waitress. "This crap is cold!"