Read The Sabbathday River Online
Authors: Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Sabbathday River (40 page)
“But wouldn't you say that dealing with people was the primary requirement of the job you hired her for?”
Stephen agreed that it was.
“And yet you hired her despite her deficiency in this area.”
“Yes. Because I thought it would be good for her.”
“Ah.” Charter nodded. “You were thinking of her even more than you were thinking of the job.”
“I suppose.” Stephen shrugged. He seemed uncomfortable with the praise.
“And was your faith in Heather rewarded?”
“Rewarded?” He considered the word. “Well ⦔
“Was she, for example, an honest employee?”
Stephen, after a moment, shook his head. “No. I'm sorry, but no.”
“Could you perhaps elaborate on Heather's dishonesty?”
“It's only a small thing, but a few items went missing that I believe she took. Towels,” he said, looking uncomfortable.
“And Heather would have had access to these towels?”
“Sure. Yes.” He uncrossed his legs, but didn't like sitting that way either, and crossed them again.
“Was there something else?” Charter nudged.
Stephen straightened. “I considered it dishonest that Heather pursued an extramarital affair with a fellow employee. I considered it dishonest that they used the sports center to meet and plan their trysts. I also considered it dishonest that they should continue their affair even after it became evident that the affair was disruptive to a harmonious work environment at the center.” Having huffed through this speech, he promptly looked uncomfortable again.
“Disharmonious,” Charter considered, as if for the first time. “In what way did this disharmony show itself.”
“There were complaints. Other employees came to me. Well, one did. It was uncomfortable.” He stopped. “I was uncomfortable.”
“Who, in your opinion, Mr. Trask, was Heather's counterpart in this affair?” He was standing at his chair now, straight but at ease, one hand resting on the seat back.
“Ashley Deacon. My handyman.”
“And Ashley was married at the time?”
“To Susan Deacon, yes.”
“Did Heather know Ashley was married?”
Stephen nodded. “Yes. We had a conversation about it. Heather said she didn't care.”
A movement made Naomi glance at the jury. One woman was shaking her head.
“She didn't care that he was married?”
“Well,” he amended, “she thought it was really no concern of mine, or anybody else's either. And I told her I didn't see it that way. See, I was trying to help.”
“You were advising her that, in your opinion, she was making a mistake.”
Stephen sighed audibly. “It was a big mistake for her. I said he was never going to leave his wife, but she didn't seem to care about that, either. And then she got pregnant. This was back in the fall of '83. She still kept on with him.”
“And what was your reaction to the pregnancy, Mr. Trask?” Charter said.
“Just”âhe shook his headâ“disappointed. I knew she wouldn't get back to college if she had a baby. She'd never get anywhere. And Ashley wouldn't do a thing for her. He was having a baby with his wife at the same time. Which Heather knew,” he finished bitterly. “It was just a mess.
Charter let this word linger, and busied himself turning the pages of his legal pad. When he found what he wanted, he walked around the table and across to Stephen.
“I'd like to talk about something that happened in the Goddard Sports Center, on Friday the fourteenth of June, of that year. This was about six months into Heather's pregnancy with her daughter Polly. Do you remember a significant event on that date?”
Stephen nodded grimly. “I do. There was a confrontation between Heather and Sue Deacon. At the reception desk.”
“A confrontation,” the D.A. said eagerly. “Can you be more specific?”
“They were going at each other. I went running when I heard the screaming. They were grappling with each other. There was a lot of noise. And blood.”
“Blood!” Charter sounded shocked. “Your employee was having a physical fight at the reception desk?”
“Yes,” Stephen said. “People were standing and watching. Nobody seemed to know what to do. And then Ashley got between them and pulled them apart.”
“So Ashley Deacon himself separated these two women?”
“That's right,” he said. “And after that, I really felt Heather should not continue to work at the sports center. I took her to meet Naomi Roth, because I knew Heather was very talented at embroidery. I thought they might be able to work together.”
Charter nodded, as if in praise of Stephen's perception. Then he cocked his head. “Mr. Trask, it seems to me that you made every effort to be of help to Heather. But even so, she was not very open with you, was she?”
“I'd say she wasn't,” Stephen agreed.
“Did she, for example, inform you when her relationship with Ashley did finally come to an end in January of the following year, 1985?”
He shook his head sadly. “No. I found that out from other people. It was pretty common knowledge around town.”
“Did she tell you that she had again become pregnant at around this same time?”
“No. She didn't tell me. But I saw her the odd time over the summer. Last summer, that is. And I knew. Looking at her, I could tell she was pregnant. I'd seen her every day almost during the first pregnancy, after all, so I knew.”
“Did you ever confront Heather about this?”
“Once,” he said. “It was in the parking lot at the supermarket. But she denied it. She said she wasn't pregnant. Only that she'd put on a few pounds because she didn't have her grandmother around to cook for her anymore, and she wasn't eating very well. That's what she said. And I thought, Well, I can't do anything about it if she won't tell me the truth.”
Charter nodded sagely. “But you knew that she was no longer seeing Ashley by this time. Did you wonder who the father might be?”
“Sure,” he said uncomfortably. “But she wouldn't tell me.”
“I see,” Charter said. “So she didn't volunteer the names of any of her other lovers.”
Judith was up, lightning fast. “I'll object to that, your honor. We haven't heard any evidence about any other lover, as Mr. Charter is perfectly well aware.”
Hayes looked irritated, too. “That's sustained, Mr. Charter. Care to try it again?”
“Thank you,” said Charter, as if the judge had only meant to be helpful. He looked to Stephen again. “Did Heather ever mention another lover whom she was seeing simultaneously with Ashley?”
“I really can't remember,” Stephen said. “I couldn't say absolutely, one way or the other.”
“Did she ever mention the name Christopher Flynn, for example?”
Stephen frowned. “Well again, I'm not sure. But it's possible, I guess.” He looked briefly at Heather, then away.
“So you say it's possible she mentioned the name Christopher Flynn to you?”
“It could have happened. I don't remember a specific time, but it could have happened.”
Heather's back was stiff, her head moving slowly, side to side.
“And do you know who Christopher Flynn is?”
“I've never met him,” said Stephen, and with that his direct testimony ended.
With friends like this,
Naomi was thinking. It had been increasingly difficult to look at Stephen over the course of his testimony, and now, without Charter to deflect their attention, she understood that they could not look at each other at all. He understood this, too, she saw. He used this moment before Judith rose and addressed him to look studiously at his hands; then, when that was exhausted, rather aimlessly over Naomi's head. Her friend, or what had always passed for her friend, now irrevocably gone.
Naomi was thinking. It had been increasingly difficult to look at Stephen over the course of his testimony, and now, without Charter to deflect their attention, she understood that they could not look at each other at all. He understood this, too, she saw. He used this moment before Judith rose and addressed him to look studiously at his hands; then, when that was exhausted, rather aimlessly over Naomi's head. Her friend, or what had always passed for her friend, now irrevocably gone.
One of Judith's hands reached back to tug at the tail of her jacket. This was her habitual preparatory gesture, her small betrayal of nerves. She was getting to her feet.
“Mr. Trask,” she said evenly, “from your description of my client's thievery, I take it Heather was the only person in the sports center who had access to towels. Would that have been the case?”
He looked taken aback. “Well no. Of course not.”
“Really? Who else might have been in a position to steal towels?”
“Another employee, I suppose.”
“What about a client? A person who came in to swim or use the squash court?”
He shrugged. “Possible.”
“Maybe one of the moms. You have a lot of moms, don't you? I understand your infant and pre-school swimming lessons are very popular.”
“They are,” Stephen agreed.
“Moms can get pretty distracted, trying to get their kids dressed after a lesson. Is it possible somebody inadvertently threw a towel in her bag now and then?”
He gave her an unmistakable glare. “It's possible.”
“In fact, we may not even be talking about the theft of a towel, now that I think of it. Don't things just occasionally disappear?”
“Oh no,” Stephen said, but he already sounded trapped.
“No?” Judith grinned. She turned to the jury and grinned again. “Am I the only one that happens to? I always thought there must be some law of the universe that says when you put a pair of socks through the wash you end up with only one sock at the other end.”
She rolled her eyes. The jury, appreciatively, tittered.
“In fact, Mr. Trask”âJudith turned to face him againâ“you don't have the slightest bit of evidence that might indicate my client was responsible for the loss of a single towel, do you?”
“She might have taken one,” he said stubbornly. Naomi, in disgust, looked away.
“So might I, the last time I was over at the Goddard Sports Center. In fact,” she grinned rather suddenly, “I think I did.” Judith turned to the jury and shrugged. “By mistake, I assure you.” Then she went quiet, letting the temperature plunge. “But what I don't understand is what on earth a few missing towels have to do with these horrific and outrageous charges against my client. Or is that all the evidence her accusers can muster against her?”
Charter shot to his feet. “Your honor!”
“All right.” Hayes put up his hand. “Ms. Friedman, you know better than that.”
“I apologize, your honor.” She turned away, and Naomi caught the most fleeting of smiles.
“Mr. Trask, you've told us about the confrontation that took place between Sue Deacon and Heather Pratt two years ago. I believe you testified that you were summoned to the scene of this confrontation by the commotion. Is that right?”
“It is,” Stephen said.
“So if you were responding to the noise of what was already in progress, then I take it you were not present to witness the beginning of the conflict.”
He nodded agreement, slowly. “No.”
“So then, you didn't actually
see
the beginning, did you?”
see
the beginning, did you?”
“No.”
She turned her head to look at the jury. “Well, that's interesting. Because from the way you described it, you seemed to know a lot about what actually happened between these two women.”
“I only knew what Heather told me.”
“And what was that?” Judith said. She seemed willing to take the risk, though why, Naomi couldn't imagine.
“Well, what she
said
was that Sue just attacked her. But I mean, she
would
say that, wouldn't she?”
said
was that Sue just attacked her. But I mean, she
would
say that, wouldn't she?”
“Oh,” Judith considered, “you mean, she lied to you about what happened.”
“I didn't say she lied!” He sounded affronted.
“Well, you must have thought she was lying, otherwise you would have asked Heather why she had initiated the fight, wouldn't you? And
if you
had
asked her, I'm sure you would have told us what she said to you.”
if you
had
asked her, I'm sure you would have told us what she said to you.”
He was working it through. Naomi, who was a mite quicker, was filled with admiration for Judith.
“I guess I thought it was possible the fight could have happened like she said.”
“I see. And has something happened since then to make you change your mind about Sue Deacon initiating the fight?”
He shrugged. “Well, not really.”
“Then what are we talking about, exactly? A person comes into your sports center and attacks one of your employees, and here we are blaming the person who got attacked? Is that it?”
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