After Anna Read online

  ‘Weren’t you making faces at Anna to intimidate her?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So when she said that, she was lying?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Dr Alderman, you previously testified that you had some anger at Anna for filing the Petition for the PFA, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You had some anger because you claim Anna falsely alleged that you had attempted to engage in sexual misconduct with her, isn’t that right?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You had not heard the specifics of these allegations before Anna testified about them at the PFA, isn’t that correct?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So if they were untrue, as you claim they are, then they would have come as a surprise to you, wouldn’t they?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Isn’t it possible that when you heard those allegations against you for the first time, your facial expression reflected some anger?’

  ‘I don’t know, I can’t say. I don’t know what my face looked like that day.’

  Linda’s eyebrow lifted. ‘Then you can’t know that you didn’t look angry, can you?’

  ‘Well, no.’

  ‘So then, isn’t it entirely possible that you did look angry when you heard Anna’s testimony, isn’t that correct?’

  ‘I . . . suppose so.’ Noah had just contradicted himself. Linda had hog-tied him with his own words.

  ‘So then Anna wasn’t lying when she said that your expression was angry, was she?’

  ‘No.’

  Linda signaled to her paralegal. ‘Let’s move on.’

  Chapter Thirty

  Maggie, Before

  ‘What errands?’ Maggie asked Anna, who perked up as soon as they left the school building.

  ‘Can we go to the Land Rover dealership, please? Just for fun? It’s only fifteen minutes away.’

  ‘How do you know that? You’ve only lived here a day.’ Maggie smiled, surprised. She reached for her keys and chirped the Subaru unlocked.

  ‘I Google-mapped it.’ They climbed into the car, shutting the doors behind them.

  ‘You can’t really want a Land Rover, can you?’ Maggie reversed out of the space. ‘My first car was an old Mazda, bought used. It was bright orange. I named it Tangerine. I figured I’d rather be a tangerine than a meatball.’

  Anna smiled crookedly. ‘But I like Land Rovers. Dad drove one and so did my grandparents. They say they’re the safest cars, like a tank.’

  ‘But they’re so expensive. How much is a Land Rover?’

  ‘The Range Rover is $75,000, not that expensive.’

  ‘Honey, that’s expensive, in my book.’ Maggie spared Anna the Value of Money lecture because she was about to deliver the Meeting New People lecture.

  ‘But can’t we go look, just for fun?’

  ‘Okay, for fun.’ Maggie took a right turn on Montgomery Avenue, heading toward the dealership. ‘So what do you think of the school?’

  ‘It’s crazy big.’

  ‘Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.’

  ‘I hope so.’ Anna looked out the windshield, biting her nails.

  ‘Why didn’t you want to go in the cafeteria? Because I was with you?’

  ‘No, I just wasn’t ready.’

  ‘Okay.’ Maggie thought about what the guidance counselor had said, about the Poetry Club being the Island of Misfit Toys. ‘You know, those Phrases girls seem nice, but it’s good to keep an open mind to different sorts of people. I saw a lot of nice-looking kids in the cafeteria.’

  ‘Okay, but can we talk about the car? So, they come standard with all these driving aids, like the command driving position . . .’ Anna yammered all the way to the dealership, marked by a silvery sign and man-made hillock topped by a new Land Rover, demonstrating off-road capabilities that no high-school junior would ever need.

  ‘We’re just having fun, remember?’ Maggie pulled in and turned to Anna, but she was already climbing out of the car.

  ‘Sure, I texted the guy.’

  ‘What?’ Maggie grabbed her purse hastily and got out of the car to see Anna waving to a young African-American man in a green polo shirt and khaki pants.

  ‘Hey, Simon!’ Anna called out to him.

  ‘Perfect timing!’ Simon called back to Anna, shaking her hand as Maggie arrived.

  ‘I’m Maggie Ippoliti, Anna’s mother.’ Maggie shook Simon’s hand.

  ‘Great to meet you.’ Simon held up a clunky ignition key. ‘Ready to go? I’d be happy to take you guys out. Maggie, I’d rather you drove since Anna doesn’t have a valid PA license and she’s a minor.’

  ‘Let’s go!’ Anna said, excitedly.

  Maggie hesitated. ‘Simon, that won’t be necessary. We wouldn’t want to take your time.’

  ‘Nah, it’s fine. Follow me.’ Simon handed Maggie the key and led them to a glistening black Range Rover parked at the head of the line. ‘This is the Range Rover Sport HSE, in Narvik black.’

  Anna clapped. ‘Beautiful!’

  ‘Very nice.’ Maggie glanced at the sticker, and the bottom line was $75,000.

  ‘Everybody into the pool.’ Simon climbed in the backseat, Anna took the passenger seat, and Maggie hoisted herself into the driver’s seat. The car interior was a buttery-tan leather with perforated seats, a black cockpit with large dials, and matte-silver trim.

  Anna ran a finger on the dashboard. ‘This feels soooo good.’

  Simon poked his head between the front seats. ‘Take a look at the simplicity of the cabin. Those are quality finishes. Of course, the airbags are behind there too, but you’d never know it.’

  Maggie plunged the thick key into the ignition, nervously. She hadn’t expected to test-drive anything, much less a house on wheels.

  ‘The Range Rover has a four-by-four capability but the ride is very smooth, truly a luxury ride. Now Maggie, reverse out. You’ve got room.’

  ‘What if I hit something?’

  ‘You won’t. The big windows make for great safety and visibility. Check the camera.’

  Anna touched her arm. ‘You got this, Mom. No fear.’

  Mom. ‘No fear,’ Maggie repeated. She steered the big car out of the lot and turned cautiously into traffic on Lancaster Avenue.

  Simon gestured. ‘Go up two blocks. Take a right. Then we’ll be on the back roads.’

  Maggie’s fingers gripped the wheel. ‘Got it. Are we having fun yet?’

  ‘Totally!’ Anna bounced. ‘This is the cushiest seat ever!’

  ‘It sure is,’ Simon said, from the backseat. ‘You can go anywhere you want to and have total comfort every step of the way.’

  ‘And it’s safe,’ Anna added.

  ‘Correct,’ Simon said, as if cued. ‘I know a lot of parents worry about safety. There are distracted drivers everywhere. People texting. Eating in their cars. Reading Facebook.’

  ‘You’re making me more nervous,’ Maggie interjected, steering the big car.

  ‘Not to worry. The car has every feature possible to keep us completely safe. Turn right here.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Maggie reached the corner and steered uphill onto a two-lane road.

  Anna held on to the plastic hand strap. ‘Give it more gas.’

  ‘I’m fine at this speed.’

  ‘Don’t you want to open it up?’

  ‘It’s open enough.’ Maggie kept an eye out for deer or squirrels.

  ‘Mom, go for it. It has a six-cylinder engine, four-wheel drive.’

  ‘So you could drive up Everest?’

  Anna laughed, giddy. ‘Here, the road is straight now, you can go faster. Just to see what the car can do.’

  ‘She’s right,’ Simon interjected from the backseat. ‘Anna knows as much about this car as I do. She could do my job tomorrow.’

  Anna beamed. ‘Simon, don’t you think she should go faster?’

  ‘I’m not going any faster,’ Maggie answered, firmly. ‘I don’t own this car.’

  ‘Don’t worry,
Mom. I do.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Maggie glanced over, confused. ‘Anna, we’re not buying this car.’

  ‘You don’t have to. I already did. Surprise!’ Anna grinned.

  ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Yes, James wired them the money. Right, Simon?’ Anna faced the backseat, and Simon popped his head between the seats.

  ‘Yes, I got the wire this morning. The deal’s done.’

  ‘Wait, what, hold on.’ Maggie felt so dumbfounded that she pulled over to the side of the road. ‘Anna, what are you talking about? You can’t buy a car when you’re seventeen.’

  ‘Yes, you can.’ Anna nodded, delighted. ‘And I did.’

  ‘She can’t do that, can she, Simon?’ Maggie turned to the backseat, and if Simon was surprised that Maggie hadn’t known, it didn’t show.

  ‘Yes, she can. We do it all the time. It’s the Main Line. She couldn’t finance the car at her age, but she’s not doing that. We can’t let her drive it off the lot because we prefer she have a valid Pennsylvania license. But it’s hers.’

  ‘Really?’ Maggie felt like an intruder into SuperRich World. Noah wouldn’t pay cash for a Range Rover, even if they could. She struggled to get up to speed. ‘What if I said she couldn’t have it? Would you take it back?’

  Anna interjected, ‘No, Mom, I want it!’

  Simon shook his head. ‘Sorry, all sales are final. We’ll help you sell it, if you wish. I could speak with –’

  Anna interrupted, ‘But Mom, it’s an awesome car, don’t you think?’

  ‘This is crazy, honey.’ Maggie didn’t know where to begin. ‘You said we were coming for fun.’

  ‘I know, I wanted to surprise you.’ Anna’s face lit up.

  ‘But we can’t even get it home.’

  ‘Not a problem.’ Anna turned excitedly to Simon. ‘You said you’ll deliver it. You said that, right?’

  ‘You deliver a car, like a pizza?’ Maggie asked, aware that the Range Rover’s being delivered was the least significant of facts.

  ‘Of course,’ Simon answered with a grin. ‘Welcome to the family.’

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Noah, After

  TRIAL, DAY 5

  ‘Dr Alderman, please direct your attention to Commonwealth Exhibit 52.’

  Noah turned to the screen, cringing inwardly.

  Mr Carter: What took place during your driving lesson on April 27 that gave rise to this petition?

  Ms Desroches: It was kind of dark and my stepfather Noah and I were in the parking lot, and no one was around. Well, maybe there were a few cars but they were far away, and I was practicing trying to get in and out of the space by the stanchion, like, where the light was.

  Mr Carter: And were the two of you alone in the car?

  Ms Desroches: Yes. I asked Noah if my stepbrother Caleb could go with us, that’s his son, but he said no, that I needed to concentrate. Anyway, I was reversing out of the space, and he was showing me how to use the rearview mirror on the outside, so my head was turned away, and all of a sudden, I felt, like, his hand up my dress on my thigh. I was so surprised I knocked my phone off the console.

  Mr Carter: Did you say anything?

  Ms Desroches: No, I was so startled and I was about to say something but I didn’t know what to say, so I, like, pretended it wasn’t happening.

  Mr Carter: Did he say anything?

  Mr Owusu: Objection, calls for hearsay.

  Mr Carter: Your Honor, as you know, PFA hearings don’t adhere strictly to the rules of evidence, and his client is free to rebut this testimony when he testifies.

  The Hon. Jane Hamilton: Overruled.

  Mr Carter: Thank you, Your Honor.

  Mr Owusu: Thank you, Your Honor.

  Mr Carter: Do you remember the question? It was, ‘Did he say anything?’

  Ms Desroches: He said, ‘How does that feel?’ And he moved his hand farther up, you know what I mean.

  Mr Carter: Anna, I know this is difficult, but you have to explain what you mean.

  Ms Desroches: But it’s so awkward and I feel so weird.

  Mr Carter: I understand that, but please try to explain it more particularly.

  Ms Desroches: He moved his hand closer up my thigh, like, close to my underwear, and he said, ‘I can teach you a lot of things more important than driving. Your first time should be nice, and I know how to do that.’

  Mr Carter: And what did you say, if anything?

  Ms Desroches: I didn’t know what to say, I was so shocked, and I said, ‘What are you doing?’ and he acted all innocent and pulled out his hand. He said, ‘I thought you dropped your phone.’ And I said, ‘Don’t do that ever again or I’m telling Mom.’

  Mr Carter: And what did he say, if anything?

  Ms Desroches: Nothing.

  ‘Dr Alderman, you recall the incident to which Anna is referring, don’t you?’

  ‘No, that isn’t what happened,’ Noah answered, consistent with his testimony in the PFA hearing.

  ‘Didn’t you take Anna driving on the night in question?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Isn’t Caleb your ten-year-old son?’

  ‘Yes.’ Noah felt a deep pang, thinking of Caleb. He only saw his son twice a month, when Maggie’s best friend, Kathy, brought him to MCCF. They kept the conversation light, but Caleb was always nervous, wide-eyed at the other inmates in the visiting room, who would cry or even fight with their families. Worse, Noah could tell that Caleb saw him differently, acting more guarded, which was understandable. It tore Noah’s heart out to think of what he had done to Caleb, and his only consolation was that the boy was home with Maggie, who loved him to the marrow.

  ‘Dr Alderman, isn’t it true Anna requested that Caleb come along on the driving lesson, but you declined, saying she had to concentrate?’

  Noah hadn’t been asked that in the PFA hearing. ‘Yes, that is true. But the real reason I didn’t ask Caleb is because my wife asked me to take Anna out alone, so we could spend time together.’

  Linda’s eyes flew open. ‘Your testimony is that you took Anna driving alone at your wife’s request?’

  ‘Yes.’ Noah ignored the spectators in the gallery, turning their heads to look at each other.

  ‘You didn’t testify as to that in the PFA hearing, did you?’

  ‘No, because I wasn’t asked specifically.’

  Linda frowned in an exaggerated way. ‘So you may have been asked, but it wasn’t specific enough, is that your testimony?’

  ‘Yes,’ Noah said, knowing it was the wrong answer but the only one he had.

  ‘So you’re testifying now that the reason you took Anna driving without Caleb was because your wife asked you to?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But that’s not what you told Anna, is it?’

  Noah blinked. ‘No.’

  ‘Dr Alderman, when Anna asked you if Caleb could come, you told her that he couldn’t because she had to concentrate, isn’t that right?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So you lied to Anna, isn’t that right?’

  ‘Yes.’ Noah heard shifting behind him in the jury box, not that he needed that to let him know how badly his testimony was going. And Maggie was in the courtroom.

  ‘Isn’t it true that you put your hand on her thigh?’

  ‘No, that’s not what happened.’

  ‘Dr Alderman, please answer yes or no. Did you or did you not put your hand on Anna’s thigh?’

  ‘It’s not susceptible to a yes or no answer, and I can explain.’ Noah spotted Thomas looking at him in disapproval, but it couldn’t be helped. ‘What happened was I put my hand on her leg, maybe on her thigh but certainly not under her dress, because her phone dropped from the console and fell in her lap. She said, “Oops, my phone fell,” and I went to get it. My hand may have been in her lap, but I was reaching for the phone and I didn’t get it, so I stopped.’

  ‘So even though Anna told the truth about Caleb, she was lying whe
n she said you put your hand under her dress?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And even though Anna told the truth about Caleb, she was lying when she said that you told her that you could teach her for her first time?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Dr Alderman, weren’t you referring to her virginity?’

  ‘I didn’t say anything like it.’

  ‘But you know if Anna was a virgin?’

  Noah wondered if Maggie remembered their conversation. None of this had come out at the PFA hearing. It had been more broadbrush. He didn’t know whether to lie or tell the truth. The truth would get him in worse trouble, so he lied. ‘I believe she was.’

  ‘How did you know?’

  ‘My wife told me.’

  ‘Dr Alderman, didn’t you proposition her sexually during the driving lesson?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Your testimony is that you put your hand in Anna’s lap to get her phone?’

  ‘Yes, I thought she wanted me to.’

  ‘But she didn’t ask you to get her phone, did she, even according to your version of the incident?’

  ‘No, but I thought it was implied. She said, “Oops, my phone fell.” ’ Noah realized they hadn’t asked this at the PFA hearing, either.

  Linda frowned. ‘Dr Alderman, your testimony is that you think it’s implied that when a young girl’s phone drops into her lap, you are entitled to plunge your hand between her legs to retrieve it?’

  ‘Objection, Your Honor.’ Thomas jumped up. ‘That mischaracterizes my client’s testimony.’

  Linda faced Judge Gardner. ‘Your Honor, that’s the substance of what Dr Alderman just testified to.’

  Judge Gardner shook his head. ‘Sustained. Ms Swain-Pettit, I’m going to ask you to rephrase.’

  ‘Thank you, Your Honor,’ Thomas said, sitting down.

  ‘Your Honor, I’ll strike the question and ask another.’ Linda turned to Noah. ‘Dr Alderman, isn’t it true that you used the dropped phone as an excuse to put your hand into Anna’s lap?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Isn’t it true that you had growing lustful urges toward Anna?’