Cracks in the Sidewalk(49)

“Sustained,” Judge Brill answered and with a nod to Dudley he said, “Rephrase your question, Counselor.”

“Very well,” Dudley answered. He turned to Claire and asked, “Did Jeffrey Caruthers ever give a reason for not allowing you to visit with the children?”

“Yes and no.”

“Please explain.”

“He said we were to blame for all his problems, even Elizabeth’s illness. But he never explained why he thought that.”

Dudley nodded and stood there for a moment fingering his chin. He finally said, “Missus McDermott, this court has heard how you attacked the defendant’s house with a sledgehammer. Is that true?”

Claire cringed. “Yes,” she finally stuttered. “That’s true, but it’s not the way it sounds.”

“Please explain.”

“It happened just after Elizabeth was released from the hospital. Jeffrey had already told us she couldn’t go back to his house because he couldn’t take care of her, so Liz came to stay with us. She’d been asking to see the kids, plus she wanted some of her clothes and personal belongings. I tried telephoning Jeffrey to ask if I could come by and get her things. I can’t even guess how many times I called. Dozens maybe. But he wouldn’t answer the phone.

“Finally I drove over there and knocked on the door. There were lights on in the house and I could see him moving around inside, but he wouldn’t answer the door either.”

“So you tried to break it down?”

“No,” Claire answered indignantly. “I didn’t really plan to use the sledgehammer. I only brought it because I thought it might scare Jeffrey into opening the door. I figured if we could have a face-to-face conversation, I’d be able to reason with him. After I stood outside for twenty minutes ringing the bell and he still didn’t answer, I hit the door one time—just one time and not even hard enough to make an actual dent in the wood.”

“Did Jeffrey then answer the door?”

“Immediately.”

“Had he not answered, would you have continued your sledgehammer attack?”

“No. After that one moment of anger, I pretty well came to my senses.”

“Once Jeffrey opened the door, did you ask him for your daughter’s clothing and personal belongings?”

“Yes, and he agreed to bring them over.”

“Did he bring them over?”

“No, he didn’t. He tossed some of her clothes into garbage bags and had a pickup truck dump the bags in our driveway. It was raining really hard that day, so most of the clothes got wet and smelly. When I first opened the bags, I thought it was just rags, but then I saw Liz’s pink suit…” Claire tearfully lowered her face into her hands.

“I’m sorry, Missus McDermott. I know this must be painful.”

“Yes, it is.” Claire sniffed.

“Do you need me to ask for a ten-minute recess?”

“No,” she answered sadly. “Just go on.”

“Missus McDermott, when you opened the bags sent by Jeffrey Caruthers, did they include any of Elizabeth’s jewelry or the other items she’d asked for?”

“No. Just clothes and shoes.”

“At the time you went to the Caruthers’ house to ask for Elizabeth’s belongings, did you also ask if the children could come to visit Elizabeth?”

“Yes.”

“What was the answer?”

“Jeffrey said he’d burn in hell before he’d allow Liz or any of her family to see his kids. Then he pushed me off the stoop and slammed the door.”

“When Jeffrey Caruthers pushed you off the stoop, did you take the sledgehammer to the door again?”

“No.”

“Was that because you’d already realized it was a mistake to resort to violence?”

“Objection!” Noreen shouted. “He’s leading the witness.”

Dudley offered to rephrase the question. He turned back to Claire. “If this situation presented itself again, would you repeat the attack on his door?”

“No. I’m sorry I did it the first time. I know it was wrong. But at the time, I was frustrated because he wouldn’t talk to me. I knew how much Liz wanted to see the children, and I didn’t know of any other way to get Jeffrey’s attention.”

“So you did it for your daughter, Elizabeth.” Dudley hesitated a moment then asked, “What else would you do to help her?”

“What kind of a question is that?”

“Well, would you lie about her mental and physical abilities so that this court will feel sympathetic and grant visitation, even if it’s not in the best interest of the children?”

“Of course not,” Claire answered. “I love those children the same as I love Liz. I’d never do anything that might harm them.”

“Can you say with complete honesty that your daughter is strong enough mentally and physically to have regularly-scheduled visits with her three young children?”

“I can and will say it. I swear before God that those children would be perfectly safe with Elizabeth. It would be good for both the children and Elizabeth to spend time together. Liz loves those children more than most people can understand, and the kids feel the same way about her. I don’t for one minute believe that David and Kimberly have forgotten their mother, and I think they deserve the chance to spend time with her while they can.”