After Anna(67)

Mr Carter: And what happened next?

Ms Desroches: I ran upstairs, but when I got in my room I thought to myself that I couldn’t have him do that to me anymore. I really wanted to stay living with my mother, but he has her totally fooled. And I didn’t want to have to move out and I had nowhere to go. So I figured that I needed to help myself.

Mr Carter: What do you mean by ‘help myself’?

Ms Desroches: I went online and it was really easy and you could download the Protection From Abuse form, and they had a FAQ and all. I filled the form out and here we are. I know that he didn’t want the truth to come out. But I had to stand up for myself. I’m just really glad that there’s courts like this where you can go if you’re a girl and you want to protect yourself from abusers.

‘Dr Alderman, have you read this testimony?’

‘Yes.’ Noah tried to find his emotional footing. He remembered everything about that night so vividly. Maggie had been so hurt, her eyes widening with shock and betrayal.

‘Isn’t it true that Anna’s testimony was exactly what happened that night?’

‘No.’

‘What did Anna say that wasn’t true?’

‘It’s true that’s what she told Maggie, but what she told Maggie wasn’t true.’

‘Pardon me?’ Linda made a face of exaggerated confusion. On the dais, Judge Gardner frowned as if he hadn’t understood either. Noah sensed that the judge’s demeanor had changed toward him after the sexually explicit testimony.

‘Anna lied about what happened in the bathroom.’

‘But your wife believed Anna, didn’t she?’

Noah hesitated. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Well, you discussed what had happened in the bathroom with your wife, when you were alone, didn’t you?’

‘Yes.’

‘And didn’t you deny to your wife what Anna said happened?’

‘Yes.’

‘And after your denial, your wife didn’t embrace you and say “forget about the whole thing,” did she, or words to that effect?’

‘No.’

‘She didn’t accuse Anna of lying, did she?’

‘No.’

‘She didn’t ask Anna to leave the house, did she?’

‘No.’

‘Isn’t it true that the one she asked to leave the house was you?’

‘Yes.’

Linda lifted an eyebrow. ‘Let’s take a new look at that Petition, Dr Alderman.’





Chapter Forty-six


Maggie, Before

The sky was still cloudy, but the air was fresh and cool, and Maggie waited on her front step, since Anna was due to be dropped off by Samantha at six o’clock. She was baking an eggplant parm for dinner, and Caleb was upstairs doing his homework. Maggie had taken him to the speech pathologist, but he hadn’t done well on his target words, bandage, accident, emergency. The stress in the house was affecting him, but she hoped they could put it behind them.

A yellow-and-black MINI Cooper pulled up at the curb, with Anna in the passenger seat. Maggie rose to meet them, checking out Samantha, who had short hair dyed bright red, big blue eyes, and an easy grin, looking cute and funky in a vintage flowy dress.

‘Hi, honey!’ Maggie gave Anna a quick hug when she got out of the car, hoisting her backpack and purse to her shoulder.

‘Hi, Mom. Why are you out here? I texted you.’

‘I know. I thought I’d come meet Samantha.’

‘Oh, okay. Mom, this is Samantha Silas.’ Anna gestured at the car, and Maggie peered inside.

‘Great to meet you, Samantha. Would you like to have dinner with us?’

‘No, thanks. I have, uh, somewhere to go.’

‘Then it’s a rain check?’

‘That would be great.’

‘Bye, Samantha!’ Anna called out, waving.

‘See you,’ Samantha called back, then pulled away.

Maggie fell into step next to Anna up the front walk. ‘She seems nice, and that was good of her to give you a ride home.’

‘Right.’ Anna looked away, and Maggie took her hand when they reached the top of the stairs.

‘Honey, can we sit down and talk?’

‘But I have so much homework and I fell asleep early last night so I’m behind.’

‘Please.’ Maggie sat down, tugging Anna gently beside her. ‘I have some apologizing to do. I’m sorry. I was concerned about Jamie.’

‘I understand.’ Anna looked more sad than angry. ‘You’re just trying to do the right thing.’

‘Yes, exactly.’ Maggie felt pleased. ‘The question is how do we accommodate Jamie’s safety and your privacy. So Noah and I are not going to call the school or her parents.’

‘Good, thank you.’ Anna met Maggie’s eye, pained. ‘I know you won’t understand this, but those girls, they never really liked me. They tolerated me, even Jamie. If you called the school or Jamie’s parents, it would be so embarrassing.’

‘I get it. That said, here’s a compromise. I’m going to ask you to get in touch with Jamie and ask her to go home or, at least, to call her parents.’

‘But I don’t know if I have her number.’ Anna frowned. ‘She probably got a new phone.’