After Anna(69)
‘Regardless, it was filed by Anna. My wife had to sign only because Anna was a minor.’
‘Dr Alderman, are you suggesting that your wife didn’t agree with the allegations that Anna made in the Petition?’
‘Yes, they were Anna’s allegations, and my wife only signed to enable Anna to file, like a cosigner.’
Linda’s eyes flew open. ‘Is a young girl trying to protect herself from sexual abuse like somebody getting a car loan?’
‘No, I was trying to explain. It’s an analogy.’
Linda nodded to her paralegal. ‘I’m going to call to the screen the very last page of the Petition. Please read it yourself and we’ll discuss it.’
Noah turned:
VERIFICATION: I verify that I am the Petitioner designated in the present action and that the facts and statements contained in the above Petition are true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statements are made subject to the penalties of 18 Pa.C.S.A. section 4904, relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.
Margaret Ippoliti
Anna Desroches
‘Dr Alderman, isn’t it true that two signatures appear there, Anna’s and your wife’s?’
‘Yes.’
‘Your wife was smart enough to understand that she was subjecting herself to penalties of perjury if she signed a Petition she believed to be false, wasn’t she?’
‘Yes.’
‘So isn’t it true that your wife’s signature on the Petition shows that she believed the allegations to be “true and correct”?’
‘No, because you have to consider that the PFA Order was not issued. After the hearing, my lawyer and I went to the attorneys’ conference room to await Judge Hamilton’s decision, but there was a knock on the door. We assumed it was the bailiff telling us that the judge had decided, but it was my wife. She initiated a settlement, which I think shows that she was ambivalent about whether Anna’s allegations were true.’
Linda scoffed, her impatience plain. ‘Dr Alderman, isn’t it true that you settled Anna’s Petition because you knew that Judge Hamilton was going to issue a PFA Order against you?’
‘No.’
Linda shot him a skeptical look. ‘Why would you settle if you thought you were going to win?’
‘I settled because it made sense for all of us.’
‘Dr Alderman, wouldn’t it have been a disaster for your medical practice as a pediatric allergist if a PFA Order had been issued against you for sexual abuse of Anna, a minor?’
‘Yes.’
‘So it was consistent with your self-interest to settle, was it not?’
‘Yes,’ Noah had to admit.
‘And isn’t it true that under the settlement, Anna agreed to withdraw her Petition, and you agreed to leave the home voluntarily?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you rented a carriage house in Haverford the very next day, which ultimately became the crime scene, isn’t that correct?’
‘Yes.’ Noah cringed.
‘Dr Alderman, isn’t it true that Anna did not seek nor did she receive any money damages in return for withdrawal of her Petition against you?’
‘Yes.’ Noah didn’t elaborate, though Linda knew full well that damages weren’t available in PFA actions.
‘So isn’t it true that the only thing that Anna stood to gain by her PFA Petition is that you would leave the house?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why would Anna want you out of the house if you hadn’t sexually abused her?’
‘I don’t know,’ Noah said, hearing the jury shifting.
Chapter Forty-eight
Maggie, Before
Maggie passed that night feeling apart from Noah, who worked in the basement while she was on her laptop in the bedroom. Both kids were on their laptops in their bedrooms. By bedtime, she realized that none of them had looked at anything but a computer for the entire night, but they all needed a cooling-off period, especially her.
The next morning, Noah left for work, Caleb took the bus to school, and Anna was picked up by Samantha. Maggie went to Mike Wilson’s funeral, where she sat with Noah, though they arrived separately since he’d come from the office with the others. She and Noah greeted a grief-stricken Dina and Steve Wilson in the receiving line, and Maggie continued to feel withdrawn during the heartbreaking service, though she didn’t reach for Noah’s hand and he didn’t reach for hers. When the service was over, she kissed him dryly on the cheek, but he barely met her eye.
In the afternoon she busied herself painting color samples on white canvases to make it easier for Anna to choose a bedroom color, then she prepared dinner, spaghetti with pesto sauce and a fresh Caprese salad, thick slices of beefsteak tomato and soft buffalo mozzarella covered with chopped fresh basil, drizzled with overpriced balsamic and olive oil. Anna texted be home at 6 and stoked to drive , which made Maggie feel better.
They all sat down to dinner at the usual time, but other than that, nothing else about the mealtime was typical. Noah seemed unusually silent, perhaps the aftermath of Mike’s funeral, and Caleb was also quiet. Maggie carried the conversational ball, asking both kids about their school day, but only Anna responded with enthusiasm, then she and Noah left together for the driving lesson.