A Darkness More Than Night - Michael Connelly [100]
“I don’t know. Maybe one. Maybe none.”
“Maybe none,” Fowkkes repeated. “And, Ms. Gilley, how many of those weeks would you say your roommate had at least two dates?”
Langwiser objected again but was overruled again.
“I don’t know the answer,” Gilley said. “A lot of them.”
“A lot of them,” Fowkkes repeated.
Langwiser rose and asked the judge to direct Fowkkes not to repeat the witness’s answer unless it was in the form of a question. The judge complied and Fowkkes went on as if he had not been corrected at all.
“Were these dates all with the same fellow?”
“No. Different guys mostly. A few repeats.”
“So she liked to play the field, is that correct?”
“I guess so.”
“Is that a yes or no, Ms. Gilley?”
“It’s a yes.”
“Thank you. In the ten weeks prior to her death, weeks in which you said she most often had at least two dates, how many different men did she see?”
Gilley shook her head in exasperation.
“I have no idea. I didn’t count them. Besides, what does this have to do —”
“Thank you, Ms. Gilley. I would appreciate it if you would just answer the questions I pose to you.”
He waited. She said nothing.
“Now, did Jody ever encounter difficulties when she stopped dating a man? When she moved on to the next?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean were all the men happy not to have a return engagement?”
“Sometimes they’d get mad if she didn’t want to go out again. Nothing serious.”
“No threats of violence? She wasn’t afraid of anyone?”
“Not that she told me about.”
“Did she tell you about every man she dated?”
“No.”
“Now, on these dates, did she often bring the men back to the home you two shared?”
“Sometimes.”
“Did they stay over?”
“Sometimes, I don’t know.”
“You often weren’t there, is that correct?”
“Yes, I often stayed at my boyfriend’s.”
“Why is that?”
She gave a short laugh.
“Because I love him.”
“Well, did you ever stay together overnight at your home?”
“I don’t remember him ever staying over.”
“Why is that?”
“I guess because he lives alone. It was more private.”
“Isn’t it true, Ms. Gilley, that you stayed overnight several times a week at your boyfriend’s home?”
“Sometimes. So what?”
“And that this was because you were unhappy with your roommate’s constant procession of overnight guests.”
Langwiser stood up.
“Your Honor, that’s not even a question. I object to its form and content. Jody Krementz’s lifestyle is not on trial here. David Storey is on trial for her murder and it’s not fair for the defense to be allowed to go after someone who —”
“Okay, Ms. Langwiser, that’s enough,” Judge Houghton said. He looked over at Fowkkes. “Mr. Fowkkes, that’s about all the string I’m going to allow you to run with in that direction. Ms. Langwiser makes her point. I want you to move on with this witness.”
Fowkkes nodded. Bosch studied him. He was a perfect actor. In his demeanor he was able to convey the frustration of a man being pulled back from a hidden truth. He wondered if the jury would see it as an act.
“Very well, Your Honor,” Fowkkes said, putting the frustration into the inflection of his voice. “I have no further questions for this witness at this time.”
The judge adjourned for the afternoon break of fifteen minutes. Bosch ushered Gilley through the reporters, down the elevator and out to her car. He told her she had done very well and handled Fowkkes’s cross-examination perfectly. He then joined Kretzler and Langwiser in the second-floor DA’s office where the prosecution team had a temporary office during the trial. There was a small coffeemaker in the room and it was half-filled with coffee brewed during the morning break. There wasn’t enough time for a fresh brew so they all drank the stale coffee while Kretzler and Langwiser considered the progress of the day.
“I think the she’s-a-whore defense is going to backfire on them big time,” Langwiser said. “They have to have more than that.”
“He’s just trying to show there were a lot of men,” Kretzler said. “And it could have been any of them. The shotgun defense. You shoot a lot