Found Money - James Grippando [102]
“Could it have been?” Jackson pressed.
“Objection.”
“Sustained.”
“Your Honor,” said Jackson, “I’m just trying to show that Dr. Duffy had motive to stop the deposition. He was concerned that if it went forward, Brent might tell me about the money that Dr. Duffy is trying to hide from my client.”
“The objection is sustained,” said the judge.
“No need to stretch, Mr. Jackson. You’ve made your point and tied things together. You won’t be going to jail tonight.”
“Thank you, Judge.” He checked his notes, then returned to the witness. “Mr. Langford, let’s turn back to this late-night telephone conversation with Dr. Duffy. After he told you the deposition had to be stopped, what did you say?”
“I told him I’m not a lawyer, I can’t stop the deposition from happening.”
“What did Dr. Duffy say to that?”
“He said this wasn’t about legal stuff. The only way to stop this deposition was for me to teach Liz’s lawyer a lesson.”
“Could you be more specific as to what he said?”
“Yes. I remember exactly what he said.”
“Please, tell us Dr. Duffy’s exact words.”
He blushed, as if embarrassed. “I don’t like to use profanity.”
Ryan nearly burst inside. Brent was walking profanity.
The judge added, “It is very important for us to hear Dr. Duffy’s exact words.”
“Okay. His exact words. He said, ‘Brent, I want you to beat the living shit out of that asshole Phil Jackson and teach him a lesson.’”
“What did you say?”
“I said forget it. No way.”
“How did you leave it with Dr. Duffy?”
“He got mad. He called me—a pussy. Some other things that don’t bear repeating. And then he said, ‘All right, I don’t need you. I’ll get someone else to do it.’”
“Did he say who he would get?”
“No.”
“What did you do next?”
“I didn’t know what to do. I was up the rest of the night worrying about it.”
“Why didn’t you warn Mr. Jackson?”
“That’s what I finally decided to do. I got up in the middle of the night and drove to Denver. Mind you, I was breaking ranks with my wife’s brother. It wasn’t something I could just do lightly. He’s family. I didn’t want to just call the police on him. I was going to talk to Liz and tell her about it.”
“But you didn’t get there in time.”
“No. I didn’t think Ryan would hire somebody that fast. Next thing I knew, you were in the hospital. After I heard what had happened, I got scared. I hung out in Denver that morning, not sure what to do. And then I just came home.”
“Thank you, Mr. Langford. I know it’s not easy to testify against someone in your own family. We appreciate your coming here today.”
“Cross-examination, Mr. Klusmire?”
Norm rose. “Your Honor, as I’m sure you’ve surmised, we’re surprised Mr. Langford is actually here this morning. And frankly, we’re flat-out stunned by his testimony. May I have a fifteen-minute recess to confer with my client?”
“Tell you what,” said the judge. “Take all the time you need. I was going to call a bladder break myself, but it appears the problem may run deeper than that, if you know what I mean. At all events, I’ve heard enough testimony for a Saturday. This is a preliminary hearing, and the rules don’t require me to hear everything live in the courtroom before making a ruling. In the interest of fairness, however, I will defer my ruling until five P.M. Monday. The respondent shall have until that time to submit any written affidavits he may wish the court to consider.”
“But Judge—”
“Court’s in recess,” he said with a bang of the gavel.
“All rise!” shouted the bailiff.
Ryan stood at his lawyer’s side, confused. “I don’t believe this.”
The judge disappeared into his chambers through the side door. Brent stepped down from the witness stand and hurried past the lawyers. Ryan started toward him, as if to head him off. Norm stopped him.
“Let him go,” he said quietly. “Don’t look at him, don’t look at Jackson, and don’t look at your wife. You’re bound to say something you’ll regret. And believe me, they’re taking notes.”
Ryan swallowed his anger and let him pass.
Jackson gathered his papers into his briefcase. Liz was at his side, almost hiding behind her lawyer. He paused