Just Take My Heart - Mary Higgins Clark [30]
But I bet she didn't mind that I tossed in that line about not ever hurting a hair on anyone's head, Jimmy thought. His expression now serious, he looked at Emily. Sometimes when she interviewed him in jail, she had worn her hair pinned up. Today it was loose on her shoulders, but not sloppy loose, just every strand even, kind of like a waterfall. She was wearing a pants suit in a kind of deep blue color, almost the same shade as her eyes. There was no doubt that she was a good-looking broad. He had heard from some of the guys that she could be one tough cookie if she was out to get you, but she wasn't out to get him, that was for sure.
“Mr. Easton, do you know the defendant, Gregg Aldrich?”
Jimmy closed his lips on the answer he would otherwise have given. “You bet I do.” Instead, keeping his tone low but audible, he answered, “Yes, I do.”
“When did you meet Mr. Aldrich?”
“Two and a half years ago, on March second.”
“Under what circumstances did you meet Mr. Aldrich?”
“I was in Vinnie's-on-Broadway. That's a bar on West Forty-sixth Street, in Manhattan.”
“What time were you there?”
“It was about six thirty or so. I was having a drink and the guy on the stool next to me asked me to pass the dish of nuts, so I did. But first I picked out a couple of the salted almonds and he said those were his favorites, too, and we got to talking.”
“Did you exchange names?”
“Yeah. I told him I was Jimmy Easton and he said he was Gregg Aldrich.”
“Is Mr. Aldrich in this courtroom?” “Sure he is. I mean, yes.”
“Will you please point to him and briefly describe what he is wearing?”
Jimmy pointed to the defendant's table. “He's the one in the mid?dle sitting between the other two guys. He's wearing a gray suit and blue tie.”
“The record will reflect that Mr. Easton has identified Mr. Al?drich,” Judge Stevens said.
Emily resumed her questioning. “Did you strike up a conversa?tion with Gregg Aldrich, Mr. Easton?”
“I think I'd put it this way. Aldrich started talking to me. He had half a bag on — ”
“Objection!” Moore shouted.
“Sustained,” Judge Stevens said, then added, “Mr. Easton, please just answer the question that is posed.”
Jimmy tried to look repentant. “Okay.” He caught Emily's look and hastily added, “Your Honor.”
“Mr. Easton, in your own words will you please describe the con?versation you had with Mr. Aldrich?” This is it, Emily thought. My case begins and ends here.
“Well, you see,” Jimmy began, “we had both had a couple of drinks and we both were kind of down in the dumps. I don't usually talk about being in jail, you know, it's kind of embarrassing, but I'd been looking for a job all day long and been turned down all over the place, so I told Aldrich it was hard for a guy like me to go straight even if I wanted to.”
Jimmy shifted in the witness chair. “Which I do,” he assured the courtroom.
“How did Gregg Aldrich react to your telling him that?”
“At first he didn't. He took out his cell phone and pushed a num?ber. A woman answered. When she knew it was him, she got mad. I mean she was screaming so loud I could hear her. She yelled, 'Gregg, leave me alone!' Then she must have hung up, because he got flustered-looking and I could tell he was mad as hell. Then he looked at me and said, 'That was my wife. I could kill her!' ”
“Will you repeat that, Mr. Easton?” Emily asked.
“He looked at me and said, 'That was my wife. I could kill her!' ”
“Gregg Aldrich said, 'That was my wife. I could kill her!' ” Emily repeated slowly, wanting the words to sink in with the jury.
“Yeah.”
“And that conversation took place around six thirty on March second, two and a half years ago.”
“Yeah.”
Emily stole a look at Gregg Aldrich. He was shaking his head as though he could not believe what he had just heard. She could see the perspiration forming on his forehead. Moore was whispering something to him, obviously trying to calm him down. It won't work, she thought. I've barely scratched the surface.
“Mr. Easton, what was your reaction when Mr. Aldrich