The Jodi Picoult Collection #3 Read online

  As soon as the jury was dismissed, the courtroom erupted in a roar of questions. Reporters swam up the stream of onlookers toward the bar, hoping to corral Jordan for a quote. He grabbed his briefcase and hurried out the back door, the one through which the bailiffs were taking Peter.

  “Hold it,” he called out. He jogged closer to the men, who stood with Peter between them, his hands cuffed. “I have to talk to my client about Monday.”

  The bailiffs looked at each other, and then at Jordan. “Two minutes,” they said, but they didn’t step away. If Jordan wanted to talk to Peter, this was the only circumstance in which he was going to do it.

  Peter’s face was flushed, beaming. “Did I do a good job?”

  Jordan hesitated, fishing for a string of words. “Did you say what you wanted to say?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then you did a really good job,” Jordan said.

  He stood in the hallway and watched the bailiffs lead Peter away. Just before he turned the corner, Peter lifted his conjoined hands, a wave. Jordan nodded, his hands in his pockets.

  He slipped out of the jail through a rear door and walked past three media vans with satellite dishes perched on the top like enormous white birds. Through the back window of each van, Jordan could see the producers editing video for the evening news. His face was on every television monitor.

  He passed the last van and heard, through the open window, Peter’s voice. The game’s not over yet.

  Jordan hiked his briefcase over his shoulder and walked a little faster. “Oh, yes it is,” he said.

  * * *

  Selena had made her husband what he referred to as the Executioner’s Meal, the same thing she served him each night before a closing argument: roast goose, as in, Your goose is cooked. With Sam already in bed, she slipped a plate in front of Jordan and then sat down across from him. “I don’t even really know what to say,” she admitted.

  Jordan pushed the food away. “I’m not ready for this yet.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I can’t end the case with that.”

  “Baby,” Selena pointed out, “after today, you couldn’t save this case with an entire squad of firefighters.”

  “I can’t just give up. I told Peter he had a chance.” He turned his anguished face up to Selena’s. “I was the one who let him get up on the stand, even though I knew better. There’s got to be something I can do . . . something I can say so that Peter’s testimony isn’t the last one the jury’s left with.”

  Selena sighed and reached for the dinner plate. She took Jordan’s knife and fork and cut herself a piece, dipped it in cherry sauce. “This is some damn fine goose, Jordan,” she said. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  “The witness list,” Jordan said, standing up and rummaging through a stack of papers on the other end of the dining room table. “There’s got to be someone we haven’t called who can help us.” He scanned the names. “Who’s Louise Herrman?”

  “Peter’s third-grade teacher,” Selena said, her mouth full.

  “Why the hell is she on the witness list?”

  “She called us,” Selena said. “She told us that if we needed her, she’d be willing to testify that he was a good boy in third grade.”

  “Well, that’s not going to work. I need someone recent.” He sighed. “There’s nobody else here . . .” Flipping to the second page, he saw a single, final name typed. “Except Josie Cormier,” Jordan said slowly.

  Selena put down her fork. “You’re calling Alex’s daughter?”

  “Since when do you call Judge Cormier Alex?”

  “The girl doesn’t remember anything.”

  “Well, I’m completely screwed. Maybe she remembers something now. Let’s bring her in and see if she’ll talk.”

  Selena sifted through the piles of papers that covered the serving table, the fireplace mantel, the top of Sam’s walker. “Here’s her statement,” she said, handing it to Jordan.

  The first page was the affidavit that Judge Cormier had brought him—the one that said Jordan wouldn’t put Josie on the stand because she didn’t know anything. The second was the most recent interview the girl had given to Patrick Ducharme. “They’ve been friends since kindergarten.”

  “Were friends.”

  “I don’t care. Diana’s already laid the groundwork here—Peter had a crush on Josie; he killed her boyfriend. If we can get her to say something nice about him—maybe even to show that she forgives him—it will carry weight with the jury.” He stood up. “I’m going back to the courthouse,” he said. “I need a subpoena.”

  * * *

  When the doorbell rang on Saturday morning, Josie was still in her pajamas. She’d slept like the dead, which wasn’t surprising, because she hadn’t managed to sleep well all week. Her dreams were full of highways that carried only wheelchairs; of combination locks with no numbers; of beauty queens without faces.

  She was the only person left sitting in the sequestered witness room, which meant that this was nearly over; that soon, she’d be able to breathe again.

  Josie opened the door to find the tall, stunning African-American woman who was married to Jordan McAfee smiling at her, holding out a piece of paper. “I need to give you this, Josie,” she said. “Is your mom home?”

  Josie took the folded blue note. Maybe it was like a cast party for the end of the trial. That would be kind of cool. She called for her mother over her shoulder. Alex appeared with Patrick trailing behind.

  “Oh,” Selena said, blinking.

  Unflappable, her mother folded her arms. “What’s going on?”

  “Judge, I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but my husband was wondering if Josie might be free to speak to him today.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s subpoenaed Josie to testify on Monday.”

  The room started to spin. “Testify?” Josie repeated.

  Her mother stepped forward, and from the look on her face, she probably would have done serious damage if Patrick hadn’t wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her back. He plucked the blue paper out of Josie’s hand and scanned it.

  “I can’t go to court,” Josie murmured.

  Her mother shook her head. “You have a signed affidavit from Josie stating that she doesn’t remember anything—”

  “I know you’re upset. But the reality is, Jordan’s calling Josie on Monday, and we’d rather talk to her about her testimony beforehand than have her come in cold. It’s better for us, and it’s better for Josie.” She hesitated. “You can do it the hard way, Judge, or you can do it this way.”

  Josie’s mother clenched her jaw. “Two o’clock,” she gritted out, and she slammed the door in Selena’s face.

  “You promised,” Josie cried. “You promised me I didn’t have to get up there and testify. You said I wouldn’t have to do this!”

  Her mother grabbed her by the shoulders. “Honey, I know this is scary. I know you don’t want to be there. But nothing you say is going to help him. It’s going to be very short and painless.” She glanced at Patrick. “Why the hell is he doing this?”

  “Because his case is in the toilet,” Patrick said. “He wants Josie to save it.”

  That was all it took: Josie burst into tears.

  * * *

  Jordan opened the door of his office, carrying Sam like a football in his arms. It was two o’clock on the dot, and Josie Cormier and her mother had arrived. Judge Cormier looked about as inviting as a sheer cliff wall; by contrast, her daughter was shaking like a leaf. “Thanks for coming,” he said, pasting an enormous, friendly smile on his face. Above all else, he wanted Josie to feel at ease.

  Neither of the women said a word.

  “I’m sorry about this,” Jordan said, gesturing toward Sam. “My wife was supposed to be here by now to get the baby so that we could talk, but a logging truck overturned on Route 10.” He stretched his smile wider. “It should only be a minute.”

  He