Love Is a Four-Legged Word (29 page)

“Objection sustained,” said Judge Eaton. “Counselor, please ensure your witness confines herself to answering the question.”

“Then I’ll repeat it,” said Tom, his jaw set. “Did you suspect an intimate physical relationship between Mr. Stoddard and Ms. Cartwright?”

“No. Walter considered her a surrogate granddaughter. His wife and the little girl he lost had red hair. Maddy was not related to them, of course not. But she brought a special kind of light to Walter’s last years. Not to mention a great many delicious meals to tempt his appetite.” She turned to glance at the judge. “She’s a chef, you know.”

“What was Madeline Cartwright’s relationship to the dog, Brutus?” asked Tom.

“She was marvelous with him. And Brutus is not . . . well, he’s not an easy dog to love.”

Maddy put her hands over Brutus’s ears. “You don’t want to hear that,” she whispered.

“What did you consider to be the most important things in Mr. Stoddard’s life?”

“Objection. Relevance,” said Zoe Wong.

“I will prove the question relevant,Your Honor,” said Tom.

Judge Eaton fixed him with a look. “Make sure it is, Counselor. Objection overruled.”

Helen took a deep breath. “It certainly wasn’t money. None of us knew he had any.”

Maddy was amused to see Helen tick off the points she made on her fingers, just like Tom did.

“The three most important things in Walter’s life were, first, Brutus. Second, his church.” She waved at the gallery. “Sorry, Father Andrew, to list you second to a dog, but it’s a fact.” She faced Tom again. “Third was Maddy, who brought him a grand-fatherly joy he thought he’d never have.”

Maddy’s heart turned over. She had been so fond of Walter. He had been such a good, kind man. He did not deserve this public raking over of his life. All because of Jerome’s unscrupulous greed.

“Were you surprised at the contents of Mr. Stoddard’s will?” Tom asked.

Helen O’Brien shook her head. “No. It was exactly how Walter would have wanted things.”

Maddy sensed that the mood in the courtroom had subtly shifted—just as the smug complacence had all but vanished from Jerome’s face. It was the doctor’s revelation about the side effects of Walter’s medication that had done it. Now she could hold her head high again. The only damning looks coming her way were from Jerome.

Then it was her turn to take the stand. Even though Tom had coached her on what to do, her heart was pounding and her mouth dry.

She left Brutus with Helen and approached the witness stand on leaden legs. Her voice didn’t want to work as she swore the oath and the court official had to ask her to speak up. She kept her hands clasped together to stop them from trembling.

“Ms. Cartwright,” said Tom, “were you aware that Walter Stoddard was a multimillionaire?”

She shook her head. “No. I had no idea. Nobody did.”

“Did you at any time discuss with him the terms of his will?”

“Never.” Her voice grew stronger with each answer. All she had to do was tell the truth.

“Did you agree you would adopt the dog Brutus after Mr. Stoddard’s death?”

“Yes. Walter was terrified Brutus would end up being eutha nized at a shelter.”

“Did he discuss financial recompense for your care of the dog?”

She shook her head. “No. It was my understanding I would feed and look after Brutus using my own money. I was happy to do that.”

“That will be all, thank you, Ms. Cartwright. Your witness, Ms.Wong.”

Maddy swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. In her own way, Jerome’s attorney was as formidable as the judge.

“Ms. Cartwright, do you consider yourself to be a close friend of the O’Brien family?”

“No! I mean . . . well . . . Mrs. O’Brien was a friend of Walter’s and . . . she visited him along with the other church ladies. I met her then.” Her eyes darted to Tom and back to Zoe Wong.

“Isn’t it true, Ms. Cartwright, that in the weeks before Walter Stoddard’s death you plotted with his attorney, Tom O’Brien, to influence the old man to leave—?”

“Objection!”Tom leapt to his feet. “That’s an unsubstantiated allegation.”

“Objection sustained,” said the judge. She directed her beady gaze at Zoe Wong. “Be very careful of where you’re going, Counselor.”

Maddy’s cheeks burned scarlet. “I had never even met Tom O’Brien.”

“And now, Ms. Cartwright?” said Zoe Wong. “Are you dating your attorney?”

Before Maddy had a chance to stutter an answer,Tom was on his feet again. “Objection,” he said. “Irrelevant.”

Maddy heaved a sigh of relief that turned into a gasp at the judge’s next words.

“Objection overruled,” said Judge Eaton. “Answer the question, Ms. Cartwright.”

Now even the tips of Maddy’s ears burned. She ached to look to Tom for guidance. But that would only add fuel to Zoe Wong’s accusation.

Instead she took a deep, steadying breath.
Just tell the truth
. “Tom and I . . . Yes. We’ve gotten close. But only very recently.”

“So how do you explain the newspaper photograph of you and Mr. O’Brien kissing passionately just days after Walter Stoddard died?”

Maddy felt paralyzed by panic. Damn Jerome and his gutter press pals.“But I’d never met him before Walter died. I swear I—”

“No further questions,” said Jerome’s attorney.

Maddy made her way back to her seat, took Brutus from Helen, and sat down. She felt bad about the way she had answered the last question. Had she made it worse for Tom? She chewed on her lower lip. Surely that must be it for their case? Would the judge take long to make her decision?

But Tom was not finished yet.

 

 

 

Tom approached the bench. “Your Honor, my final evidence is in the form of a video presentation.”

A gratifying murmur of interest hummed through the courtroom. Court officers adjusted a large, flat-screen monitor at the front of the courtroom and a number of smaller monitors throughout.

Tom made his voice very grave. “Your Honor, when Walter Stoddard discussed his final wishes with me, I knew any resulting will could be contentious. I took the precaution of interviewing my client on the day the will was executed.”

That was the “bulletproofing” he had mentioned to Maddy. In hindsight it was the smartest thing he’d done all year.

He pointed a remote control at the monitor. The screen flickered into life. “Your Honor,” said Tom, unable to completely suppress a note of triumph from his voice, “my final witness, the late Mr.Walter Stoddard.”

The courtroom went deathly still.Tom could not help a very unprofessional inner gloating at Jerome Stoddard’s ashen expression. But when he saw the grief etched on Maddy’s face as Walter appeared on the screen, his heart went out to her. He sobered and turned back to the screen.

The professional video producer Tom’s firm had employed had done an excellent job. The opening shot was of Walter in animated discussion with Tom and the two expert witnesses, the doctor and the psychiatrist. Then it cut to Walter, sitting at the boardroom table of Jackson, Jones, and Gentry.

The old man turned to look directly into the camera. Tall, but stooped with the burden of eighty-two years, he was thin from the ravages of the illness that would claim his life just four weeks after the filming. But intelligence shone from his eyes and determination from the set of his jaw.

When he spoke his voice was strong and confident. “Good morning,” he said. “If you’re watching this, you know I’m long gone.”

A stifled sob came from Maddy’s direction. Tom couldn’t help turning to her, saw her wiping tears from under her eyes. Brutus sat statue still, his back paws resting on Maddy’s knees, his front paws balanced on the edge of the table. Ears pricked up, he stared intently at the screen and whimpered deep in his throat.

Walter’s image continued: “I’m here to prove I’m not a crazy man.” He chuckled. “And that I knew exactly what I was doing when I made my will.” He leaned closer to the camera. “I’m leaving some money to my church, and the rest in trust to the best young friend a man and his dog could ever have. I know Maddy will look after Brutus, and I hope she will use the money to give herself a good life, too.”

Tom saw Jerome in urgent, whispered consultation with his attorney. He was gesticulating wildly with his hands. The veneer was definitely cracking.

“You might wonder why I never told any of you that I had money,” said Walter. “It couldn’t help me save my daughter’s life, so I never made a whole lot of fuss about it.”

The old man coughed, then reached for a glass of water from the table. He sipped and put the glass back. “And I don’t want another penny of it going to that Jerome. Why, I put that boy through private school with never a word of thanks. Then he shows up here two weeks ago with his slimy ways trying to squeeze more out of me. I gave him ten thousand bucks to get him out of my hair.” He leaned forward. “Not another penny, Jerome. Find some other scheme to pay your debts.”

Jerome leapt to his feet and cursed viciously.

“Control your client, Ms. Wong,” said the judge without taking her eyes off of the screen.

In the final scene of the video, Walter leaned back in his chair. “Maddy, honey, this is a message just for you.”

Tom couldn’t take his eyes off Maddy. Eyes reddened with tears, she was staring, entranced, at the screen. Brutus strained forward toward the monitor. A low but audible whimper vibrated through him. Tom wondered why the judge let that go without comment.

“Maddy,” continued Walter, “the money will change your life, and I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you about that. But remember what I always told you. It’s not right for a special young lady like you to live her life alone. You go find you that good man.”

Walter’s image faded from the screen. But before Tom or anyone else had a chance to say anything, Brutus threw back his head and howled at the top of his doggy voice. The desolate cry echoed eerily through the courtroom.

Judge Eaton stared at Brutus. Tom tensed, expecting another reprimand. But the judge surprised him. “Amen to that,” she said to the little dog.

Maddy gathered Brutus back into her arms. Tom was aware of her comforting the little animal throughout his and Zoe Wong’s closing addresses.The video would have been a shock to her, too. He wished he could hug and comfort her.

By the time the judge prepared to speak, Brutus had settled down into the occasional snuffle.

With her short, gray hair and piercing eyes, Judge Eaton was a formidable presence on the bench. “I intend to make an immediate ruling on this case,” she pronounced, again to Tom’s surprise. He expected her to take more time to deliberate.

“It appears to me,” she said, “that there is proof by a preponderance of evidence that the late Walter Stoddard was in sound mind at the time his will was executed. He was not coerced into any decisions. Therefore, I rule that the will is held valid and shall proceed to probate. My decision is final.” She banged her gavel.

“All rise,” intoned the court official.

The courtroom erupted into a cacophony of sound. Brutus leapt out of Maddy’s arms and sat at her feet, his tail thumping the ground. Tom pulled Maddy into a hug and swung her around in the air. “We did it,” he cried.

But Stoddard crossed the room in just a few quick steps. The moment Maddy let go of Brutus, the Englishman pounced. With a roar of outrage that distorted his features from any semblance of good looks, he grabbed the startled animal. Brutus yelped but Stoddard pressed him to his chest with one hand while the other yanked back on the dog’s new collar.

“No one cheats me out of what is mine. Especially a filthy mongrel. I’ll finish you off this time, you cur.”

“Let go of the dog,” shouted the judge, “or I’ll find you in contempt of court.”

Stoddard ignored her. Brutus started to choke and splutter as the collar tightened around his throat.

 

 

 

For a split second Maddy stood paralyzed by shock. Then she grabbed the metal water jug from the defense table and whacked Jerome over the shoulder with it. Icy water cascaded down his back.

“You bitch,” he screamed. But he loosened his hold on Brutus.The little dog seized his chance to turn his head and bite his captor on the hand. With an outraged bellow, Jerome dropped him. Maddy lunged forward but only managed to deflect Brutus’s fall, not stop it. He landed on his back with an audible thud on the hard courtroom floor and lay very still.

“Brutus!” She fell to her knees.

Jerome didn’t even glance at the prone dog. “This is all your fault, O’Brien,” he spat. “You and your damn whore.”

Maddy looked up and gasped as Jerome made a wild swing at Tom with his left, unbitten hand. But Tom rocked back out of range of Jerome’s flailing fist and it slid ineffectively past his chin.

Then Jerome struck at Tom with his right. Tom reacted so fast it was like a blur to Maddy. Sidestepping effortlessly, Tom parried the blow and simultaneously grabbed Jerome by his right wrist. Jerome grunted.

“Go,Tom!” Maddy urged under her breath.

Jerome yelped as Tom twisted his arm until it was outstretched with the elbow locked straight. Then Tom used his free hand to push against Jerome’s straightened elbow, forcing his opponent to hunch down toward the floor. “Move and your elbow will snap,” said Tom.

Maddy didn’t usually like to see another human being held helpless and humiliated. But in this case she rejoiced. If she hadn’t been tending to the seemingly unconscious but still breathing Brutus, she would have joined in the fray.

She longed to kick Jerome with her stiletto right where it hurt a guy the most. Once for the cemetery stunt. Once for the T-bone. Once for the chocolate bar. And once more just for good measure.

By this time the armed court deputies had reached the bench. “You’re welcome to this dog-murdering scum,” said Tom. He steered Jerome toward the waiting arms of the law.