Deadline (Sandra Brown)

for the court?”
    “Amelia Nolan.”
    “That’s your maiden name?”
    “Yes. Following my divorce from Jeremy, I reverted to using it.”
    He smiled. “Nolan is an honorable name in this state.”
    “Thank you.”
    He glanced over his shoulder toward the defense table. “Ms. Nolan, do you recognize the defendant?”
    For the first time since entering the courtroom, she looked toward Willard Strong. He sat with his shoulders hunched, his eyes peering at her from beneath the ledge of his prominent brow. His hair had been neatly combed. He was dressed in a suit that appeared to be two sizes too small. If she had to use a single word to describe him, it would be brutish .
    She acknowledged recognition. “Jeremy introduced us.”
    “When did this initial meeting take place?”
    “February twenty-second of 2011.”
    “You recall the exact date?”
    “It was my older son, Hunter’s, fourth birthday.”
    “Can you please tell the court the circumstances of this meeting?”
    “Jeremy and I were separated. I had temporary custody of our two sons while our divorce was pending, but I had agreed to let Jeremy attend Hunter’s party. When he arrived, Willard and Darlene Strong were with him.”
    “You hadn’t met them before then?”
    “No, but I knew their names. Jeremy had talked about them.”
    “How would you describe them that morning?”
    “You mean—”
    “The condition of the three when they arrived at your home.”
    “They were intoxicated.”
    The defense counsel stood. “Objection.”
    “I’ll rephrase,” Jackson said before the judge could rule. “Ms. Nolan, did you get the impression that the three of them had been drinking excessively?”
    Gleason was about to object again, when the judge held up her hand. “Ms. Nolan may answer.”
    Jackson motioned for her to proceed.
    “I’d seen Jeremy intoxicated before,” she said. “Many times. He wasn’t a pleasant and happy drunk. On the contrary. So I’d started watching for the signs. When he arrived for the party, I saw right away that his eyes were bloodshot. His smile was more like a sneer. His attitude was aggressive. The three of them laughed…” She paused, but could think of no other words that would adequately describe them. “They laughed drunkenly and inappropriately.”
    “What time of day was this?”
    “The party was scheduled for noon. They got there shortly before that.”
    “Did you confront Mr. Wesson about these visible signs of intoxication?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did he offer an explanation?”
    “He said they’d come straight from a party of their own, that they’d been celebrating all night.”
    “‘They?’ He, Mr. Strong, and Mr. Strong’s wife?”
    “Objection. Leading the witness.”
    Jackson acknowledged the judge’s ruling in favor of Gleason’s objection, but he’d got his point across to the jury. The party referred to had been among the three of them exclusively.
    Out the corner of her eye, Amelia saw Willard Strong mutter something to his lawyer. Gleason sternly shook his head as though admonishing him to keep quiet. It made her shudder to surmise what he might have said, but she seriously doubted that it could have been flattering to her.
    Jackson continued. “I think the jury will agree that we’ve established that the defendant, his wife, and your estranged husband showed up drunk to your son’s birthday party. Could you please tell the court what happened next?”
    She put herself back into that scene, seeing again Jeremy’s insolent grin. “I asked Jeremy to leave. Other guests had already arrived. They were in the courtyard at the side of the house. I was embarrassed for Jeremy, for myself.”
    “How did he respond to your request that he leave?”
    “He became belligerent. He said that he had a right to see his son on his birthday, and that I wasn’t going to stop him from doing so.”
    Gleason came to his feet. “Your Honor, I object. Why is this testimony relevant to this trial?”
    “I’m getting to the relevance,” Jackson calmly replied.
    “Objection overruled,” the judge said, but she asked Jackson to move it along.
    He nodded and turned back to Amelia. “For the sake of time and defense counsel’s limited patience, can you tell us how this confrontation was resolved?”
    “I told Jeremy that he wasn’t fit to be around children. Or anyone for that matter. I ordered him to leave. He refused. So I threatened to call the police. I also threatened to get a