The Reversal

married. He said we would work together as a team and share everything, that he would protect me and that we could never be forced to testify against each other if we got arrested.”
    “And what did working together as a team mean in that circumstance?”
    “Well, I… he wanted me to sell myself so we would have money to buy drugs and to have a motel room.”
    “Did you do that for Eddie?”
    “For a little bit of time. And then I got arrested.”
    “Did Eddie bail you out?”
    “No.”
    “Did he come to court?”
    “No.”
    “Your record shows you pleaded guilty to soliciting and were sentenced to time served, is that correct?”
    “Yes.”
    “How long was that?”
    “I think it was thirteen days.”
    “And was Eddie there waiting when you got out of jail?”
    “No.”
    “Did you ever see him again?”
    “No, I didn’t.”
    Maggie checked her notes, flipped up a couple pages and found what she was looking for.
    “Okay, Sarah, you mentioned several times during your testimony earlier today that you did not remember specific dates and occurrences that Mr. Royce asked you about during the time you were a drug user. Is that a fair characterization?”
    “Yes, that’s true.”
    “During all of those years of drug abuse and counseling and incarceration, were you ever able to forget what happened to your sister, Melissa?”
    “No, never. I thought about it every day. I still do.”
    “Were you ever able to forget about the man who crossed your front yard and grabbed your sister while you watched from the bushes?”
    “No, never. I thought about him every day and still do.”
    “Have you ever had a moment of doubt about the man you identified as your sister’s abductor?”
    “No.”
    Maggie turned and pointedly looked at Jessup, who was looking down at a legal pad and writing what were probably meaningless notes. Her eyes held on him and she waited. Just as Jessup looked up to see what was holding up the testimony she asked her last question.
    “Never a single doubt, Sarah?”
    “No, never.”
    “Thank you, Sarah. No further questions.”

Thirty-eight
    Thursday, April 8, 10:35 A.M .
    T he judge followed Sarah Gleason’s testimony by announcing the midmorning break. Bosch waited in his seat at the railing until Royce and Jessup got up and started to file out. He then stood and moved against the grain to get to his witness. As he passed by Jessup he clapped him hard on the arm.
    “I think your makeup’s starting to run, Jason.”
    He said it with a smile as he went by.
    Jessup stopped and turned and was about to respond to the taunt when Royce grabbed him by the other arm and kept him going.
    Bosch moved forward to collect Gleason from the witness stand. After parts of two days on the stand, she looked like she was both emotionally and physically drained. Like she might need help just getting up from the chair.
    “Sarah, you did great,” he told her.
    “Thank you. I couldn’t tell if anybody believed me.”
    “They all did, Sarah. They all did.”
    He walked her back to the prosecution table, where Haller and McPherson had similar reviews of her testimony. McPherson got up out of her seat and hugged her.
    “You stood up to Jessup and you stood up for your sister,” she said. “You can be proud of that for the rest of your life.”
    Gleason suddenly burst into tears and held her hand over her eyes. McPherson quickly pulled her back into the hug.
    “I know, I know. You’ve held it together and stayed strong. It’s okay to let it go now.”
    Bosch walked over to the jury box and grabbed the box of tissues. He brought them to Gleason and she wiped away her tears.
    “You’re almost done,” Haller said to her. “You’ve totally finished testifying so now all we want you to do is sit in court and observe the trial. We want you to sit up here in the front row when Eddie Roman testifies. After that, we can put you on a plane home this afternoon.”
    “Okay, but why?”
    “Because he’s going to tell lies about you. And if he is going to do that, then he’s going to have to tell them to your face.”
    “I don’t think he’s going to have a problem with that. He never did.”
    “Well, then, the jury will want to see how you react. And how he’ll react. And don’t worry, we’ve got something else cooking that’ll make Eddie feel some heat.”
    At that, Haller turned to Bosch.
    “You ready with this?”
    “Just give me the sign.”
    “Can I ask something?” Gleason