Page 74 of Grave Danger

“I... I don’t know how to answer. I suppose so.”

The line of questioning wasn’t entirely fair, but it was plain to see that Farid’s admission of “responsibility” for Ava’s trouble with the police was a far cry from what Zahra had described to Jack at the prep sessions in his office. Zahra had been caught exaggerating, and Farid’s lawyer seemed to smell blood in the water. The pointed questions continued.

“Ms. Bazzi, earlier, when your lawyer was asking you questions, you did your best to answer, didn’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Yet you couldn’t remember a single time when Farid was abusive toward you, could you.”

“My mind is... I’m having trouble focusing.”

“Let’s be honest, Ms. Bazzi. It’s not that you can’t remember. It simply never happened. Isn’t that right?”

“Objection,” said Jack. “Argumentative, harassing.”

The judge sustained the objection, mercifully. Regardless, the record was devoid of any testimony that Farid had ever abused Zahra, which was contrary to what she had told Jack.

Beech paused, ostensibly to flip through the pages of her legal pad, but also to let the witness stew in uncomfortable silence. “I’m checking my notes,” she said.

Jack, too, did a mental check. Nerves were to be expected on the witness stand, but the disconnect between Zahra’s testimony and her private conversations with her lawyer was beginning to trouble him.

“Ah, yes, here it is,” said Beech. “Ms. Bazzi, you were quite clear that Farid never abused Yasmin or any other child. True?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

Beech flipped to the next page of her pad. “And when asked about Farid’s abuse of Ava, you said that he ‘berated’ her?”

“Yes.”

“Your testimony was that Farid ‘literally’ used a white glove to check her housecleaning. Now, ‘literally’ is one of those words that is often misused, so let me ask you this: You don’t mean that Farid was actually wearing a white glove, do you?”

“I—I don’t know if he was or not. My testimony was based on what Ava told me.”

For Jack, it was another unexpected retreat by his client. For Farid’s lawyer, it was manna from heaven.

“To be clear,” said Beech, “you weren’t actually there to see whether Farid was wearing a white glove or not?”

“No.”

“So, when you testified that Farid abused Ava, what you really meant is that Ava told you he abused her.”

“We’re sisters. Of course she told me.”

Counsel’s tone sharpened. “You don’t know if what she told you is true or not, do you?”

“Well, your question implies that Ava would lie.”

“Like the way she lied to the police about cutting her hair?”

“Objection,” said Jack.

“Sustained.”

“Let me ask it this way,” said Beech. “If Farid ever berated or abused Ava, you never actually saw it or heard it firsthand, did you, Ms. Bazzi?”

Zahra paused, seeming to recognize the importance of her response. “Ava told me it happened many, many times. It went on for years.”

“My point is, you never actually saw it with your own eyes or heard it with your own ears, did you, Ms. Bazzi?”