Fatal Convictions

90

Taj Deegan rested her case, and for the second time, Alex was confronted with giving an opening statement that suddenly seemed irrelevant. This time he had no choice.

He stood and faced the jury, clutching his legal pad. He followed his notes and summarized the evidence in favor of Khalid Mobassar. But the question on everyone’s mind had now shifted. How does the affair fit into this puzzle? Alex felt like everyone had the same sense of the matter he did-the key to the mystery was right in front of them but somehow just out of reach.

He finished his planned opening, walked back to his counsel table, and left his notepad there. He turned toward the jury, contemplative, as if he had just thought of one more thing.

“I’m still trying to process the testimony we just heard, and you probably are as well. What does it all mean? I don’t have that figured out yet, but there is one thing I know for sure. When Ghaniyah Mobassar sat right there on that witness stand and told her husband that she was sorry, that was no act. It wasn’t technically part of her testimony, but I know some of you saw her say that.”

Alex was standing next to his client, and he put a hand on the back of Khalid’s neck. The imam was studying the table in front of him, too embarrassed to even look at the jury.

“And when I saw the look on my client’s face during this afternoon’s testimony, I knew it was the first time he had heard about the affair. Many of you glanced at him. Judge for yourselves. Was this the first time that Khalid Mobassar heard about this? And if so, how could Fatih Mahdi possibly be telling the truth?”

Alex took his seat, leaving them to ponder that question. Under the circumstances, it was the best he could do.***

After a brief smoking recess, the judge told Alex to call his first witness. There was only an hour left in the day, and Alex and Shannon still couldn’t decide whether they should put Khalid on the stand. Over the break, they had devised a stalling strategy that would give them the weekend to make that decision.

Alex would call Nara as his first witness. Fatih’s revelation and Ghaniyah’s testimony now made leaving her off the stand impossible. He could easily fill the hour or so until court adjourned for the week with background information about her father and his views on Islam. Then Alex would have the weekend to decide whether he wanted to ask Nara to testify about the events in Lebanon. Besides, he had to discuss that testimony with Shannon before he made the call.

But when Alex announced Nara Mobassar as his first witness, Taj Deegan objected, noting that Nara had been in the courtroom when Fatih Mahdi and Ghaniyah testified. Alex countered by explaining that he had decided not to call Nara as a witness until the surprise revelation about the alleged affair. The lawyers argued for about ten minutes in hushed tones at the judge’s dais, just out of earshot of the jury.

Rosenthal decided that Alex should have an opportunity to put Nara on the stand, but when the deputy went into the hallway to call her, she couldn’t be found. Cell phone calls proved futile, so finally Judge Rosenthal gave up and adjourned court for the weekend.

“You’d better have all your witnesses ready to go first thing Monday morning,” he warned Alex.

“I will,” Alex promised.

After court, Alex and Shannon fought their way through the reporters without making any comments. Shannon headed to Ghaniyah’s home to provide their client with some comfort. Alex headed home. He had a splitting headache, and the last thing he wanted to do was spend time with Khalid’s unfaithful wife.

He changed clothes and turned on ESPN. He tried in every way possible to distract himself from the day’s events but eventually ended up pacing around the condo trying to make sense of it all. It felt like the case was in serious jeopardy now, and he needed to pull out all the stops. Ghaniyah had corroborated Fatih’s testimony about the affair. And Fatih’s question kept churning through Alex’s mind- “Why would I make something up that is so publicly humiliating?”

Had Khalid really threatened to expose Fatih? That could explain a lot, including Fatih’s abrupt decision to stop criticizing his imam six months prior to Ja’dah’s death. But if that was true, Khalid was an incredible actor. The look on his face today was one of genuine shock and devastation.

Either way, Alex resigned himself to the fact that both Nara and her father would need to testify on Monday. If he held anything back and Khalid was convicted, Nara would never forgive him.

He couldn’t get Nara off his mind, knowing the heartache she must be feeling. He tried calling her and left messages. It was nearly eight o’clock when she finally returned his calls. She had been visiting her father at the jail. He had talked to her about forgiveness and tried to calm her down. She needed to talk. Could they meet at his condo?

Alex wanted to say yes, but he’d learned his lesson. The only thing worse than being seen alone in public with Nara would be to have her seen entering his condo. “Why don’t we meet at Catch 31? Do you remember where that’s at?”

Catch 31 was a swank restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the Hilton Hotel on the boardwalk. The place had a stone patio outside with chairs gathered around brick fire pits. That night, for the first week of December, was relatively mild. Alex thought they might be less conspicuous outside.

“I can be there in twenty minutes,” Nara said.

“Wear something warm.”***

Nara wore a heavy overcoat with the collar pulled up and a wool cap pulled down to her eyebrows. Alex wore a down jacket and a baseball cap. There were not many people outside by the fire pits since the temperature was hovering around forty-five degrees with a stiff wind from the ocean. The two of them sat close together and propped their legs up on the edge of the fire pit. Alex ordered a diet soda; Nara went for a vodka and tonic.

Alex wanted to put his arm around Nara and keep her warm, but he didn’t know if a telephoto lens might be snapping shots from one of the balconies of the rooms above them or from a hundred other locations with a direct view.

“I hate that woman,” Nara said when Alex asked how she was doing. “She’s always pretended to be so pious and such a woman of faith. Now her affair may well cost my father his freedom.”

Alex couldn’t argue and didn’t really want to. Instead, he let Nara vent until she had poured out all the venom. When she started to softly cry, Alex could no longer help himself. He reached over and put his arm around her, and she placed her head on his shoulder.

“Your father is a good man,” Alex said. “The jury’s going to believe him when he says he never knew about the affair. And even if they don’t, think about it this way-why would Khalid order an honor killing when his own wife was unfaithful and he did nothing but love her for the next thirty years?”

Nara burrowed in a little closer and wiped some of the tears with the back of her hand. “I know,” she said softly. “I’m just so scared.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.” But it was lie. He was just as concerned as Nara.

“I may need you to take the stand after all,” he said softly. “Once the jury finds out about what happened to us in Beirut, this case should be over.”

Nara turned her head and looked at him, her moist eyes pleading. “When it’s finished, will you go away with me?”

Alex wanted to say yes. They were sitting by a fire looking at the Christmas lights on the boardwalk and the moon over the ocean. One of the most beautiful women Alex had ever met was leaning against his shoulder with her eyes full of tears asking him to spend his life with her. What kind of man could say no under these circumstances?

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Alex said, surprising himself with his answer. Was he really ready to leave the beach and Ramona and Shannon behind?

“Okay.” She snuggled a little closer, and Alex could feel the warmth. For several minutes neither he nor Nara said a word. Monday morning was a long way off. For now, Alex would relax, enjoy the fire, and dream about what life with Nara might be like.