Stone Cold

Chapter Forty-Eight

“Ms. Shelburne,” Claire began her cross-examination, “I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to lose a child.”

“You got any kids?” Odyessy asked as she fidgeted, her arms shaking slightly.

“No, I don’t.”

Odyessy wrapped her arms around her middle, her voice rising unsteadily. “Then you don’t know nuthin’ ’bout it!”

Claire was pleased with Odyessy’s answer, using it to her advantage. “You seem very angry.”

Odyessy stuck her chin out. “Course I’m angry.”

“How angry?”

“Whadda you mean, how angry am I?”

“Are you angry enough to have lied to the police and the prosecutor and the jury about what happened just so Alex Stone would go to jail?”

“She shot my son and everybody know it! Ain’t no need to lie ’bout that.”

“And it would be hard for you not to want to punish her, wouldn’t you agree?”

Odyessy narrowed her eyes, sensing that she was losing her footing, uncertain what to say, snapping her answer. “She had no call to murder my boy.”

“That’s what you want the jury to decide, isn’t it, that Alex Stone murdered your son?”

“That’s right. That’s what I want,” she said, repeating her answer, drawing out each word. “That. Is. What. I. Want.”

“And you want it badly enough that you’ll say anything to convince the jury to find Alex Stone guilty, isn’t that so?”

Ortiz jumped to his feet. “Objection. Counsel is badgering the witness.”

“Your Honor,” Claire said, “I’m doing nothing of the kind. It would be hard to find a more hostile witness. I’m just trying to get to the truth.”

“Overruled, but if you’ve got something more than that, get to it, Ms. Mason.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. Ms. Shelburne, please answer my question. Are you so angry over your son’s death that you’ll say anything if it will help convict Alex Stone?”

Odyessy squirmed, shifting her weight. “I ain’t lyin’. My boy waddn’t doin’ nuthin’, and she jus’ shot him.”

“And you were in your room upstairs when you heard the gunshots, weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Odyessy said before catching herself. “I mean no, I was comin’ down the stairs like I said before.”

Claire smiled. “My mistake. You were in your room when you say you heard Alex threaten to kill your son.”

Odyessy nodded, her head bobbing up and down. “Yes, I was.”

“There are three bedrooms on the second floor of your house, aren’t there?”

“That’s right.”

“And your bedroom is the one at the back of the house and farthest from the stairs. Isn’t that so?”

“That’s right.”

“What were you doing in your room?”

“Nuthin’.”

“Were you watching television?”

“No.”

“Reading a book or magazine?”

“No.”

“Listening to music?”

“No.”

“Taking a nap?”

“No.”

“Well, what were you doing?”

“Like I said, nuthin’.”

“Were you taking drugs?”

Odyessy’s eyes popped wide open. “No, ma’am, no way. I was clean and sober.”

“You testified this morning that you’ve used drugs since you were ten years old.”

“I was gettin’ clean. Dwayne was helpin’ me.”

“He was helping you because you’d been using drugs a lot while he was in jail for allegedly killing Wilfred Donaire. Isn’t that so?”

“I ain’t proud of it.”

“In fact, three days before he died, he was arrested and the police found vials of crack cocaine in his pocket that he claimed belonged to you. Isn’t that so?”

“That’s what I mean. He was keepin’ me clean.”

“Every drug user I’ve ever known always kept a little stashed away for emergencies. Did you keep your stash in your bedroom?”

“I done tol’ you! I was clean and sober and I saw what I saw!”

“And you’re clean and sober right now?”

Odyessy shook her head like she’d been slapped, stuttering, “C-c-course I am.”

“Tell me, Ms. Shelburne, what did you do during the lunch break?”

“I went to a meeting.”

“What kind of meeting?”

“Narcotics Anonymous,” she said, tossing her head.

“And if I told you that my investigator followed you during the lunch break and observed you in an alley a few blocks from here buying crack cocaine and getting high, what would you say?”

Her eyes popped wide open as she clutched the top of her blouse tight against her neck. “I’d say he’s a liar.”

“And if I told you he videotaped you buying crack and getting high and that I am prepared to show that videotape to the jury, would he still be lying?”

She hung her head, her voice soft and low. “No.”

“So, a moment ago, when you told the jury that you’re clean and sober, that was a lie, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” she said, chin down.

“And when you told the jury that you weren’t getting high in your bedroom when your son was shot, that was also a lie, wasn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Ms. Shelburne, you have to answer out loud,” Judge West said.

“Yeah.”

“And when you told the jury that you were coming down the stairs and saw Alex Stone shoot your son, that was also a lie, isn’t that so?”

She lifted her head, her eyes red and tears streaming down her cheeks. “He was my baby. I shoulda been there. I shoulda done somethin’.”

“But instead you were in your room getting high and didn’t see a thing that happened in your living room. Isn’t that so?”

“Yes,” she said and buried her face in her hands.

“Nothing further,” Claire said.

“May we approach the bench?” Ortiz asked the judge after Odyessy Shelburne left the courtroom.

“Come forward,” Judge West said.

Ortiz wasted no time, giving no indication that he’d just taken a beating. He was bright-eyed and jaunty, as if he’d enjoyed Claire Mason’s takedown of Odyessy Shelburne as much as Claire had. He was engaged in the trial lawyer’s time-honored masquerade, pretending that no matter what happened, it was all part of his plan.

“Your Honor, we have one more witness, but we won’t be ready to put her on until tomorrow morning, so we’d like to recess for the rest of the day.”

“Ms. Mason?”

“Who’s the witness?” Claire asked.

“Gloria Temple,” Ortiz said.

“I object to her being allowed to testify, Your Honor. I haven’t had an opportunity to depose her.”

“Her nephew, Lou Mason, spent over an hour with her last night,” Ortiz said.

“Is that so, Counsel?”

“Yes, Your Honor, but-”

“No buts, Counsel. Lou Mason was one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the city before he lost his license. I’d say you’ve had your crack at her. Objection overruled. I’ll see all of you at nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” Judge West said and raised his gavel.

“Wait a minute,” Claire said. “I’m the lawyer trying this case, not my nephew. I’m entitled to talk to her, and Mr. Ortiz is obligated to tell me where I can find her.”

Judge West took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, as if he was defusing an internal bomb. “Mr. Ortiz, tell counsel where to find Ms. Temple.”

“She’s in my office at the moment.”

“Is she under arrest?” the judge asked.

“No, sir.”

“Then when you’re finished with her, give Ms. Mason a call and let her have a turn. Satisfied, Ms. Mason?”

“Almost. In order for me to prepare to talk with her, I’m entitled to know the substance of what she’s going to say on the stand.”

Judge West nodded. “Fair enough. Mr. Ortiz?”

“Gloria Temple was a friend of the deceased, Mr. Reed. She went to his house to visit him the day he was killed. She entered the house through the back door, which leads into the kitchen. She was in the kitchen when the defendant shot Mr. Reed.”

“Judge,” Claire said. “What’s the point of letting her testify? She’s just another witness who didn’t see what happened.”

“Except for one thing,” Ortiz said. “She saw the defendant pull Mr. Reed’s gun from his waistband after she shot him, put the gun in Mr. Reed’s hand, and fire a round into the ceiling.”