Part 33 (2/2)
”Would you like to check?”
”No. I believe you read it accurately.”
”Neil, Mr. Morgan's in the courtroom today too, isn't he?”
Next to me, Darryl stirred slightly in his chair.
Neil scowled. He felt I was treating him like a child or an idiot, and he didn't like it. ”Yes, he's here,” he said.
”Sitting next to me, right?”
”Yes.”
”Mr. Morgan, would you please stand up?”
Darryl rose slowly to his full six feet six inches.
”Neil, what's the most outstanding characteristic of Mr. Morgan? What's the thing you notice first?”
”Objection as to relevance,” Whatley interrupted.
”That will become clear,” I said.
”Overruled,” Judge Fleming said. ”You can answer, Mr. Zide.”
”Well,” Neil said, ”he's black and he's tall.”
”Normally tall?”
”What do you mean?”
”Well, there's tall and there's very tall, wouldn't you say?”
”Yes, I see what you mean.”
”How would you describe Mr. Morgan?”
”Very tall, I suppose.”
”That's how you described him under oath at the trial thirteen years ago, isn't it?”
”Yes, exactly.”
”How tall does he look to you?”
”I'm not an expert,” Neil said uncomfortably. ”I'm not a carnival weight-guesser.”
”I'm not asking you to guess his weight, I'm asking you to estimate his height. That's not difficult. How tall do you think I am?”
”Objection,” Whatley said.
”Overruled. You can answer. But move it along, Mr. Jaffe,” the judge said.
”Probably about five ten,” Neil said.
”That's it.” I smiled. ”Now indulge me, if you will, about Mr. Morgan. How tall is he?”
”Six four or six five,” Neil said.
”Would it surprise you if I told you he's six foot six?”
”Not particularly. I told you I wasn't an expert.”
”But six foot six is very tall, isn't it? Not as tall as Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, but still very tall, wouldn't you say?”
”Yes, I would.”
”Thirteen years ago, if you remember, was Mr. Morgan any shorter than he is now?”
”I doubt it.”
”Is that a yes or a no?”
”It's a no. He wasn't shorter then.”
”Thirteen years ago, on the night your father was shot and killed, when Sergeant Nickerson asked you for a description of Mr. Morgan, how did you describe Mr. Morgan?”
”That same way. Black. Tall. Young, I think. He was younger then, obviously.”
Now came the litany. He had to be led and hypnotized. It would be excruciatingly boring if the end result didn't promise-barring accident-to be so pleasurable.
”Neil, I read the police offense report aloud, right here in this courtroom, didn't I?”
”Yes.”
”And you heard me read it, didn't you?”
”Yes, of course.”
”Heard me quote your words as spoken to Sergeant Nickerson?” ”Yes.”
”When you spoke those words to Sergeant Nickerson, you were telling the truth, weren't you?”
”Of course.”
”Your memory was fresh, wasn't it?”
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