Part 22 (2/2)
”Did you, at one point, open your purse and exclaim that you had no money?”
”No.”
”Did you try to borrow money from Miss Emmett to pay for the party?”
”No.”
”You deny trying to borrow money from Miss Emmett in Montreal?”
”Objection,” said Sawyer. ”My client answered his question.”
”Sustained,” said Flanagan.
Powers smoothed his palms together. ”Did you ask the Baroness to give you the money to cover the hotel costs for the party?”
”Absolutely not.”
Such bold, outright denials! I glanced at Daisy. She looked the way I felt-as if a horse had kicked me in the belly. Both of us, with dropped jaws, shook our heads to signal to anybody who might look our way how outraged we were by Frank's lies.
”Let me be clear, Miss Shaver. You never borrowed or attempted to borrow money from the Baroness?”
With a firm dip of her head, Frank said, ”That's correct.”
Powers again returned to the defendant's table, grabbed an envelope, pulled several papers from it, and advanced on the witness box. ”Can you identify these items, Miss Shaver?”
Frank shuffled through a half dozen or so sheets. ”They're checks made out to me from May's account.”
”And did you endorse these checks?”
Frank flipped the checks over and examined each one. ”Yes.”
”And do they total roughly three thousand dollars?”
”Are you asking me to perform arithmetic?”
The sarcasm did not escape me, or the rest of the courtroom, though my tolerance for Frank's witticisms was wearing thin.
”Yes, Miss Shaver,” said Powers, ”if you would please.”
Frank took her time thumbing through the checks. ”Yes, about that.”
”Do you still contend you never borrowed money from the Baroness?”
”Yes.”
”Objection,” said Sawyer. ”Counsel is badgering.”
Judge Flanagan knotted the lapel of his robe in his hand. ”Mr. Powers, I will instruct you again to conduct your questioning without being argumentative or repet.i.tious. I will release you from your duties if you do not obey this court.”
”Yes, Your Honor.” Powers took a deep breath and turned to Frank. ”Miss Shaver, can you explain the meaning of these checks?”
”They're for expenses.”
”If they're for expenses, why are they made out to you?”
”Because I generally paid our expenses.”
”What expenses were they for?”
”Could be for almost anything.”
”You can remember every dollar the Baroness borrowed from you, every dollar you spent on her, but you cannot remember what these checks were for?”
”No.”
”If you don't know what expenses these checks were intended to cover, how can you say they were not loans?”
”Because I did not borrow money from May. She borrowed money from me.”
”You have not answered my question, Miss Shaver. Can you prove these were not loans-yes or no?”
”No, I just know they're not.”
After a brief recess-and before Sawyer could attempt to repair Frank's tarnished credibility during his redirect examination-my attorney dished out another unpleasant surprise.
”Miss Shaver, do you know a Mr. Wayne Schroeder of Chicago?”
”Yes, he's an electrician who worked on my office.”
”Did you discuss this lawsuit with him?”
”He asked about it after he read something in the newspaper.”
”Do you recall the conversation?”
”Generally.”
”Can you recount it for us?”
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