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Women were available, and sex would provide at least a temporary reprieve from the morbid thoughts that haunted him, but he hadn’t acted on any of the invitations, subtle or overt, that he received.
    He made friendships that lasted only for as long as a drink or two, limited conversations to impersonal topics, and stretched out the time until the bars closed and he had nothing else to do except return to the hotel room, and to the hard, unforgiving pillow where night sweats and bad dreams awaited.
    Up to this moment, he’d been bored with the trial and was trying to devise a graceful way to disengage himself from everything relating to it.
    The appearance of Wesson’s ex-wife changed that.
    *  *  *
     
    Amelia’s left palm felt damp against the Bible on which she swore to tell the whole truth. Then she stepped up into the witness box and took her seat.
    Jackson approached her. “Ms. Nolan, thank you for appearing today. Will you please state your name for the court?”
    “Amelia Nolan.”
    “That’s your maiden name?”
    “Yes. Following my divorce from Jeremy, I reverted to using it.”
    He smiled. “Nolan is an honorable name in this state.”
    “Thank you.”
    He glanced over his shoulder toward the defense table. “Ms. Nolan, do you recognize the defendant?”
    For the first time since entering the courtroom, she looked toward Willard Strong. He sat with his shoulders hunched, his eyes peering at her from beneath the ledge of his prominent brow. His hair had been neatly combed. He was dressed in a suit that appeared to be two sizes too small. If she had to use a single word to describe him, it would be brutish .
    She acknowledged recognition. “Jeremy introduced us.”
    “When did this initial meeting take place?”
    “February twenty-second of 2011.”
    “You recall the exact date?”
    “It was my older son, Hunter’s, fourth birthday.”
    “Can you please tell the court the circumstances of this meeting?”
    “Jeremy and I were separated. I had temporary custody of our two sons while our divorce was pending, but I had agreed to let Jeremy attend Hunter’s party. When he arrived, Willard and Darlene Strong were with him.”
    “You hadn’t met them before then?”
    “No, but I knew their names. Jeremy had talked about them.”
    “How would you describe them that morning?”
    “You mean—”
    “The condition of the three when they arrived at your home.”
    “They were intoxicated.”
    The defense counsel stood. “Objection.”
    “I’ll rephrase,” Jackson said before the judge could rule. “Ms. Nolan, did you get the impression that the three of them had been drinking excessively?”
    Gleason was about to object again, when the judge held up her hand. “Ms. Nolan may answer.”
    Jackson motioned for her to proceed.
    “I’d seen Jeremy intoxicated before,” she said. “Many times. He wasn’t a pleasant and happy drunk. On the contrary. So I’d started watching for the signs. When he arrived for the party, I saw right away that his eyes were bloodshot. His smile was more like a sneer. His attitude was aggressive. The three of them laughed…” She paused, but could think of no other words that would adequately describe them. “They laughed drunkenly and inappropriately.”
    “What time of day was this?”
    “The party was scheduled for noon. They got there shortly before that.”
    “Did you confront Mr. Wesson about these visible signs of intoxication?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did he offer an explanation?”
    “He said they’d come straight from a party of their own, that they’d been celebrating all night.”
    “‘They?’ He, Mr. Strong, and Mr. Strong’s wife?”
    “Objection. Leading the witness.”
    Jackson acknowledged the judge’s ruling in favor of Gleason’s objection, but he’d got his point across to the jury. The party referred to had been among the three of them exclusively.
    Out the corner of her eye, Amelia saw Willard Strong mutter something to his lawyer.