Nothing but the Truth Read Online Free PDF Page A

discuss anything, Scott would have reassured her.
     
     
    But no call.
     
     
    So this morning, when Mrs. Hardy had arrived late at the grand jury room, ten minutes after it had gone into session at nine-thirty, Scott had already begun talking to James Pierce, a senior vice president and Caloco’s community relations officer. He had worked closely with Bree before she’d left the company and had known her since she’d been recruited from Cal. If there were any bones in her closet, Scott thought Pierce would know where they were hidden.
     
     
    Ironically, Scott’s initial plan had been to take Mrs. Hardy before Pierce, thinking that hers was probably going to be a much shorter questioning—Scott hadn’t wanted to hang her up for the whole day. But when she hadn’t been there on time and Pierce had, that was too bad for her—she’d brought it on herself.
     
     
    So now Scott was going to let Mrs. Hardy sweat it out. No, he’d told her during a break in Pierce’s testimony. He didn’t know how long it would be until he got to her. No, she couldn’t come back another day. He trotted out his favorite phrase. This was not a parlor game. This was a murder investigation.
     
     
    “I know all about murder investigations,” she told him. “My husband’s an attorney, too.”
     
     
    “Then you know how serious this is.”
     
     
    Mrs. Hardy did not seem convinced. “I know how important you all think it is,” she said mildly. “Look, Mr. Randall, I’m just trying to find out how long this will be. I’ve got to pick up my children at school. If I’m not going to be out of here by one o’clock, I’m going to have to make some phone calls.”
     
     
    “I think that’s a good possibility,” he said with conscious ambiguity.
     
     
    She didn’t think it was too important, did she? Well, she’d find out.
     
     
    As it developed, he began with her just before noon. She had just decided to make her phone calls when Scott called her to testify. She thought it couldn’t be too long. She’d have plenty of time. There was no need to call.
     
     
    After he administered the oath that she tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, Scott had her identify herself, and then started right in. “Mrs. Hardy, were you acquainted with the deceased, Bree Beaumont?”
     
     
    “No. I never met her.”
     
     
    “But you did know her husband, Ron?”
     
     
    “That’s correct.” Mrs. Hardy was sitting at a table in the front of the room, facing the twenty jurors. Now she looked up at them and explained. “Ron is the full-time parent in their family, so we saw each other mostly at school and other child-related events.”
     
     
    “And how long have you known him?”
     
     
    “I don’t know exactly. A couple or three years.” Another explanation to the jury. “He’s kind of an honorary mom. We tease him about it.”
     
     
    “We?”
     
     
    “‘You know, the other moms at school.”
     
     
    Scott was just fishing, talking about whatever came up. Here before the grand jury, strict relevancy wasn’t much of an issue. “Does he seem to resent this role?”
     
     
    “What do you mean?”
     
     
    “I mean, being Mr. Mom? Did he ever talk about resenting that his wife worked and he didn’t?”
     
     
    Mrs. Hardy gave that a minute’s thought. “No. I don’t think it bothered him.”
     
     
    “Did you find that strange?”
     
     
    “What? That he took care of the kids or that he didn’t resent taking care of them?”
     
     
    “I don’t know. Both. Either.”
     
     
    Another beat while she reflected. “Not any more than anybody else.” Mrs. Hardy broke a smile to the jurors. “I think sometimes our little darlings get hard for anybody. ” Then, back to Scott, more seriously. “But with Ron, he seemed fine with it. His wife did her job, he did his. He’s a good father.”
     
     
    “She made the money and he didn’t?”
     
     
    “That’s right, Mr. Randall.