Free Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark Page B

but even so, as Emily had remarked to Ted Wesley, he still looked like the con man he was.
    From long prior experience before criminal judges, he knew what came next. He paused as he reached the area directly in front of the bench. Judge Stevens directed him to first state his full name and then spell his last name.
    "James Easton, E-A-S-T-O-N."
    "Sir, please raise your right hand to be sworn," the judge instructed.
    The pious look on Jimmy's face when he swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth caused a ripple of snickering among a number of the spectators in the courtroom.
    Terrific, Emily thought, dismayed. Pray God, the jury will keep an open mind about my star witness.
    Judge Stevens rapped his gavel sharply and warned that anyone who reacted verbally or visibly to any witness's testimony would be removed immediately and would be barred from attending further sessions.
    When Jimmy was settled in the witness chair, Emily walked over to him slowly, her expression grave. Her strategy was to immediately elicit from him his prior criminal record, and the plea agreement he had made with her. She had addressed his background as a longtime felon in her opening statement and now she wanted to get the details out immediately. She hoped that facing these circumstances head-on would at least convey to the jury that she would be forth-right with them and that this witness, despite his laundry list of crimes, should be believed.
    I'm walking on thin ice, she thought, and maybe the ice will break. But as she asked question after question in a matter-of-fact tone, Jimmy Easton's response was everything she could hope for. His voice humble, his manner hesitant, he admitted to his many arrests and frequent prison terms. Then out of the blue he added gra-tuitously, "But never once did I hurt a hair on anyone's head, ma'am. That's why I couldn't go through with the deal to kill Aldrich's wife."
    Richard Moore sprang to his feet. "Objection."
    Way to go, Jimmy! Emily thought. So what if it was stricken from the record? The jury heard that loud and clear.
    It was already late morning when Easton's testimony began. At twelve twenty, Judge Stevens, recognizing that Emily was about to transition her questioning to Easton's involvement with Gregg Aldrich, said, "Ms. Wallace, since we're close to the usual twelve thirty lunch break, I will recess until one thirty."
    Superb timing, Emily thought. Now Jimmy's record will be at least somewhat separated from his testimony about Aldrich. Thank you, Judge.
    Her face impassive, she waited at the prosecutor's table until Eas-ton was escorted back to the holding cell by a sheriff's officer, and the jurors had left the courtroom. Then she hurried to Ted Wesley's office. He had sat in the courtroom all morning and she wanted to get his reaction to the way she had handled Easton.
    In the two weeks since the announcement was made that he'd been nominated to be the attorney general of the United States, there had been a flurry of press about him and the coverage had been generally very favorable. Why wouldn't it be? Emily asked herself as she hurried down the corridor. Ted had been a prominent attorney and active in Republican circles before he was appointed prosecutor.
    When she entered his office she could see a stack of clippings on his desk that she was sure were about his nomination. And it was obvious that he was in a very upbeat mood.
    "Emily!" he greeted her. "Come on over here. Take a look at these."
    "I'm sure I've seen most of them. You're really getting fabulous press. Congratulations."
    "You're not doing so bad yourself. You've pretty much knocked me off the front page with the great job you're doing on this case."
    He had sent for sandwiches and coffee. He pulled open the bag and started unpacking the food. "I ordered ham and swiss on rye for you. And black coffee. Right?"
    "Perfect." She accepted the sandwich he held out to her.
    "Then sit down and relax for a few