Minton stood.
“Your Honor, what does this have to do with—”
“Sustained,” the judge said.
“Okay,” I said. “Then, isn’t it true, Ms. Campo, that you have told several of your clients that your hope is to leave the business?”
“Yes, that’s true,” she answered without hesitation for the first time in many questions.
“Isn’t it also true that you see the potential financial aspects of this case as a means of getting out of the business?”
“No, that’s not true,” she said forcefully and without hesitation. “That man attacked me. He was going to kill me! That’s what this is about!”
I underlined something on my pad, another punctuation of silence.
“Was Charles Talbot a repeat customer?” I asked.
“No, I met him for the first time that night at Morgan’s.”
“And he passed your safety test.”
“Yes.”
“Was Charles Talbot the man who punched you in the face on March sixth?”
“No, he was not,” she answered quickly.
“Did you offer to split the profits you would receive from a lawsuit against Mr. Roulet with Mr. Talbot?”
“No, I did not. That’s a lie!”
I looked up at the judge.
“Your Honor, can I ask my client to stand up at this time?”
“Be my guest, Mr. Haller.”
I signaled Roulet to stand at the defense table and he obliged. I looked back at Regina Campo.
“Now, Ms. Campo, are you sure that this is the man who struck you on the night of March sixth?”
“Yes, it’s him.”
“How much do you weigh, Ms. Campo?”
She leaned back from the microphone as if put out by what was an invasive question, even coming after so many questions pertaining to her sex life. I noticed Roulet start to sit back down and I signaled him to remain standing.
“I’m not sure,” Campo said.
“On your ad on the website you list your weight at one hundred and five pounds,” I said. “Is that correct?”
“I think so.”
“So if the jury is to believe your story about March sixth, then they must believe that you were able to overpower and break free of Mr. Roulet.”
I pointed to Roulet, who was easily six feet and outweighed her by at least seventy-five pounds.
“Well, that’s what I did.”
