“Chris was simply asking about the status of the case.”
“And why would you say, ‘That bitch is going down?’ Who were you referring to?”
Jonathan clears his throat. “My… wife.”
“What does your wife, Leona, have to do with this, Mr. Ekhart?”
“You have a wife?” a new voice gasps from the audience behind us. I turn to see a petite white woman, maybe mid-twenties, with long blonde hair, grab the arms of her chair with clenched fists.
I turn to look back at Jonathan on the stand, his eyes blown wide and his face dark red. The crowd starts murmuring and I lean over to Horatio to whisper in his ear, “Who is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh my god, this is better than I thought,” Anthony says in a low tone.
“What are you talking about?” I ask him, trying desperately to connect the dots.
“At lunch, I paid someone to tell Leona that Jonathan has been cheating on her for years.”
“What? Why?”
“To get him riled up before he took the stand,” Anthony whispers back. “But I didn’t know about this girl.”
Holy shit—that’s fucking genius. Brutal, but genius.
“Order,” Judge Jones calls out, her eyebrows cinching together.
When the whispering stops, silence and tension fill the room. Crossing her arms, Kim looks back and forth between Jonathan and this mystery woman before asking him, “Who is that, Mr. Ekhart? Might I remind you, you are under oath.”
He sighs, but it does nothing to chase away that raging vein on his forehead. “She works at the Department of Labor and Industry.”
“Really? How do you know that? You don’t have any reason to go there for your job.”
“I—she’s been around this case, so I’ve seen her.”
“She hasn’t though. I don’t know her, and I know every little detail about this case. What’s her name?”
“I—I don’t know.”
“You fucking coward,” blondie seethes as she stands. “You promised you’d marry me! God, I’m so fucking stupid. I got rid of those documents for you, and you were just using me, youfuckingpig!”
Whoa.Back the fuck up.
I’m stunned. Literally, I don’t think I could move a muscle or blink if I tried.
The judge calls order in her court once again, this time taking a little longer for everyone to settle. Kim, Anthony, and the prosecution approach the bench to talk with the judge.
My entire body is vibrating with nerves and shock. I take this momentary pause to turn around and look at Jay. He gives me a shrug and a look that saysyour guess is as good as mine.
I’m thrumming with adrenaline, and I know Marco can sense it. His eyes are wide, too, but he makes a dramatic inhale, reminding me to breathe.
Turning back around, I center myself in my seat.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I do it a few more times and I feel my nerves mellow. I’m still eager to hear what’s happening, but my mind has settled down at least.
