“I see. And how did this aspect of your relationship develop?” Patrick Nevin asked.
“We used to meet up at a local mum-and-toddler group, but I have to say from day one that I admired Madeleine’s approach to motherhood.”
“How so?”
“Well, she seemed very relaxed with Jake and considerably less inclined to fuss and stress like the rest of us did. She didn’t obsess about feeding routines or complain about sleepless nights—things like that. I guess you could say she took things in her stride. When the rest of us worried about whether or not we should use soothers or when we should start weaning, Madeleine took a much more practical approach and urged us all not to take things so seriously—”
“But taking care of a baby is a serious business, surely?”
“Of course, and I’m not suggesting she didn’t take it seriously at all. I merely meant that she would have preferred the group to be less intense and judgmental and a little more fun. She used to say that we should all enjoy our babies more, instead of overthinking motherhood or treating it like this deeply stressful situation. She was right, of course, but I know some of the other mums were a bit annoyed by that. Theyenjoyedstressing and fussing. I did, too, but that’s not to say that I didn’t see Madeleine’s point. I just knew it wasn’t me. However, we remained friends even when she stopped going to the group—”
“She didn’t continue meeting with you and the other mums?”
“No. I think she found the gatherings a bit counterproductive. She’s a doer at heart and didn’t believe in sitting around navel-gazing. She much preferred to just get on with things instead of discussing them ad nauseam. And I know she hated the competitive, judgmental nature of it all. But some mums, myself included, we enjoyed playing the martyr that way—it was a sort of...bonding exercise, I suppose?”
“OK. So despite opposing parenting views, you and Madeleine Cooper remained close and maintained your friendship as your children got older and began attending the same school, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“And it became routine for you both to help each other out with pickups and drop-offs, etc.”
“Yes, just like most busy parents—we were always happy to do each other a turn.”
“Can you tell us about the morning of March twentieth last year—when Madeleine Cooper asked you for a very specific favor?”
“Sure.” At this, I noticed a slight waver in Lucy’s voice and her demeanor changed a little. Her hand shook as she picked up a glass of water and drank from it. “Madeleine phoned me at around eight that morning. She mentioned that Clara hadn’t been feeling the best and that she was likely coming down with something. A note had gone around the school that week about—”
“Thank you,” Nevin interjected smoothly, cutting off what was surely Lucy’s qualifier about the school note concerning chicken pox. “Mrs. Cooper said those exact words, ‘she was likely coming down with something’?”
“To the best of my recollection, yes. But I’m almost certain she thought it was chicken pox; she had no idea—”
Thank you, Lucy,Madeleine thought, feeling heartened. As she’d assured, her friend wasn’t here to hang her—while she was testifying on Kate’s side, she was also trying her utmost to tell it like it was.
Despite herself, she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. It felt like the first timeanyonehad stood up for her throughout this whole nightmare.
“But why did Mrs. Cooper put you on such an alert? Why was she not available to collect her own daughter herself?”
“Madeleine had a prior work commitment that she couldn’t cancel.”
“And what was the nature of this work commitment—” Nevin said the last word with obvious distaste “—that wasso important that Mrs. Cooper could not make herself available for her daughter?”
“Objection! Judge, this is prejudicial in the extreme.”
“Sustained. Mr. Nevin, please abstain from personal commentary and focus solely on the facts,” said the judge. Then he addressed Lucy. “The witness should answer the question.”
“It was a TV appearance on a Channel 2 chat show,” she replied. “The show went out at eleven-thirty that morning and was too late to cancel—”
“So Mrs. Cooper needed you to be on call in case her daughter was sent home early from school so she could attend a TV show. Certainly seems as though she was pretty certain this would happen, does it not?”
“Objection!” McGuinness shouted, sounding livid. “Leading testimony and again prejudicial; plaintiff’s counsel cannot possibly know what Mrs. Cooper was or wasn’t certain of.”
“Sustained. Mr. Nevin...”
“My apologies. Mrs. Murphy, what time did you pick up Clara Cooper from school that day?”
“I believe it was around 11:30, not long after morning break.”
“And how did Clara Cooper seem to you when you met her at the school?”
