The reason we slept together isn't because Patrick tossed morality to the wind that night. It's because he was too damn honest to convince himself the feelings weren't there.
"He won't lie," I answer.
Quentin returns on the attack. Whatever game this detective's playing, it's going to stop right now.
"Why were you in court the morning of October thirtieth?"
"It was my case," Ducharme answers coolly.
"Did you speak to the defendant that morning?"
"Yes. I spoke with both Mr. and Mrs. Frost. They were both very nervous. We discussed who they could leave Nathaniel with during the proceedings, because naturally, they were very wary of putting him into anyone's care at that point."
"What did you do when the defendant shot Father Szyszynski?"
Ducharme meets the prosecutor's gaze head on. "I saw a gun, and I went for it."
"Did you know Mrs. Frost had a gun before that point?"
"No."
"How many officers did it take to wrestle her to the ground?"
"She dropped to the ground," the detective corrects. "Four bailiffs dropped on top of her."
"Then what did you do?"
"I asked for cuffs. Deputy Ianucci gave me a pair. I secured Mrs. Frost's hands behind her back and took her into the holding cell."
"How long were you in there with her?"
"Four hours."
"Did she say anything to you?"
In the practice session, Ducharme had told Quentin that the defendant confessed to him that she'd committed a crime. But now, he puts on a choirboy's expression and looks at the jury. "She kept repeating over and over, 'I did everything I could; I can't do any more.' She sounded crazy."
Crazy? "Objection," Quentin roars.
"Your Honor, it's his own witness!" Fisher says.
"Overruled, Mr. Brown."
"Approach!" Quentin storms up to the bench. "Judge, I'm going to ask to have this witness declared hostile, so that I can ask leading questions. "
Judge Neal looks at Ducharme, then back at the prosecutor. "Counselor, he is answering your questions."
"Not the way he's supposed to be!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Brown. But that's your problem."
Quentin takes a deep breath, turning away. The real issue here isn't that Patrick Ducharme is single-handedly destroying this case. The issue is why.
Either Ducharme is holding a grudge against Quentin, whom he does not even really know ... or he's trying to help Nina Frost for some reason. He glances up, and notices the detective and the defendant staring at each other, a bond so charged that Quentin imagines walking through it might give him a shock.
Well.
"How long have you known the defendant?" he asks evenly.
