Page 39 of The 1 Lawyer

The problem was, she didn’t look fine. The incident had shaken her. And she hadn’t been rock solid to begin with.

I left the DA’s side, determined to calm Iris down before she was called to the stand. But the door to chambers opened, and Judge Walker returned to the bench. As soon as the jury settled back into the box, he said to me, “You may call your next witness.”

I had no choice but to proceed. “The defense calls Iris Caro.”

Iris had dressed for acquittal in a pristine white wrap dress. Jenny had probably prompted that choice. A chunky diamond caught the light as she raised her hand to take the oath. Unlike her husband, Iris trembled as she swore to tell the truth.

I gave her a moment to compose herself before we began.

“Please state your name.”

“Iris Satterfield Caro.”

Her lips twitched when she spoke. I had Benjamin Gates to thank for her performance anxiety, since she had been calm when we ran through the testimony at my office. Relatively calm, anyway.

“And where do you live?”

Iris answered, and two women on the jury exchanged a glance. The address on Beach Boulevard was well known, a stretch of property occupied by a lavish historic home facing the Mississippi Sound. No commercial or residential structures spoiled the Caros’ broad view of the coast.

I skipped the preliminaries. Iris was too shaky for comfort, and I needed to get her off the stand as soon as she provided the gist of her testimony. “Directing your attention to the evening of June thirteenth, can you please tell us where you were on that date?”

“I was at home, alone at home. Daniel was working that evening.” When she realized her mistake, she grew agitated. “I’m sorry—Daniel said he was working. That’s what he told me. He called and said he’d be late. But it’s just what he told me. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Iris.” Thinking that she needed me closer, I approached the witness stand, hoping it would settle her down.

She said it again: “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, Iris. Do you need a moment before we continue?”

She started blinking rapidly. Her eyes were wet. A box of tissues sat on the judge’s bench, and Walker apparently saw signs of an imminent breakdown because he pushed the box toward her.

“I’m all right.” She looked away and pressed her lips together. She was wearing lipstick, but it was a muted shade, not too bright. After a second, she faced me and gave me a quick nod.

I said, “Iris, directing your attention to the night in question, tell the jury what happened that evening.”

“I’d made a cold supper for us because it was so hot that day. Chicken salad and sliced tomatoes. Around seven, I decided to go ahead and eat alone. I made a plate for Daniel and put it in the fridge.”

I’d told her to include that detail. A covered plate in the refrigerator demonstrated positive aspects of a solid marriage. The jury would like it. “And then what happened?”

“Since I was alone, I ate in front of the TV. I had the television on.”

“What program were you watching, if you recall?”

“It was on Netflix. They were streaming a TV series I liked, Downton Abbey. I’ve already seen every episode, but I was watching the one where Mary has her baby and Michael dies.”

“And what happened after that, do you recall?”

“While I was watching Downton Abbey, I heard Daniel’s car in the garage. He came into the house through the kitchen.”

“What did you do, if anything?”

“I went into the kitchen, told him I had saved a plate for him, that I had chicken salad in the fridge.”

“And what did he say?”

“He didn’t want it. He said he wasn’t hungry, that he had already eaten.”

“What else do you recall?”

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