Jordan failed, too, to find a possible link when he went back a third time into Reid’s system, but did locate further interchanges within the previous hour with his own lawyer about Alyce. The planned morning meeting with Walter Harding had been delayed, reported Reid. The hospital administrator diagnosed Alyce’s problem to be psychological stress, compounded by having contracted the venereal infection from the man she was now divorcing; although the condition had been completely cured her gynaecologist had found considerable fallopian tube scarring, which made it unlikely that she would ever be able to carry a child full term. Harding had undertaken to attend the court for the majority of the hearing, certainly during the times that Alyce was on the witness stand, both when she gave evidence or faced cross-examination. Alyce’s gynaecologist was prepared to appear to give evidence about the fallopian scarring, and Harding to support any application for her to be excused court attendance. He could also recommend a psychiatrist if the court demanded corroborative evidence about stress, although he knew Alyce to be reluctant to call such an expert witness – ‘because she doesn’t want to sound mentally unbalanced, which she isn’t’ – as she was reluctant to be prescribed tranquillizers throughout the duration of the case. Beckwith had responded recommending that Reid do the best he could to get women on the jury during its selection process and to ‘do everything you can to bring out the fact that because of what Appleton did to her Alyce can’t ever have kids’.
Jordan worked through lunch, not finishing his final computer invasion until gone five. A useful phishing trip, he decided, particularly discovering the disarray among the opposition. But there was far too much at the moment that was incomplete and needed expanding. He’d done well, ingratiating himself with both Beckwith and Reid. It was essential he kept it up – made the sort of practical suggestions that his hacking had already produced – to ensure he was always included in the after-court conferences. There should be enough, from what he’d come up with today.
There was no reply when he telephoned Alyce’s apartment and he held back from leaving a message that would identify his voice if anyone other than Alyce accessed the machine. There was still no answer when he called again an hour later, nor at eight the following morning. On that call he said, ‘It’s me. Call me back,’ and waited in his suite until noon. It was just after when his phone rang, his smiled expectation seeping away when Beckwith said, ‘You all set for tomorrow’s flight?’
‘All set,’ confirmed Jordan.
‘How’s your weekend been?’
‘Not as good as I’d hoped it would be.’
Twenty-Six
The first day of the full divorce hearing was largely technical, dominated by the painstaking jury selection which, to the judge’s quick and obvious irritation, became protracted by Reid’s determination to follow Beckwith’s advice to pack the eventual adjudicating panel with as many female members as possible. The manoeuvre succeeded in a jury of seven women and five men, achieved largely by Reid’s persistence in objecting to anyone who admitted prior, and therefore possible biased, awareness of either the social or historical standing of the Bellamy or Appleton dynasties.
For his part, Pullinger opened his court cleared of that jury and any of its impending participants, to rule to the briefly admitted media that the hearing was to be conducted strictly in camera as allowed by every free speech caveat available to him under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, including, as well as written words, any current or past television or newspaper images.
It was during their exclusion that Jordan had the first, although limited, opportunity to talk to Alyce, who’d already been in the court – and scarcely acknowledged him – when he’d arrived that morning. For Pullinger’s publicity-banning statement both sides were separated in different ante-rooms. Dr Harding, who had accompanied Alyce for the opening day, was also excluded, but instead of joining them in the anteroom, he hurried off to telephone his hospital. Beckwith and Reid huddled together at the larger of the two available tables, discussing various court documents set out upon it. Alyce went to a window, her back to the room.
‘You OK?’ Jordan asked, coming up behind her.
She half turned, smiling wanly. ‘That’s not the most intelligent question you’ve ever asked, is it?’
‘I called over the weekend, like I told you I would,’ said Jordan. He thought the lipstick was still too heavy.
‘I know. I was there.’
‘Why didn’t you pick up the phone?’
‘We talked everything out in Enrico’s.’
‘I’m not sure that we did.’
‘I wanted to talk about the money. That was all. It went on beyond that.’
‘I believe I misunderstood a lot of things in France. I don’t think I do now.’
‘Stop! Please stop! What’s happening now – going to happen now – is all I can handle.’
‘It’s going to end. You’re going to win, be rid of him, and we’ll be back where we were.’
‘We weren’t ever anywhere!’
‘I told you I misunderstood. Let’s talk about it again when this is all over.’
‘There’s nothing to talk about! I got you entrapped and I hate myself for getting you caught up in it and I want you to change your mind and take the money, however much it might be.’
‘Stop talking about the damned money! I’m not interested in that. I’m talking about us.’
‘You two OK over there?’ called Beckwith.
‘Just chatting,’ Jordan called back, not realizing that he’d raised his voice.
‘I’m not,’ said Alyce, lowering hers as well. ‘All I want to think about – get through – is this case. I can’t think – won’t think – about anything else.’
Jordan saw she was shaking, hands clenched tightly by her sides. ‘Hey! Let’s calm down. That’s what we’ll do, get through this. Then we’ll talk some more.’
‘But not now! Nothing more now! Promise me. Just promise to be here, doing what you’ve been doing,’
The shaking had worsened and Jordan reached out towards her. Alyce hesitated and then came into his arms, although keeping her own at her sides. He said, ‘I promise.’
‘You got a minute, Harvey?’ Beckwith called again, from across the room.
When Jordan reached the lawyers, leaving Alyce at the window, Reid said, ‘What was that all about?’
‘She’s wound up tighter than a spring,’ said Jordan. ‘No reason why I can’t talk to her now that the judge has ruled against my dismissal, locking me into the case, is there?’
‘I guess not,’ allowed Beckwith. ‘But let’s leave the physical support to the doctor, shall we? The huggy stuff wouldn’t look good outside this room.’
‘How did your meetings go after the adjournment?’ Jordan asked Reid directly, anxious for his inclusion to be automatically accepted.