ENTERING THE COURTROOM the next morning, Nick Gaines said to Yuki, "What's this? Some adorable little kids are missing from the front row."

Yuki put her briefcase on the table and stole a look at the row of seats behind the defense table. She saw strangers there. They looked young and intense. Probably law students. The Martin kids were gone. She guessed they'd served their purpose - before Duncan went off-road and got the judge mad.

Court was called into session. Judge LaVan called on Yuki, asking her to put on her next witness. She was ready.

"The People call Felix Ashton."

A fortyish man with black hair and mustache, wearing an expensive-looking gray jacket and dark pants, was sworn in.

Yuki asked him to state his name, then his profession. "Real-estate broker. High-end residential properties," Ashton said.

Yuki paced in the well and said, "How well do you know Candace Martin?"

"We've been seeing each other for about a year."

"By 'seeing each other,' you mean romantically?"

"Yes."

"And how did you meet her?"

"Dennis Martin asked me to appraise the house that he and Candace owned together. She contacted me after I did the appraisal and asked me to give her the information."

"I see," Yuki said. She glanced at her notes, looked back up at the witness.

"And what was the value of the house?"

"In that neighborhood and in that excellent condition, no less than three-point-five million. Some would go as high as five."

"Did you have occasion to meet Dennis Martin more than once?"

"Yes."

"Under what circ.u.mstances?"

"Every couple of weeks, he'd show up in the restaurant where Candace and I were having dinner and take a table near us. He sat next to us at the movie theater a couple of times. He followed Candace to antagonize her. He used those occasions to have sarcastic buddy-buddy talks with me."

"So he was stalking her. Did that make Candace angry?"

"Objection," Hoffman said. "Leading the witness."

"I'll allow it. Answer the question, Mr. Ashton."

Ashton said, "Dennis Martin needled Candace all the time. He bragged to her and to me that he was seeing a lot of different women. He told me that he'd divorce Candace in a flash, if she gave him what he wanted - the house and alimony and the kids. He said he wanted it all. And so he was trying to torment her until she gave in."

"And did Candace ever tell you that she was going to agree to his terms?"

"No."

"Do you love Dr. Martin?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, I do."

"And has she told you that she loves you?"

"Yes."

"But she wouldn't give her husband a divorce."

"He was a mean guy. If he hadn't insisted on custody of the kids, she would have cut him loose. But she didn't want to give him joint custody."

"Nice of her."

Hoffman got to his feet and objected.

Yuki said, "I withdraw the comment. I have only one more question, Mr. Ashton. You say the two of you were in love. Yet Dennis Martin was in your way. Did Candace Martin ever tell you that she'd like to kill her husband?"

"Well ... not that she would actually do it."

"Yes or no, Mr. Ashton? You're under oath. And we have your deposition."

"Ah. Yes, she said that, but -"

"The answer is yes. That's all, Mr. Ashton. Thank you."

"Cross, Mr. Hoffman?" LaVan asked.

Phil Hoffman stood, b.u.t.toned his jacket, straightened his Hermes tie, and walked smartly to the witness box.

"Mr. Ashton, based on your conversations with Candace, did you think she was actually going to kill her husband?"

"Objection, Your Honor. Calls for speculation," Yuki said.

"Overruled," Judge LaVan said. "The witness may answer."

"No. Candace isn't violent."

"Let me ask this," Hoffman said. "You've known the defendant for a year. In that time, did she ever show you a gun or say that she had one?"

"No, she did not."

"Thank you. I have no further questions."

"The witness may step down," said the judge.

Chapter 35.

YUKI SAT ON HER INCREASING RAGE at Hoffman and focused on her witness, Cyndi Parrish, the Martins' live-in cook.

Parrish had been a jet-engine mechanic in the Navy and was now in her fifties, a soft and billowy woman with blurry tattoos on her forearms.

"And how long have you lived in the Martin household?" Yuki asked the cook.

"It will be eleven years next month. I came to the Martins after Caitlin was born."

"And would you say, as a member of the household, that you have an informed opinion about the Martin marriage?"

"Yes, I would say so."

"How did they get along?"

"They didn't get along at all."

"Ms. Parrish, do you have a close relationship with Dr. Martin?"

The large woman looked uncomfortable. She glanced down at her hands and muttered, "Yes. She confides in me."

Yuki lobbed the next question, a softball, but it was right across the plate.

"Was Dennis Martin seeing someone? That is, was he in a s.e.xual relationship with someone other than his wife?"

"I can't say."

"Can't, Ms. Parrish?"

"He never talked to me about anything other than food," said the cook, earning a nice burst of laughter from the gallery.

Yuki smiled, let the laughter fade away, and then asked, "Did Dr. Martin speak to you about her husband's affairs?"

"She did in the early days. Lately, not so much."

"Ms. Parrish, let me be more precise. Did Candace Martin tell you how she felt about her husband the week before he was shot to death?"

"Yes. He tormented her, constantly. Night before the shooting, she said she hated him. She said she'd kill him if she could. I suppose that's what you want me to say."

"Just tell the truth, Ms. Parrish."

"It wasn't a pretty marriage. Neither one of them had any use for the other one."

"Did Candace Martin ever say that she'd like to kill her husband?"

"Yes."

"I have no further questions," said Yuki, heading back to her table.

"Can I say something else?"

"That's all, Ms. Parrish. We're done."

Phil Hoffman stood and approached Yuki's witness to do his cross-examination.

He said, "What did you want to say, Ms. Parrish?"

"I wanted to say that Dr. Martin is a good person. And she loves her kids."

"Indeed. Ms. Parrish, did you ever see a gun in the house?"

"No, I never did."

"Thank you. That's all I have."

Yuki pressed her palms down on the table, stood up, and said, "Redirect, Your Honor."

The judge said, "Go ahead, Ms. Castellano."

"Ms. Parrish, does Dr. Martin love her kids enough to kill for them?"

"Objection," Hoffman said. "Leading the witness. Calling for speculation."

"Sustained."

"Withdrawn," said Yuki. "I'm done, Your Honor."

"Anyone would," the cook said.

"Thank you, Ms. Parrish. You may stand down," said the judge.

"Anyone would kill for their kids," the cook muttered loudly, as she got up from her seat. "It's a law of nature."

Hoffman stood to object, but the judge said, "I've got it, Mr. Hoffman. Ms. Parrish, you've testified under oath. It's over. The jury will disregard the witness's offhand remarks."

"I won't be silenced," said the cook, as she lumbered across the well. "Anyone would kill for their kids." would kill for their kids."

Chapter 36.