The Reversal

“Was this a romantic relationship?”

Gleason laughed in a way that was not supposed to impart humor.

“What passed for romance between two drug addicts,” she said. “I think the term is enablers. By being together we were enabling each other. But romance is not a word I would use. We had sex on occasion-when he was able to. But there was no romance, Mr. Royce.”

“But didn’t you in fact believe at one point that you two were married?”

“Eddie set something up on the beach with a man he said was a minister. But it wasn’t real. It wasn’t legal.”

“But at the time you thought it was, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“So were you in love with him?”

“No, I wasn’t in love with him. I just thought he could protect me.”

“So you were married, or at least thought you were. Did you live together?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“In different motels in the Valley.”

“All this time you were together, you must’ve confided in Eddie, yes?”

“About some things, yes.”

“Did you ever confide in him about your sister’s murder?”

“I am sure I did. I didn’t keep it a secret. I would have talked about it in group therapy in North Hollywood and he was sitting right there.”

“Did you ever tell him that your stepfather killed your sister?”

“No, because that didn’t happen.”

“So if Eddie Roman were to come to this courtroom and testify that you did indeed tell him that, then he would be lying.”

“Yes.”

“But you have already testified yesterday and today that you have lied to counselors and police. You have stolen and committed many crimes in your life. But you’re not lying here. Is that what we are to believe?”

“I’m not lying. You are talking about a period of my life when I did those things. I don’t deny that. I was human trash, okay? But I am past that now and have been past it for a long time. I’m not lying now.”

“Okay, Ms. Gleason, no further questions.”

As Royce returned to his seat, Maggie and I put our heads together and whispered.

“She held up really well,” Maggie said. “I think we should let it stand and I’ll just hit a couple high notes.”

“Sounds good.”

“Ms. McPherson?” the judge prompted.

Maggie stood.

“Yes, Your Honor. Just a few questions.”

She went to the lectern with her trusty legal pad. She skipped the buildup and got right to the matters she wanted to cover.

“Sarah, this man Eddie Roman and the phony marriage-whose idea was it to get married?”

“Eddie asked me to get married. He said we would work together as a team and share everything, that he would protect me and that we could never be forced to testify against each other if we got arrested.”

“And what did working together as a team mean in that circumstance?”

“Well, I… he wanted me to sell myself so we would have money to buy drugs and to have a motel room.”

“Did you do that for Eddie?”

“For a little bit of time. And then I got arrested.”

“Did Eddie bail you out?”

“No.”

“Did he come to court?”

“No.”

“Your record shows you pleaded guilty to soliciting and were sentenced to time served, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“How long was that?”

“I think it was thirteen days.”

“And was Eddie there waiting when you got out of jail?”

“No.”

“Did you ever see him again?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Maggie checked her notes, flipped up a couple pages and found what she was looking for.

“Okay, Sarah, you mentioned several times during your testimony earlier today that you did not remember specific dates and occurrences that Mr. Royce asked you about during the time you were a drug user. Is that a fair characterization?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“During all of those years of drug abuse and counseling and incarceration, were you ever able to forget what happened to your sister, Melissa?”

“No, never. I thought about it every day. I still do.”

“Were you ever able to forget about the man who crossed your front yard and grabbed your sister while you watched from the bushes?”

“No, never. I thought about him every day and still do.”

“Have you ever had a moment of doubt about the man you identified as your sister’s abductor?”

“No.”

Maggie turned and pointedly looked at Jessup, who was looking down at a legal pad and writing what were probably meaningless notes. Her eyes held on him and she waited. Just as Jessup looked up to see what was holding up the testimony she asked her last question.

“Never a single doubt, Sarah?”

“No, never.”

“Thank you, Sarah. No further questions.”

Thirty-eight

Thursday, April 8, 10:35 A.M.

The judge followed Sarah Gleason’s testimony by announcing the midmorning break. Bosch waited in his seat at the railing until Royce and Jessup got up and started to file out. He then stood and moved against the grain to get to his witness. As he passed by Jessup he clapped him hard on the arm.

“I think your makeup’s starting to run, Jason.”

He said it with a smile as he went by.

Jessup stopped and turned and was about to respond to the taunt when Royce grabbed him by the other arm and kept him going.