The People vs. Alex Cross (Alex Cross 25)

“We good?” I asked.

She leaned over to me, murmured, “Pray for a knockout.”

“And David slew Goliath,” I said before the bailiff called, “All rise.”

Judge Larch looked considerably less agitated when she retook the bench and called the court to order.

“Ms. Marley,” Larch said, “do you wish to cross-examine Mr. Watkins now, or does the defense have its own witnesses in mind?”

“Defense witness, Your Honor,” Anita said. “We call Ali Cross to the stand.”

I twisted in my seat in time to see Ali enter the courtroom holding my dad’s hand with Jannie and Nana Mama behind them. My boy was in his Sunday best: gray pants, an ironed white shirt, and a paisley bow tie. Juror eleven smiled seeing him.

At the bar, Nana Mama whispered something in her great-grandson’s ear, and he nodded. Ali did not look at me or Anita before pushing open the gate and walking confidently to the witness stand.

Wills said, “Your Honor, the defense gave us no notice of this witness.”

“Ali is Dr. Cross’s son, Your Honor,” Anita said.

Judge Larch looked skeptical. “And he has business before this court?”

“Yes, Your Honor, he has a few things to say.”

The judge peered over at Ali, who was standing in the witness box now.

“How old are you, Ali?”

“Nine, but I’m in fifth grade already.”

“Where do you go to school?”

“Washington Latin.”

Larch smiled. “Good for you. Swear him in.”

Afterward, the bailiff had to get pads for the witness chair so Ali could sit higher and be seen easier by the jury.

Once he’d settled in, Anita said, “Ali, do you normally do what your father tells you to do? By that I mean, when he gives you a direct order, do you obey it?”

“Yes, ma’am. I try.”

“But you defied one of his direct orders recently, didn’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am, I did.”

“Objection,” Wills said. “Your Honor, where is the relevance of this?”

Anita looked at him, said, “The Court is about to find out.”

“Get to it, Ms. Marley,” Larch said.

“What did you do that your father didn’t want you to do?” Anita said.

Ali said, “My dad told me not to look at the videos of the shootings in that factory, but I secretly looked at them on YouTube.”

“Once?”

“No, like a hundred and seventy times.”