“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“Withdrawn,” said Yuki.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.”