The Devil's Advocate Read Free Page B

important what you say here can be?" She nodded again, this time more softly. The judge leaned back. "Carry on, Mr. Balm."
    "Thank you, your honor." Balm moved up to the witness chair. He was a tall, lean man, on his way to a promising political career. He was uncomfortable with this case and had hoped Kevin and Lois Wilson would take his offer, but they hadn't, and here he was, relying on the testimony of ten-year-old children. "I'd like you to tell the court just what you told Mr. Cornbleau that day in his office. Go slowly."
    The chubby girl looked quickly at Lois. Kevin had told her to stare at all the children intently, especially the three who were confirming Barbara Stanley's accusations.
    "Well . . . sometimes, when we had special arts..."
    "Special arts. What's that, Barbara?"

    "Special arts is art or reading or music. The class goes to the art teacher or the music teacher," the little girl recited, her eyes almost closed. Kevin could see she was trying hard to do it all correctly. When he looked around, he saw how members of the audience half smiled, silently rooting for the child. The gentleman in the back, however, looked intense, almost angry.
    "I see," Balm said, nodding. "They go to another room, right?"
    "Uh-huh."
    "Please say yes or no, Barbara, okay?"
    "Uh ... I mean yes."
    "Okay, sometimes when you had special arts . . ." Balm prompted.
    "Miss Wilson would ask one of us to stay behind," Barbara replied on cue.
    "Stay behind? Remain in class alone with her?"
    "Uh ... yes."
    "And?"
    "One time, she asked me to."
    "And what did you tell Mr. Cornbleau about this time?"
    Barbara turned herself a bit in the seat so she could avoid Lois's gaze. Then she took a deep breath and began.
    "Miss Wilson asked me to sit by her, and she told me she thought I was growing into a pretty girl, but there were things I should know about my body, things adults don't like to talk about." She paused and looked down.
    "Go on."
    "She said there were places that were special."
    "Special?"
    "Uh...yes."
    "And what did she want you to know about these places, Barbara?" Barbara shot a quick glance in Lois Wilson's direction and then turned back to Balm. "Barbara, what did she want you to know?" he repeated.
    "That special things happen whenever . .. whenever anyone touches them."
    "I see. And then what did she do?" He nodded to encourage her to continue.
    "She showed me the places."
    "Showed you? How?"
    "She pointed to them, and then she asked me to let her touch them so I would understand."
    "Did you let her, Barbara?"
    Barbara pressed her lips together tightly and nodded.
    "Yes?"
    "Yes."
    "Where exactly did she touch you, Barbara?"
    "Here and there," Barbara said, pointing to her chest and between her legs.
    "Did she just touch you there, or did she do something more?"
    Barbara bit her lower lip.
    "This is hard, Barbara, we know. But we've got to ask you so that the right things can be done. You understand, right?" She nodded. "Okay, tell the court.
    What else did Miss Wilson do?"
    "She put her hand in here," she said, placing her own right hand between her legs, "and rubbed."
    "Put her hand in there? You mean, in under your clothing?"
    "Yes."
    "Then what happened, Barbara?"
    "She asked me if it felt special. I told her it just tickled, and she got annoyed and pulled her hand out. She said I wasn't ready to understand yet, but she would try again some other time."
    "Did she?"
    "Not with me," Barbara said quickly.
    "With friends of yours, other girls in the class?"
    "Uh-huh. Yes."
    "And when you told them what Miss Wilson had done to you, they told you what she had done to them, correct?"
    "Yes."
    A low murmur trembled through the audience. The judge looked out with reproach, and everyone became quiet instantly.

    "Then all of you told everything to Mr. Cornbleau?"
    "Yes."
    "Okay, Barbara. Mr. Taylor is going to ask you questions now, too. Just be as truthful with him as you have been with me," Martin Balm said and then turned toward