Chapter 10: Thursday
The courtroom was smaller than I expected.
Patricia sat beside me at the respondent's table.
Across the aisle, Gerald Marsh sat with a younger associate.
Constance was in the gallery behind them, dressed in grey, hands folded in the same precise way they had been in the chapel pew.
Rebecca was not there.
I noticed that immediately.
I didn't know what it meant yet.
The judge was a woman in her sixties named the Honorable Carol Briggs.
She had read the submissions before the hearing.
I could tell because she looked at Gerald Marsh with an expression that was not quite neutral.
"Mr.
Marsh," she said.
"Your emergency motion alleges that the respondent, Nathan Calloway, is unfit to serve as sole guardian of his minor daughter, Emily Calloway, age seven.
Is that correct?"
"That is correct, Your Honor."
"And the basis for this allegation is what, precisely?"
Gerald stood.
He was polished and unhurried.
"The respondent displayed erratic and emotionally volatile behavior at a public event on Saturday, exposing a minor child to a distressing scene in front of approximately two hundred individuals, and subsequently removed the child from the care of a qualified nanny without—"
"Mr.
Marsh." Judge Briggs set down her pen.
"I've read the motion.
I'm asking you what evidence you have that this man is unfit to parent his daughter."
A pause.
"The incident itself—"
"A father refusing to proceed with a wedding after discovering his fiancée had arranged to place his daughter in residential care without his knowledge or consent is not evidence of unfitness." She looked at him steadily.
"It is, in fact, the opposite."
Gerald's composure held, but only just.
"Your Honor, the respondent's reaction was disproportionate—"
"Ms.
Howe," Judge Briggs said, turning to Patricia.
"I've reviewed the materials you submitted this morning.
The internal communications from the Marsh firm, the Hillcrest correspondence, the insurance documentation, and the statement from Ms.
Sandra Okafor." She paused.
"I have some questions."
Patricia stood.
"Of course, Your Honor."
"Is Ms.
Okafor present?"
"She is, Your Honor." Patricia gestured toward the gallery.
Sandra Okafor stood — a woman in her forties, composed, with a folder held in both hands.
Judge Briggs looked at Gerald Marsh.
"Mr.
Marsh," she said.
"Before we go any further, I want to give you an opportunity to withdraw this motion voluntarily."
Gerald's associate leaned toward him and said something very quietly.
Gerald said, "Your Honor, I'd like a brief recess to consult with my client."
"Your client is not present," Judge Briggs said.
"My client is Mrs.
Constance Farrow—"
"Mrs.
Farrow." The judge looked into the gallery.
"Are you represented by independent counsel today?"
Constance's chin lifted.
"Mr.
Marsh represents the family's interests."
"Mr.
Marsh is currently the subject of a formal complaint filed with the state bar this morning," Judge Briggs said.
"I would strongly recommend you retain independent counsel before this proceeding goes any further."
The gallery shifted.
Someone coughed.
Gerald's associate stopped writing.
Gerald Marsh stood very still.
May you like
"I'm withdrawing the motion," he said.
"I thought you might," Judge Briggs said.
