can't imagine a safer place to meet a guy than a political
policy discussion with the members of the council," she said, giggling a
bit.
Laughter
didn't work in the middle of a rape trial. I knew it was just a nervous
reaction, but she would need to get beyond it. Don't apologize for anything you
did, I had told Paige for weeks. Just tell the jury the facts. In my summation
I would have lots of opportunity to talk about her judgment calls.
"Did
anyone else go with you to dinner?"
"No.
I said good night to the people I knew, got my coat from the checkroom, and we
walked three or four blocks to a small bistro on a side street."
She took
us through the dinner and conversation. Yes, there was another glass of wine
for each of them. Yes, they both discussed their personal lives. Andrew told
her that he was widowed, and that his mother had raised his son until her
recent death. No, she certainly could not remember everything that they had
talked about.
I would
argue that was because there was no significance to most of the conversation at
this first meeting. Robelon would attribute her lack of specifics to the third
glass of wine.
"What
time did you leave the restaurant, and where did you go?"
"I
saw that it was getting late-after ten o'clock. I told Andrew that I had to be
in my office before eight the next morning. He put me in a cab outside the restaurant
and we said good night."
"Who
paid for the meal?"
She
looked at me and reddened again. "We split the check. I paid for my dinner
and he paid for his."
"Did
you kiss each other?"
"No."
"Was
there any kind of physical contact-touching each other or holding hands as you
walked on the street?"
"None."
"Did
he ask for your phone number?"
"No."
"Did
he say-"
"Hey,
Ms. Cooper," Judge Moffett said, "whatever happened to woman's lib?
Ms. Vallis, did you ask him for his number?"
"No,
sir."
"Was
there any discussion about seeing each other again?" I asked.
"No,
there wasn't. I got in the cab, closed the door, and went on my way home. I
thought it was a pleasant evening, but that was the end of it."
"When
was the next time you had any contact with Andrew Tripping?"
"About
three or four days later, when he called me."
"Where
were you when he called?"
"At
my office. Dibingham Partners," Vallis said, looking over at the jurors.
"My personal phone isn't listed. I had told Andrew where I worked, and I
guess-"
"Objection."
"Sustained.
You can't guess in my courtroom, Ms. Vallis," the judge barked at the
young woman from his elevated position over her head, and she recoiled, shaken
again. "I'm sorry, Your Honor."
"Would
you please tell us what the defendant said in that conversation?"
"It
was a very short discussion. I told him I was about to go into a meeting. He
asked if I wanted to have dinner with him the following night, and I said,
'Sure.' We arranged to meet at the Odeon. That's a restaurant near my
apartment. That's all."
"Did
you keep that date?"
"Yes,
we did. I got there first. When Andrew arrived, we each ordered a glass of wine
and chatted for a while before we ate dinner."
"What
did this conversation concern?"
Paige
Vallis described a coolly impersonal meeting, in which her companion spent most
of the time talking about himself or questioning her about her political views.
She only had one drink and again she paid her own way. There were no sexual
overtures when he walked her back to her building at ten o'clock.
"Did
you invite the defendant up to your apartment?" I asked.
"There
was no reason to. I thought-"
"Objection
as to what she thought, Your Honor," Robelon said.
"Sustained."
The heavy
oak door creaked open behind me. I kept my attention on Paige Vallis, but she
picked her head up at the sound and stared off in the distance.
"Ms.
Vallis, what did you say or do when you reached your building?"
Her mouth
twitched and she answered softly, "Andrew asked if he could come in for a
cup of coffee. I told him that would be impossible. I-uh-I had a
policy discussion with the members of the council," she said, giggling a
bit.
Laughter
didn't work in the middle of a rape trial. I knew it was just a nervous
reaction, but she would need to get beyond it. Don't apologize for anything you
did, I had told Paige for weeks. Just tell the jury the facts. In my summation
I would have lots of opportunity to talk about her judgment calls.
"Did
anyone else go with you to dinner?"
"No.
I said good night to the people I knew, got my coat from the checkroom, and we
walked three or four blocks to a small bistro on a side street."
She took
us through the dinner and conversation. Yes, there was another glass of wine
for each of them. Yes, they both discussed their personal lives. Andrew told
her that he was widowed, and that his mother had raised his son until her
recent death. No, she certainly could not remember everything that they had
talked about.
I would
argue that was because there was no significance to most of the conversation at
this first meeting. Robelon would attribute her lack of specifics to the third
glass of wine.
"What
time did you leave the restaurant, and where did you go?"
"I
saw that it was getting late-after ten o'clock. I told Andrew that I had to be
in my office before eight the next morning. He put me in a cab outside the restaurant
and we said good night."
"Who
paid for the meal?"
She
looked at me and reddened again. "We split the check. I paid for my dinner
and he paid for his."
"Did
you kiss each other?"
"No."
"Was
there any kind of physical contact-touching each other or holding hands as you
walked on the street?"
"None."
"Did
he ask for your phone number?"
"No."
"Did
he say-"
"Hey,
Ms. Cooper," Judge Moffett said, "whatever happened to woman's lib?
Ms. Vallis, did you ask him for his number?"
"No,
sir."
"Was
there any discussion about seeing each other again?" I asked.
"No,
there wasn't. I got in the cab, closed the door, and went on my way home. I
thought it was a pleasant evening, but that was the end of it."
"When
was the next time you had any contact with Andrew Tripping?"
"About
three or four days later, when he called me."
"Where
were you when he called?"
"At
my office. Dibingham Partners," Vallis said, looking over at the jurors.
"My personal phone isn't listed. I had told Andrew where I worked, and I
guess-"
"Objection."
"Sustained.
You can't guess in my courtroom, Ms. Vallis," the judge barked at the
young woman from his elevated position over her head, and she recoiled, shaken
again. "I'm sorry, Your Honor."
"Would
you please tell us what the defendant said in that conversation?"
"It
was a very short discussion. I told him I was about to go into a meeting. He
asked if I wanted to have dinner with him the following night, and I said,
'Sure.' We arranged to meet at the Odeon. That's a restaurant near my
apartment. That's all."
"Did
you keep that date?"
"Yes,
we did. I got there first. When Andrew arrived, we each ordered a glass of wine
and chatted for a while before we ate dinner."
"What
did this conversation concern?"
Paige
Vallis described a coolly impersonal meeting, in which her companion spent most
of the time talking about himself or questioning her about her political views.
She only had one drink and again she paid her own way. There were no sexual
overtures when he walked her back to her building at ten o'clock.
"Did
you invite the defendant up to your apartment?" I asked.
"There
was no reason to. I thought-"
"Objection
as to what she thought, Your Honor," Robelon said.
"Sustained."
The heavy
oak door creaked open behind me. I kept my attention on Paige Vallis, but she
picked her head up at the sound and stared off in the distance.
"Ms.
Vallis, what did you say or do when you reached your building?"
Her mouth
twitched and she answered softly, "Andrew asked if he could come in for a
cup of coffee. I told him that would be impossible. I-uh-I had a
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