Wedding Bell Blues - [57]

down and make a life together.”

“And who was this woman?”

Ida nodded toward Lily. “That’s her, right over there.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Maycomb. I know this is difficult for you. I just have one more question. A littleover three years after the conversation you just discussed, Charlotte told you she was pregnant—that shehad been artificially inseminated and that she and Lily were going to raise a child together. What wasyour reaction when she told you this?”

“Well, naturally, it just broke my heart,” Ida said. “When you’ve got two adults who are sinningtogether, there’s not much you can do about it. You can pray for ’em, and you can try to bring ’em to theLord, but they’re adults, so they’re gonna do what they wanna do. But to bring a child into that sinfulenvironment . . . like I said, the thought of it just broke my heart. That’s why we want to raise Mimiourselves...there’s some things a small child shouldn’t be exposed to.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Maycomb. No further questions.” Judge Sanders nodded toward the table whereLily was sitting. “Mr. Dobson?”

Buzz rose and smiled at Ida. “I won’t take up much of your time, Mrs. Maycomb.” He was politeto the point of deference. Lily had to give old Buzz some credit for this tactic — in a small Southerntown, you weren’t going to win any points by being mean to somebody’s mama. “Could you tell us,please ma’am, what your daughter did for a living?”

Ida looked puzzled. “She taught at Atlanta State.”

“Yes.” Buzz glanced at his notes. “At the time of her death, she was a tenured associate professorof English, was she not?”

“Uh, I think so.” Ida’s hesitation didn’t surprise Lily. Ida had never taken much of an interest inCharlotte’s career. “But I don’t see what that has to do with the case.”

“Well, the way I see it, Charlotte’s achievements have quite a bit to do with the case. If shebecame a tenured associate professor at such a young age, it must have meant her colleagues thought shedid a good job. And she must have. Her teaching evaluations were high. She published numerous articlesand coauthored one published book. It seems to me that Charlotte’s career is somethin’ a mother couldreally be proud of.”

Ida was clearly baffled about where Buzz’s line of argument was heading. “Well, Charlotte alwayswas...book-smart.”

“It sounds like she was. And the reason I’m bringing this up is because, by giving her tenure, bypromoting her to the rank of associate professor, her colleagues were saying that Charlotte was of soundmind...that she knew what she was doing, that she was capable of making decisions. And if she was ofsound mind to make decisions at work, it seems like she’d also be of sound mind to make up her own willto decide who should get custody of her child in the event of her death. What do you think, Mrs.

Maycomb? Was your daughter of sound mind?”

“Like I said.” Ida squirmed in her seat. “Charlotte always was book-smart, but she didn’t have alick of common sense. And when she hooked up with that one” — she nodded at Lily — “any bit ofcommon sense she had went out the window.”

“You don’t like Mrs. McGilly, do you, Mrs. Maycomb?”

“Objection,” Hamilton interrupted. “Irrelevant.”

“Your Honor,” Buzz said, “if you’ll bear with me, I’ll show how Mrs. Maycomb’s and Mrs.

McGilly’s relationship pertains to the case.”

“Go ahead then, Mr. Dobson,” Judge Sanders said wearily.

Buzz repeated the question.

“Why, I don’t think that question’s fair at all.” Ida’s blue eyes were flashing. Lily had never seenher so openly angry before. “How would you feel if some ... some lesbian came and seduced yourdaughter into a life of sin? Why, you’d just as soon see her dead as —” Perhaps seeing the rays shootingfrom Stephen Hamilton’s eyes, Ida clamped her mouth shut.

“You are a Christian, are you not, Mrs. Maycomb?”

“I most certainly am.”

“Well, aren’t Christians supposed to believe in forgiveness, in people’s ability to change?”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at, Mr. Dobson.”

“What I’m getting at is ... look at Mrs. McGilly over there. She’s a changed person. She’s marrieda nice young man and is raising Mimi in a normal small town with more Christians in it than you canshake a stick at. Don’t you believe she’s changed, Mrs. Maycomb?”

Ida looked at Lily as though someone was holding something foul smelling under her nose. “No, Idon’t. Not that one. Her sin’s still in there. She’s just covered it up with makeup and a nice hairdo.”

“Let you who are without sin cast the first stone,” Buzz muttered.

“Objection,” Hamilton said. “Mr. Dobson is a lawyer, not a minister.”

Judge Sanders shrugged. “Sustained.”

Buzz smiled sweetly at Ida. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Maycomb. No further questions.”

Lily couldn’t help but be impressed by Buzz’s line of questioning. Certainly he lacked Hamilton’sslickness and drama, but he did a good job of establishing Charlotte as a rational person and Ida as anirrational one. Of course, Judge Sanders had looked bored throughout Buzz’s presentation, so maybe hepreferred a dramatic argument to a rational one.