'I saw Mr. Ames. He was running and he looked upset. When he saw my car, he threw his arm in front of his face. Then he dashed to his own car and drove away at a high rate of speed.'
'How can you be sure that it was Mr. Ames you saw at the cottage?'
'As I said, I'd met him before and he ran right into my headlight beams. It was like watching someone on a stage standing in a spotlight.'
'And there is no doubt in your mind that it was Daniel Ames, the defendant, whom you saw running from the cottage on Starlight Road?'
'None.'
'For the record, do you see Mr. Ames in court today?'
'Yes.'
'Please point him out for the judge.'
Fairweather shifted in her seat and pointed her finger at Daniel, but she still would not look him in the eye.
'After Mr. Ames drove away, what did you do?'
Fairweather paused before answering the prosecutor's question in the same soft monotone in which she had spoken during all of Greene's direct examination.
'I parked my car and entered the house. The lights were off and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Then I saw Mr. Briggs lying on the floor. I walked over to him and I knew at once that he was dead.'
'How did you know that?'
'He was lying in a pool of blood. I knelt down and felt for a pulse, but there was none.'
'What did you do next?'
'I left the house and used my cell phone to call 911.'
'Thank you, Dr. Fairweather. Your witness, Ms. Jaffe.'
'What is your date of birth, Dr. Fairweather?' Amanda asked in a friendly tone.
'July twenty-ninth, 1957,' Fairweather answered, averting her eyes.
'And where were you born?'
'Crawford, Idaho.'
'What is your father's name?'
Daniel thought he saw Fairweather flinch.
'Herman Garlock,' she answered, her voice dropping again.
'And your mother?'
'Linda Garlock.'
'If your parents are both named Garlock, why are you named Fairweather?'
'I changed my name legally five years ago.'
'What was your given name?'
'Florence Garlock.'
'When is the last time you spoke to either of your parents?'
'I don't know the exact date. It would have been around 1978.'
'You haven't had any contact with them for more than twenty years?'
'That's correct.'
'Can you tell me why?'
'I did not wish to contact them.'
'Wouldn't you agree it's rather unusual for a daughter to have no contact with her parents for twenty years?'
'Objection, relevance,' Mike Greene said.
'Is the witness's relationship to her parents relevant to this case, Ms. Jaffe?' Judge Opton asked.
'It is, Your Honor, but I'll withdraw the question for now.'
Amanda turned her attention back to the witness.
'Do you have any siblings?'
'I have a younger sister, Dorothy.'
'Has your sister maintained a relationship with your parents?'
'Yes.'
Amanda made a few notes, then switched to another subject.
'I'd like to talk to you about your educational background. What school or schools awarded you your master's and Ph.D.?'
'Templeton University.'
'Where did you receive your undergraduate degree?'
'I don't have one.'
Amanda looked surprised. 'I'm a little confused,' she said. 'Before you can get a master's and a doctorate, don't you have to graduate from college?'
'That was not a requirement at Templeton.'
'Is Templeton University a regular school with a campus and a football team?'
'Templeton is a correspondence university. I attended by mail.'
'How long did it take you to get a master's degree and a Ph.D. by mail?'
'About three years.'
'Each?'
'Total.'
Amanda had Judge Opton's attention and Daniel noticed that Mike Greene was starting to look nervous.
'What major are your degrees in?'
'Theocentric counseling.'
'I don't believe I've heard of that. Could you explain theocentric counseling to Judge Opton?'
'Theocentric is God-centered. There's no specific religious connection,' Fairweather said without turning to the judge. Daniel had the impression that she was not speaking to anyone in particular, as if she was distancing herself from what was happening in the courtroom.
'Dr. Fairweather, is Templeton an accredited university like Oregon State?'
'I don't believe so.'
'And you're not licensed by any state agency, are you?'
'No.'
'Let's go back to your parents. Was your father abusive to you when you were a child?'
'Objection. This is totally irrelevant.'
Amanda stood. 'To the contrary, Your Honor. If you will give me a little leeway here, you will see that this line of questioning goes directly to the issue of this witness's credibility and competence.'
Judge Opton took a moment to decide what to do. He did not look happy.
'I'm going to let you continue based solely on your assertion that you can prove relevance. If I'm not convinced pretty quickly, I'll uphold Mr. Greene's objection.'
'Thank you, Your Honor. Dr. Fairweather, was your father abusive?'
'Yes.'
'In what way?'
'Sexually, physically, and emotionally.'
'Since what age?'
'I don't know exactly. My earliest memory would be somewhere around four or five.'
'When you say `physical abuse' what do you mean?'
'Hitting, choking, being locked in closets,' she answered in a flat, emotionless tone that reminded Daniel of the way he might describe something he saw on the evening news.
'And `sexual abuse'?'
'Touching, intercourse.'
'He had intercourse with you at four?'
'Yes.'
'Anything else?'
