see.”
“And could you see him go out of the restaurant to the street?”
“Yes.”
“Was there someone else with him?”
“Yes. Another boy had dinner with him. When they got to the street, the other boy left. He walked away up the street.”
“Please describe what happened then.”
“I saw that boy, Mr. Bradley, standing in the street. The drummers and the lion were coming up the street. He watched.”
“Could you see the gun in his hand as he watched?”
Judge Posner looked at me. I shook my head.
“Yes.”
“Please go on.”
Mrs. Lee never took her eyes off of Angela.
“The lion approached the door of the grocery shop below Mr. Chen. Everyone was watching the dragon.”
“Except you.”
“Yes.”
“And what were you watching?”
“Mr. Bradley.”
“And what did you see him do?”
“He raised the gun.”
“Please show us how.”
Mrs. Lee brought her right hand up in front of her face as if sighting a pistol. Angela described it for the record.
“And then?”
She dropped her eyes. “He shot Mr. Chen.”
“Did he aim deliberately at Mr. Chen?”
Judge Posner was not amused by my failure to object to the fact that the question called for a conclusion by the witness regarding the state of mind of the defendant. It was not my desire to annoy His Honor, but His Honor had no idea of what I was up to. I prayed that I did.
“Yes.”
“Did Mr. Chen fall backwards?”
“Yes.”
“And what did the defendant do then?”
“He walked up Tyler Street.”
“Toward Beach Street?”
“Yes. He turned to the left.”
“And what did you do, Mrs. Lee?”
“I ran down to where three policemen were standing in the street. I described Mr. Bradley and told the officers what happened. Two officers went after Mr. Bradley. The other officer went up the stairs to Mr. Chen.”
“And once more, can you clearly identify the man you saw shoot Mr. Chen?”
She took a breath and brought her head up, “Yes.” She pointed to Anthony Bradley.
Angela added the final nail. “May the record reflect that the witness is indicating Mr. Bradley, the defendant?”
Angela favored the jury with a knowing look, and the judge with a humble-servant-of-the-court smile.
“No further questions, Your Honor.”
The judge nodded and signaled me to begin a rigorous cross-examination.
I rose respectfully.
“No questions, Your Honor.”
He was on his feet and striding like Simba to the side of the bench away from the jury.
“I’ll see counsel!”
I crossed paths with Angela halfway to the bench. She packed as much condescension as she could cram into one little smile and whispered, “A bit out of our league, are we, Mr. Knight?”
I smiled back. “I’m honored to learn at your feet, Ms. Lamb.”
Smoke was rising around the collar of the judge’s robe when we assembled at the side of the bench. He called the court reporter over to capture each word that hissed from between his teeth.
“I’m ready to call a mistrial, Knight. This is the most inept performance I’ve ever witnessed. Are you aware that a man’s life in prison is at stake here?”
I leaned closer to be able to whisper.
“I know this is a bit unorthodox, Your Honor. I ask the court’s indulgence. I didn’t have a chance to finish before you called this sidebar. I’d like to request that Mrs. Lee be held for recall as a defense witness.”
That snapped Angela’s head around. The judge looked somewhat relieved that defense counsel had anything in mind.
“Yes. Granted.”
“One more thing, Your Honor. I’d like to request that during the presentation of the defense, Mrs. Lee be permitted to remain in the courtroom. I’d like to have a seat reserved for her in the front row of the spectators.”
Angela came out fighting.
“Your Honor, the prosecution objects. All of the witnesses are sequestered so that they won’t hear each others’ testimony and adapt their stories. There’s no reason for an exception here. This is a key prosecution witness.”
I stepped in.
“Your Honor, this witness has already testified. If the witness hears anything that could induce her to commit perjury in the future, the prosecution can renew the objection. It’s an important request for the defense, Your Honor.”
“For reasons that you’re not at liberty to disclose at this time, Mr. Knight?”
“That’s correct, Your Honor.”
“I’m going to grant your request, Mr. Knight. But if I have to retry this case because of incompetence of defense counsel, it won’t rest here. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Ms. Lamb and I crossed paths again on the way back to counsel table. I winked and whispered, “Your play, Angela.”
The prosecution had one more witness. Angela called Mr. Qian An-Yong, the Chinese herbal medicine man.
He took the stand and testified in corroboration of Mrs. Lee’s testimony. He said that he saw Anthony Bradley come out of the Ming Tree restaurant and take a gun out of his belt. He said that while everyone was watching the lion in front of the grocery shop below Mr. Chen’s window, the defendant was in the street. He raised the gun to aiming level and fired at Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen fell backwards into the room. The defendant walked up Tyler Street and turned left.
He said that Mrs. Lee came running out of the restaurant and went to speak to three officers. He went over to join them. He confirmed what she told them.
Angela took him through a description of the gun, which appeared to be a thirty-eight caliber, and the testimony that Mr. Qian was standing in the street close to the defendant at the time of the shooting. He was so stunned that there was nothing he could do at the time. She capped it off by having him formally identify Anthony Bradley.
This time the judge took it more in stride when I announced that I had no questions of the witness at this time. I made the same request in regard to Mr. Qian as I had made in regard to Mrs. Lee.
Angela made her objection for the record, and the judge granted my request.
With that, Angela declared that the prosecution rested.
