I was hustling through this line because it would be difficult at this point to explain the relevance to Anthony’s case. I was not quite fast enough, however. Ms. Lamb was on her feet, drawling, “Objection, Your Honor. What’s the relevance?”
The judge relayed the question to me with his quizzically raised eyebrows. I was determined to get it in.
“Your Honor, this could be terribly important. If I don’t ultimately show the relevance, you have my offer to resign my bar membership. I’m that certain.”
The judge peered at me over his half-glasses.
“I won’t be requiring that, Mr. Knight. Nor will I require your suicide on the courthouse steps. I’d merely like a showing of relevance.”
“Your Honor, I pray the indulgence of the court for no more than two more minutes. Literally. You’ll agree that I haven’t burdened the schedule of the court so far.”
He nodded. “Two minutes, Mr. Knight.”
“Thank you, Your Honor. Mei-Li, when did you see Mr. Chen at the Ming Tree restaurant?”
She seemed composed. She spoke softly, but every word was amplified through the microphone to the back of the courtroom.
“It was after Christmas. I was permitted to visit my friend, Lee Mei-Hua. It was four in the afternoon. There were no customers in the restaurant. I met Mei-Hua in the kitchen. Mr. Chen came in through the back door. I smiled, but he did not speak to me. He went quickly into Mr. Liu’s office and closed the door.”
“Was Mr. Liu there?”
“Yes.”
“And is that Mr. Liu in the back of the courtroom?”
He was glaring terrifying daggers at her, but she never wavered.
“Yes.”
“And could you hear what Mr. Chen and Mr. Liu said to each other?”
That brought Ms. Lamb vertical, whining, “Your Honor, relevance and now hearsay.”
I preempted his response.
“Just one more question, Your Honor. I won’t ask the substance of the conversation.”
The judge clearly had me in his sights.
“That’s a fine line, Mr. Knight. Be careful.”
“Mei-Li, could you hear Mr. Chen and Mr. Liu speaking?”
“I could not hear much of the words.”
I thought that particular well had run dry, when Mei-Li looked straight at Kip Liu and spoke directly into the microphone. I think she knew what she was doing.
“Mr. Chen was very angry. He yelled at Mr. Liu. It was about the low faan. ”
Ms. Lamb erupted, sputtering objections and motions to strike. The judge gaveled Mei-Li to silence, but I had the nugget I needed. I filed it away and got back to the business at hand.
“Mei-Li, did you go with me yesterday to the county morgue?”
She looked at me. “Yes.”
“Did you see the body of a young girl there?”
“Yes.”
“Could you describe her condition?”
She started to speak, but tears simply streamed from both eyes.
“Mei-Li, would it be fair to say that she was brutally beaten? Beaten beyond recognition?”
Angela was on her feet, but I sensed she was forcing herself. “Your Honor, how is this relevant? Objection.”
I jumped in quickly to preserve the momentum. “Your Honor, I promise accountability for the relevance.”
“Overruled. Please answer the question, miss.”
Mei-Li’s eyes dropped. “Yes, badly beaten.”
I walked back past the defense table to the front row of spectators. I bent down and took Mrs. Lee’s hand. I held it when I whispered, “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Lee. This will be a terrible shock. I want you to be ready for it.”
I could see in her face that the shock had already set in. She didn’t want to know, and I didn’t want it said. But it had to be said.
“Who was the young lady, Mei-Li?”
“It was Lee Mei-Hua. Mrs. Lee’s daughter.”
I could feel Mrs. Lee’s body shake as I put my arm around her shoulder. I could feel the sobs, as well as hear them.
I held her for a minute with the court’s indulgence. I thought of my little Red Shoes, and the bravery in that little soul the night she gave me the message in the fortune cookie.
I left Mrs. Lee being comforted by Mr. Qian and came back to the bench.
“I have no further questions of this witness, Your Honor.”
The judge looked at the prosecutor.
“Nothing just now, Your Honor.”
I added, “I’d like permission to have this witness remain in the courtroom, Your Honor.”
The judge nodded. Mei-Li left the witness stand. The bailiff brought a chair for her at the end of the spectator section. The judge looked back at me.
“Your Honor, I’d like to recall as a witness, Mrs. Lee.”
I took her hand from Mr. Qian and walked with her to the witness stand. The clerk reminded her that she was under oath, but I’m not sure she ever heard his words. I went over to stand beside her.
“Mrs. Lee, I’m so sorry. She was a sweet, brave girl. They had no right to take her life. But they’ve taken all of your lives. Now they want to take Mr. Bradley’s life. And they want you to be their instrument. There’s got to be a time when it stops.”
She was listening to my words, but her tears were still streaming. I wasn’t sure she could speak.
I let go of her hand and stepped back. I asked her to look up at me. I pointed to Kip Liu.
“Look at him, Mrs. Lee. He’s in custody. He’ll stay there. He’ll never force you to do anything again.”
She looked, and she seemed to gain strength enough to let out her anger.
“When was the last time you saw your daughter?”
She spoke through sobs.
“A week ago Monday night.”
“When she was working as a waitress at your restaurant?”
“Yes.”
“And you haven’t seen her since then?”
The sobs recurred when she realized she would never see her again. She could only shake her head.
“Before she disappeared, did Mr. Kip Liu, that man over there, make threats in regard to you or your daughter?”
“Yes.”
“What threats?”
“He said we would be badly hurt if I did not do what he told me.”
“And the night that I came to talk to you, the night after the murder, your daughter was there that night?”
“Yes.”
“And did you know that she gave me a message that said that she’d help me if I’d help Mei-Li? Did you know that?”
Her hands ran to her eyes to try to stop the flow of tears.
“I was terrified when she told me. I was afraid Mr. Liu saw.”
“I know. And did you daughter disappear that night?”
The “yes” was nearly choked off in the sobs. I stood back so that she could see Kip Liu beyond me.
“What did that man, Kip Liu, tell you about where your daughter was?”
She straightened up as if she wanted the world to hear her.
