“I don’t know.”
“More than fifty?”
“I don’t have any idea.”
“Come now,” said the judge. “You must have some idea how many of these policies are written. Quality Insurance isn’t exactly Lloyds of London.”
“Fewer than fifty,” she said.
“In fact, the exact number is thirty-one, isn’t it?” Showing a command of the facts was a good way to control a witness-I’d learned that from Duncan.
She shifted uneasily and said, “That sounds right.”
Duncan was again on his feet. “Your Honor, the witness shouldn’t be forced to guess.”
“Fair enough,” said the judge. “Don’t guess, Ms. Johans. But remember that you’re under oath, and
Maggie looked at the judge, then at me. “The answer is thirty-one.”
“Isn’t it also true that one of Mr. Delpina’s policies resulted in a kidnapping for which the company denied coverage?”
“That’s why we’re here. That one isolated policy is your father’s, which was denied on grounds of fraud. ”
“Am I also correct that Mr. Delpina’s remaining policies have been sold to secondary insurers on the reinsurance market?” I had to hold my breath on this one. It was what Jaime had told me, but I wasn’t sure what Maggie would say.
“That’s true, but that’s not uncommon.”
“Just so we all understand, selling the policy to a secondary insurer shifts the risk of loss to the new insurer, correct?”
“Yes.”
“So if those other policyholders are kidnapped, the ransom won’t be paid by Quality Insurance Company, will it?”
“That’s the whole point of reinsurance.”
“Let me put it another way.
“Objection.”
“There’s no jury here,” said the judge. “Let’s see how the witness handles the question.”
“I’m not sure I understand it.”
“I think you do. You know it’s only a matter of time before others are kidnapped, just like my father.”
“I have no such knowledge.”
“I renew my objection,” said Duncan. “These questions are simply wild accusations. There’s no evidentiary foundation whatsoever.”
“Mr. Rey, I’m trying to give you your day in court, but the man has a point. Why don’t you move on to more solid ground?”
“Surely. Ms. Johans, is it fair to say that Quality Insurance treats information about kidnap-and-ransom insurance as highly confidential?”
“Absolutely.”
“That’s because a policyholder might become a kidnapping target if it were known that he had kidnap-and- ransom insurance, correct?”
“I don’t believe that would ever happen. But that’s the theoretical fear.”
“So the company takes certain internal precautions to maintain a level of secrecy. For example, policies are coded so that names are not readily accessible.”
“That’s right.”
“The policies themselves are kept in a locked vault.”
“Yes.”
“A limited number of employees are given access to the codes and policies.”
“True.”
“Jaime Delpina had access to the names, codes, and complete terms of all thirty-one policies we just mentioned, didn’t he?”
She paused, again looking at Duncan. He started to rise, but the judge nipped the spurious objection in the bud. “Sorry,” the judge said. “I didn’t hear the witness’s answer.”
“Mr. Delpina had access,” said Maggie.
“Do you know where Mr. Delpina is these days?”
“I have no idea.”
“He no longer works for Quality, does he?”
“No.”
“You terminated his employment.”
“Yes. I believe it was an issue of habitual tardiness.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smirking. “Before he was dismissed for ‘
“That was my testimony, yes.”
“The dollar amount of coverage for ransom under your policies is typically in the millions, isn’t it?”
“We don’t write it for less than a million. On average, it’s two to five.”
“Theoretically, if all thirty-one policyholders were kidnapped, the company could be out as much as a hundred and fifty million dollars in ransom payments alone?”
“That would never happen.”
“At least another ten million for investigator expenses.”
“Like I said, that would never happen.”
“You’re right. I suppose it was more the bad publicity that worried you.”
“Excuse me?”
“It wouldn’t be good for business if word got out that one of your employees was selling the names of policyholders to would-be kidnappers.”
“Objection.”
“Overruled.”
“But, Judge,” said Duncan, groaning.
“The witness shall answer.”
“No, it wouldn’t be good for business. But that’s not what happened here.”
“Jaime Delpina was selling that information.”
“Not true.”
“That’s why he was terminated.”
“No. Tardiness.”
“That’s why you made him disappear.”
“Objection!”
“Sustained.”
“You denied my father’s claim to hide your
“Objection!”
“Mr. Rey, please.”
“You knew that my father was just the beginning. You sold Jaime’s other policies to get off the hook for thirty more disasters.”
“Objection.”
“Sustained!”
The judge banged the gavel, but I pushed on, louder. “You cheated my father, you defrauded other insurers, you allowed thirty people to wander the globe without bothering to tell them that their names have been sold to dangerous criminals. You covered up the whole thing to minimize your exposure and prevent a publicity nightmare that would have cost you millions!”
