“Dr. Katherine Murphy, but most people, including myself, call you Katie, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, my friends call me Katie.” I smile.
“Those were some powerful, private messages. Good for you.” She chuckles, and a few of the jury members laugh too.
“Your boyfriend?”
I smile. “We’re friends . . . um . . . it’s complicated.”
“Ah, I see. Well, don’t worry, we won’t ask you to publicly define your relationship. It won’t be on the record, Dr. Murphy.”
“I appreciate that.” I laugh again, and I can visibly see a few of the jury members chuckle.
“And now, can I ask you, woman to woman, is the person who wrote those messages in the courtroom?” Her even tone puts me at ease a little.
“Yes, he came to support me today.”
She nods. “And why would you need support today?”
“Your Honor, relevance?” Mr. Samuels interrupts.
“Your Honor, given that the defense bamboozled my witness this morning, I think they can give me a little grace period to make my point.”
“Overruled. Carry on, Miss Halliday.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” She nods, turning her attention back to me. “As I was saying, what was the reason you needed support today?”
“I worked the Thomas Vale, orThe Poser, case for nearly a year. I interviewed Thomas Vale for many hours, and it was grueling. I knew what he had done, the evidence was overwhelming, but he scared me. Everything about him was utterly terrifying.”
“It’s a lot to take on. I’m sure you have a very stressful job.” She puts her hands on the wooden witness stand right in front of me. Her face softened, sincere. Despite being unprepared for this, she’s calm, warm, comforting. She was made for this role.
“It can be, but I like to make our city safer.”
“And the man who sent you those messages, the jury is probably thinking, well, isn’t he a threat?”
I shake my head. As if anyone who had met Jonesy could ever think that about him. He’s a protector, a nurturer. He’s cared for me in ways Ididn’t even know were possible until a few weeks ago. “No, he’d never hurt anyone. He was helping me.”
“Can you help the jury understand what you mean by that? I’m sure you have a professional reason for wanting those kinds of things in the bedroom.”
“It’s always difficult to analyze your own behavior. But I think I wanted to change the narrative. I’d worked on a case that ended in torture, murder, and fear. With this other person, it had fear, but it ended with him holding me and telling me how much he liked me. It ended with us cuddling and him making sure I was okay, and holding me whilst I slept. Having sex with a pre-determined agreement of sexual acts that include aggression or fake-forced acts can be part of a healthy sex life.” I swallow down the embarrassment because I know there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Sure, I don’t exactly want the whole world to know what I’m doing in the bedroom, but since exploring this part of me with Jonesy, I’m comfortable with what I want. “But the point is that Thomas Vale did not get consent from the women he murdered. They did not ask to be raped. They did not ask to be strangled by him. My own sex life is safe and consensual with someone I have known for over fifteen years and trust with my life. He would never ever put me in a position where I feel like I am in actual danger.”
“How did your relationship change with thisman?” Miss Halliday steps back, allowing the jury to see me fully, allowing them to be part of the conversation.
“We started working together. We usually only saw each other at our monthly dinner club with our university friends, but we’ve been spending more time together alone. It changed things.”
“And you expressed that you had certain sexual desires.”
I lift my chin and will my cheeks not to turn red. “Yes.”
“Why did you express that to him in particular?” Her head tilts.
I take a deep breath, pausing as I blink a few times to fight back the tears welling in my eyes. I don’t know why I’m getting so upset, which only frustrates me more.
I swallow, glancing at the jury. “Because I trust him.”
“You trust him,”she repeats. “To take you to the limit of what you’ve asked and not a step further?”
“Exactly. I trust him to stop if I ask him to.”
