“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Scott handed the document back to his paralegal, who gave him another stack of paper. “Deke has an extensive criminal history. Would it be helpful for you to have a copy for reference?”
Michael’s nostrils flared. “No.”
Morgan stood. “Objection, relevance. Your Honor, we’ve already established that Deke Willard will be in prison for the rest of his life. He’s obviously no threat to Simon.”
Judge O’Keefe nodded. “You’ve made your point, Mr. Foster. I’ll accept as proven that Deke Willard is a career criminal. Move on.”
Michael leaned forward. “Deke is a troubled boy.”
Scott tapped the lectern for a moment. “There are a lot of those in the Willard family, aren’t there? Let’s talk about Deke’s brother, Joseph Willard V.”
Michael’s face darkened. “Don’t speak ill of the dead.”
“He died in a shootout with police, didn’t he?”
“They murdered him.”
Scott reached for another document from his paralegal. “The police report says otherwise. Would you like to see it?”
A muscle twitched in Michael’s neck. “No.”
“Deke’s and Joseph’s cousin Thomas also died in the same incident. He fired shots at the police and died in the return gunfire, correct?”
“I’m sure you’ve got a police report that says so.”
“I do. And your own brother, David, is currently awaiting trial for—”
Michael stood. “That’s enough!”
The bailiff stepped into the well of the court and put hishand on the butt of his Taser. Judge O’Keefe stabbed Michael with a cold glare. “Sit down!”
Michael slowly resumed his seat, every eye in the courtroom fixed on him. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ll be more than sorry if you do that again.” There was granite in the judge’s face and voice. “You’ll be in jail for contempt.” He nodded to Scott. “Proceed, Counsel.”
“Mr. Willard, you are the only Willard male in your generation or the next younger generation who’s not either behind bars or dead from violence, correct?”
Michael clenched his jaw and nodded.
“The court reporter needs an audible response.”
“I have cousins and second cousins, but that’s true enough of my immediate family.”
“So would you agree that it’s also true enough to refer to the Willards as a crime family?”
Michael’s face mottled and his knuckles went white on the rail of the witness stand. For an instant Hez thought Michael was going to launch himself at Scott. The bailiff tensed and half drew the Taser.
Michael’s jaw muscles worked for a moment, clenching and unclenching. “We’re not a crime family, Mr. Foster. I’m proud of my family. Very proud. But... to tell the truth, the last few years have been hard.” His voice roughened. “I-I’m all my mama has left, except the great-grandkids.”
Scott gathered his papers. “No further questions.”
Morgan stepped up to the lectern as Scott sat at the counsel table. “Do you intend to let Simon follow in the footsteps of Deke or other Willard men who have had trouble with the law?”
Michael scoffed. “Of course not.”
“Will Simon have any contact with them?”
