AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What is your financial situation?”
She opened her mouth to speak, leaning toward the microphone. Glancing at her lawyer, the woman nodded for her to answer. “I work at Club Angel.”
The judge gave no reaction to her admission. “And your occupation there?”
Marilyn appeared uncomfortable but proceeded after another nod from her attorney. “I am an exotic dancer.”
The judge nodded and wrote a few things down. “What is your relationship like with Mr. Brennan?”
“Strained. We don’t talk much. When we do run into each other, we argue. He threatens me, says I don’t deserve to be a mother. We don’t get along.”
The judge adjusted his glasses, pushing them farther up his nose. “Have you ever been arrested, Ms. Warner?”
Michael shifted in his seat. He kept in mind that he’d be asked these same questions, and his palms grew sweaty. The room started to feel smaller. Honesty was best. It was his past and nothing he could change.
“I have.”
“For what?”
Marilyn glanced at her lawyer. “Drugs mostly. Solicitation of prostitution many years ago.”
“Have you ever been to prison?”
“No, sir. Never. Just jail.”
The judge looked up from his notes, his poker face strong. If he was shocked by Marilyn’s history, he wasn’t showing it. Michael glanced at Jace, who was oblivious, his head down as he paged through a book. This was awkward, and he hoped the child didn’t catch on, but he likely heard every word and would soon learn about his father’s colorful history.
“Do you currently use any drugs or alcohol?”
“Occasional alcohol. Nothing else.”
This was where Michael wanted to stand up and yell out that she was a liar, but he kept himself calm. Haize must have felt the tension because her hand tightened around his. Everyone in the courtroom knew she was using and likely high at that very moment. Maybe it would work in his favor.
“Around your son?”
Marilyn looked at Jace and smiled. “Sometimes, yes. But I never get drunk around him.”
Another lie. Michael had witnessed it himself. She was always high or drunk.
“Do you plan on relocating with the child?”
“No. We have no plans to move.”
“How much money would you say you make working as an exotic dancer?”
“I live mostly off tips, and I get a lot.”
“What would you say your weekly income is, after taxes?”
Marilyn thought about it for a second, the courtroom falling silent as she pondered the question. “It fluctuates weekly depending on my tips. Maybe 800 bucks or so would be the average.”
“What’s your schedule like working at a club?”
“I work Thursday through Sunday in the evenings.”
“What time do you get home?”
“Usually around two in the morning after the club closes.”
