Page 65 of After Anna

Ms. Desroches:Like that I was beautiful, and I had great eyes, nice hair, and I had great dimples like my mom.

Mr. Carter:How did that make you feel?

Ms. Desroches:I thought it was nice at first, but then it started to make me very uncomfortable. I mean, he’s my stepfather. He was acting like we were on a date.

Linda faced Noah. “Dr. Alderman, you were present when Anna testified about these inappropriate remarks, were you not?”

“Yes.”

“You testified that you didn’t make any such remarks, isn’t that right?”

“No, that was not my testimony,” Noah answered, without hesitation. Linda was trying to trip him up, but it wouldn’t work. Thomas warned him that his trial testimony had to be consistent with his PFA testimony, so Noah had memorized the PFA transcript. Surprisingly, his memorization skills from med school weren’t rusty.

“Whatdidyou say to Anna in the car?”

“I might have said, ‘you look nice,’ but that was it.”

“You never told her she had great eyes?”

“No.”

“You never told her she had nice hair?”

“No.”

“You never told her she had great dimples?”

“I said that, too.” Noah felt on edge. He tried not to look at the back row for Maggie. He would be pointing her out to the media.

“Isn’t it true that you intended your compliments to be seductive?”

“No.”

“But you intended it to be pleasing and flattering, did you not?”

“Yes.”

“So you were trying to flatter Anna, weren’t you?”

“No, notflatterher.” Noah was about to sayper se, but caught himself. “I was trying to be nice.”

“You were trying to get Anna to like you, isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

“So that you could seduce her, isn’t that right?”

“No.”

“Dr. Alderman, weren’t yougroomingher?”

“Objection, Your Honor!” Thomas rose. “The prosecutor is using an inflammatory and prejudicial term.”

Linda faced Judge Gardner. “Your Honor, that term could not be more relevant to this case.”

Judge Gardner nodded. “Overruled.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Linda said, turning to Noah. “Dr. Alderman, weren’t you trying togroomher?”