Page 58 of Ashes of Us
After she explained that she convinced Jimmy to follow her to the bedroom to give Lucy a chance to ask the questions she had for Jasper without an audience, Mathers asked her what Lucy had told her about what happened while she and Jimmy were out of the room.
“She said they talked while he played, he hugged her when he won his match on the game and then ended up kissing her. She claims they cuddled together on the couch and fooled around before sleeping together.” Danica narrowed her eyes as Elena recounted what Lucy told her.
There it was again, not “we had sex,” just “we slept together.”
Once again, Mathers appeared to be avoiding talking about anything that shed doubt on the idea that Jasper wanted this, because he didn't ask her about what Lucy claimed after Jasper threw her off him, despite Dr. Lin recounting that and the fact that Jasper threw up when he woke up and saw her on top of him in her testimony.
Instead, he asked her about when Lucy found out she was pregnant and what she told Elena about it.
“She came to my apartment and told me immediately after she took the pregnancy test. She insisted the baby was Jasper's because he was the only person she slept with in over a year. She was happy and excited, went on and on about how much Jasper wanted to be a dad. When I reminded her he was married and had blocked her everywhere, she just brushed me off and said he would leave his wife when she told him about the baby.” Elena looked extremely remorseful about everything she was saying, and Danica felt a pang of sympathy for her, despite her compliance in all of this.
“Did you confirm she was pregnant?” Mathers asked, some of his earlier bravado coming back as Elena helped spin the story back in their favour. “Have her take a pregnancy test in front of you?”
“I went to the doctor's appointment with her when she had it confirmed by bloodwork a week or so after,” Elena confirmed. “She was definitely pregnant.”
“And she never named anyone else as a potential father?” Mathers pressed, looking very satisfied.
“No, she even agreed that he was entitled to a paternity test when I told her he would want proof it was his. She said there was no doubt it was Jasper’s, and she would get a paternity test if he asked.”
“No further questions.” Mathers took his seat and leaned in to say something Danica couldn't hear to Amy, who gave him a huge smile.
Deciding she was going to enjoy watching David dismantle everything Mathers thought he had built, Danica sat back in her chair as the judge told him it was his witness.
David stood up, approaching Elena with that same friendly smile he'd given Dr. Lin.
“Miss Sheridan, can you describe how Jasper was interacting with Ms. Gamache after you met up with him and Jiimmy in the convenience store?”
“He was... mostly polite, I guess?” She frowned and tilted her head slightly to the side.
“Like he wasn't outright rude or anything, but he didn't really talk to her unless she asked him something directly, then he would give a one-word answer or act like he didn't know she was talking to him.
He also refused to be anywhere near her.
She kept trying to walk beside him on the way back to Jimmy's, and he would move so both Jimmy and I were between them, and in the apartment, she would sit beside him, and he would immediately get up and move away from her.”
“Thank you.” David paused and consulted his notes for a moment, something Danica realized was an excuse to let silence sit for a short period before he asked his next question.
“According to Dr. Lin's testimony, Jasper claimed he woke up with Lucy on him in just her undergarments and threw her off him. Were you present for that, and if so, could you describe what you saw?”
“Yes, sir, I was.” Elena nodded, looking uncomfortable, and Danica had a feeling she knew why.
She had already told Maverick she was there for it, and she knew he was testifying on Danica's behalf, having seen him being sworn in as one of their witnesses, plus, Jimmy was also testifying, and he would say she was there as well, so she couldn't deny it without someone else contradicting her.
“Jimmy left me in his room to get a drink, and when he saw Lucy asleep on top of Jasper in her bra and underwear, he freaked out and started yelling at Jasper to get up and asking him what the hell did he do.
I came out when I heard him yelling and when Jasper woke up and saw Lucy on top of him, he screamed at her to get off him.
When she didn't do it fast enough, he picked her up and threw her. She landed on the coffee table, and he got up, threw up in the kitchen sink and left.”
“And what happened after he left?” David asked gently. “Did Lucy say anything about his reaction?”
Elena shook her head. “When she landed on the coffee table, it broke, and she landed hard on her wrist. She started to cry; Jimmy was still freaking out and yelling at me for bringing Lucy around and using him.” She looked very embarrassed now and seemed to be trying not to cry.
“He was screaming at me to get out and take Lucy with me.
I was crying, trying to get her dressed and tell him how sorry I was at the same time.
He wouldn't listen and told me if Jasper lost his wife because of this, he would never forgive me for making him an accomplice in our fucked-up antics.” Her voice cracked, and David brought her a couple of tissues from the box on their table and gave her a moment to calm down.
“Can you tell me what the state of Jasper's clothes was when he left?” He pressed gently when she got her tears under control.
Elena looked confused and shook her head, clearly struggling to understand what he was asking.
“What I mean is, was he naked, in his jeans, were his clothes in disarray or anything like that. Basically, did it look like they had sex or were messing around?”
“Uh, he didn't have his shirt on, he actually left it behind, and Lucy took it with us.” She furrowed her brow and seemed to be trying to remember.
“He definitely still had his pants on, though, because he didn't stop to put anything on after he threw up, just left.” She paused, her gaze far away for a moment, before she focused back on David.
“I don't know if they had sex or not, not for sure, but I didn't believe her at first because it was very obvious Jasper wanted nothing to do with her, and we were all pretty high, so them still having clothes on after having sex didn't make sense.”
“Can you expand on that, please?” David asked quickly. “Why didn't it make sense?”
“Because we were smoking a hybrid strain that's indica dominant,” Elena explained, becoming animated for the first time since she took the stand.
It was clear she enjoyed smoking weed and was somewhat knowledgeable about it.
“That means it produces more of a body high and is very relaxing and calming.
Indica is usually taken for pain relief and can help you sleep, so if they had sex while they were high, I don't think they would have gotten dressed after.” Her cheeks flushed again, and she shifted, looking very shamefaced.
“Jimmy and I fell asleep immediately after we finished, and Jasper smoked more than all of us combined. I was surprised when Lucy said he managed to stay awake long enough to finish his game.”
“Thank you, that was very informative.” David nodded. “Just one more question. Do you believe Lucy was pregnant with Jasper's baby?”
Elena stared at the railing in front of her for a long time and finally shrugged.
“I don't know. Her story doesn't match up to what we saw before Jimmy and I went to his room or after we came out, which makes it hard to believe her, but at the same time, she was definitely pregnant and she's been obsessed with trying to get Jasper back since she saw him at his father's garage over a year ago.
As far as I know, she hasn't so much as noticed another guy, and she tends to get very attached very quickly, so if she had sex with someone else, she would have told me.”