“So done,” said Mr. Justice Gavin Powell.
“Now, Mrs. Thurgood,” Cambridge said in atone as smooth as summer molasses, “would you kindly read the notealoud and then tell me in whose hand it has been penned.”
In her shaky voice, Auleen read the note tothe court:
Dear Uncle:
Thank you for the five pound note. It’s a
lifesaver and you are an angel. I love you.
XOXOX
Betsy
P.S. See you soon at Spadina.
At the phrase “I love you” she let out a small sob,paused, gathered her strength, and finished reading.
“In whose hand was this written, Mrs.Thurgood?” Cambridge prompted.
“My Betsy’s. I’d know it anywheres.”
There was an audible intake of breath amongthe jurors, and elsewhere.
“Now let’s see if you can tell me to whom itwas intended to be sent, but alas never was.”
“That’s clear, ain’t it?” Auleen said,letting the tears flow through her words. “Mr. Seamus Baldwin -”
“Milord!”
“The jury will ignore that remark,” the judgesaid.
“It is addressed to ‘uncle,’ is it not?”Cambridge said gently, as if he were quizzing a shy schoolgirl.
“Yes, it is.”
“Does Betsy have an uncle?”
“She did, but they all died.”
“To what does the word ‘Spadina’ refer?”
“To the Baldwins’ big house, Spadina.”
“And is there someone up there commonlycalled ‘uncle’ by those who know him?”
“There is. That’s what she called Mr. SeamusBaldwin: ‘Uncle Seamus’.”
All eyes turned up to the dock. Uncle Seamuswas slumped in the arms of the bailiff’s deputy, apparently unawareof the discussion of his nickname.
“So we may assume that this is a noteaddressed to that gentleman, the defendant?”
“That is for the jury to assume or not, Mr.Cambridge,” the judge said.
“Indeed, sir. My apologies. Now, Mrs.Thurgood, the letter thanks the so-called ‘uncle’ at Spadina forlending Betsy five pounds. Did you know about thistransaction?”
“No, sir, we did not. And if we had, we’d’vebeen very cross with Betsy and – ” She stopped to dab her eyes withthe well-wrung hanky.
“So this was a secret transaction?”
Marc wanted to interrupt, but there waslittle use. Cambridge was going to get his way on the thank-younote. And gain a lot of ground in the process.
“Did you in recent weeks, madam, ever see afive-pound note in your home?”
“Yes, we did. Burton and me saw one waved atus by Mrs. Trigger when she come out of Betsy’s room after stickin’her with a rusty needle!” Auleen’s voice, in rising with emotion,cracked and broke.
Cambridge nodded in sympathy and, slyly, leftwell enough alone. That the jury would see the appropriateconnections between Uncle Seamus, the banknote, its purpose and itsreappearance was almost certain. He moved elsewhere.
“‘I love you,’ Betsy says here. Did you knowthat your fifteen-year-old daughter was in love with asixty-year-old gentleman?”
Marc winced again. Cambridge’s cunning wasimpressive.
“’Course not! We’d’ve put a stop to it if wehad! We thought she’d be safe up at Spadina. Dr. Baldwin’s such afine, religious gentleman, we never dreamed – ”
“I understand, madam, perfectly. Thank youfor answering my questions under such difficult circumstances.”
It was Marc’s turn. Again he was facing awitness who had won over the jury and had got them believing thatUncle Seamus had financed an abortion for a minor he may or may nothave raped but certainly and subsequently had seduced into lovinghim.
“Mrs. Thurgood, in your experience, doyoungsters ever use the word ‘love’ in ways we don’t think of as‘romantic’?”
Auleen was puzzled by the question and alittle fearful of what was to come, but managed to reply, “I guessthey do.”
“Like saying they just love a certainneighbour or a favourite aunt or uncle?”
“Yes. I see what you mean. Like lovin’strawberries or ice cream?”
The jurors laughed politely, to Marc’ssatisfaction.
“Exactly. Young people use the word in avariety of ways, don’t they?”
“Milord, counsel is leading the witness.”
“You are, Mr. Edwards. Please move on.”
“In this note, Betsy refers to the addresseeas an ‘angel.’ ‘You’re an angel,’ she says. What does that suggestto you about her feelings towards this ‘uncle’?”
“Milord, the witness is in no position to -”
“I’ll allow it. Proceed, madam.”
“Well, it sounds like Betsy looked up to andadmired this person, and this person may have helped her and beenkind to her.”
“Like a guardian angel?”
“Yes. Betsy was always imaginin’ things andwritin’ stories about them.”
Marc was touched and pleased by AuleenThurgood’s naiveté and her trusting nature. With a chance to talkfreely about her dead daughter, she was taking full advantage ofit. Marc sensed that at home her opinions were neither sought norrespected. He could see Neville Cambridge out of the corner of hiseye trying not to grimace.
“She had certain people shehero-worshipped?”
“Well, she did go on and on about Mr. SeamusBaldwin after she’d come home from workin’ at Spadina in July andbefore she went up to work there steady.” Auleen looked down. “Shenever come home once after she started in – until I got sick.”
Marc realized that the jury had already madeup their minds about who the ‘uncle’ was and that if he were toprobe too hard to unsettle the witness, all would be lost. So helet the assumption lay where it had landed. At least he hadseriously weakened the Crown’s contention that this was alove-letter, and had planted the notion that Betsy was highlyimaginative and a hero-worshipper. At worst, the jury might see herfeelings as mere puppy-love, that worship from afar common toteenaged boys and girls.
“Now, Mrs. Thurgood, one more question andthen we’ll be done. This is a thank-you note but we are not toldwhat the five pounds was for. Did you recently require money for anoperation?”
Auleen was startled. Hesitantly she said,“No, sir. What would give you that idea? I just had thecroupe.”
“Well. madam, in the police report – ”
Cambridge was up like a shot. “No directpolice evidence has been put on the record yet, Milord!”
“Stop right there,” the judge said, givingMarc a long stare.
“Sorry, Milord. I have no more questions ofthis witness.”
In his rebuttal, all Cambridge could do washave the key points of Auleen’s initial testimony repeated. Marclooked behind him, and thought he saw Robert Baldwin smile. Twocould play at Cambridge’s game.
“Milord,” Cambridge was saying, “the Crownintends now to move on to phase two of its case and the specificsof the rape charge. The jury has heard a lot of testimony today.May I suggest we recess and begin phase two in the morning?”
Justice Powell, who looked far wearier thanthe jury, nodded and adjourned the court until ten o’clock Tuesdaymorning.
***
In chambers afterwards, the consensus was that theday had gone as well as could be expected. The Crown had set UncleSeamus up as a procurer of abortions and seducer of minors, andposited a direct link between the banknote, Seamus, Betsy and Mrs.Trigger. But Marc had succeeded in weakening each link in thischain. Nevertheless, the guile and dexterity of Neville Cambridgehad been fully displayed, and the rape incident was one where hehad much more ammunition – and an eye-witness.
“I went along and played the sly, subtle gametoday,” Marc said. “But it will have to be a different storytomorrow. The witnesses will not automatically have the jury’ssympathy. I’ll have no choice but to hammer each one of them hard.Cambridge will save Jake Broom to the end, and I want the jury tobe thinking of alternative versions and even alternative murdererslong before we get to him.”