The Brutal Heart Read online

  To judge by their words, the Brodnitz twins were thoughtful, articulate, and assured. But within the past twelve hours, Chloe Brodnitz had deliberately and repeatedly cut herself, so I listened to her words with special care. Chloe fielded Rebecca Sen’s questions about the time she and her sister spent alone expertly, explaining that they had both taken babysitting classes and knew how to handle emergency situations. She said she felt both parents would do their best to foster a healthy relationship with the noncustodial parent. When asked which parent she would choose to live with, her reply was revealing. “Both of them, of course,” she said. “That’s what anybody would want.”

  After Ms. Sen read Chloe’s answer, she looked up from her notes. “At this point, Chloe broke down. When she regained her composure, she stated that as long as she and her sister were together, she didn’t care where they lived.”

  There were murmurs in the courtroom. Madam Justice Gorges didn’t need a gavel to quash the chatter. Her glance was glacial, and when silence was restored, Ms. Sen continued her testimony. “The other answer that I regard as significant came when I asked Chloe her feelings about basketball. She said that the only time she was in control of what happened next was when she was on the basketball court, and that was important to her.”

  Ed swallowed hard, but Ginny was stoic. When Rebecca Sen stepped down from the witness box it was eleven-thirty. Madam Justice Gorges recessed the court for lunch and said counsel for the parents could make closing statements when court resumed.

  We all rose as Susan Gorges left the courtroom. As the crowd started to disperse, Ginny picked up her bag. “I’m going to the girls’ school to check on Chloe,” Ginny said, getting to her feet. “I thought she should stay home this morning, but Em said the sooner her sister got back to normal the better, so after a night in the emergency ward, Chloe dragged herself off to class.” Ginny’s eyes took us both in. “Will you be here this afternoon?”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “Good. So I’ll see you then,” Ginny said, and she began pushing her way through the crowd towards the door.

  Ed pointed to the courtroom’s side door. “Looks like less action over there,” he said.

  “Fine with me,” I said. “We’re in no rush.”

  On our way towards the lobby, we passed a men’s room. Ed pointed to the door. “I’m going to make a stop.”

  “As our old premier used to say, ‘Never miss a chance.’ ”

  As it turned out, Ed wasn’t the only one who didn’t miss a chance that day. Jason Brodnitz and his lawyer, Margot Wright, had followed us out the side door, and Sean Barton was right behind them. When Jason took a detour into the men’s room, Sean was on his heels, and Margot wasn’t far behind. She hit the brakes just as the door swung shut in her face.

  It was a cartoon moment, and I had to suppress a smile. “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She turned on her heel furiously. “No,” she said. “I am not okay. I don’t want Sean Barton in there with my client.”

  “How much trouble can two men get into in a public washroom?”

  Margot curled her scarlet lips. “Come on,” she growled. “You’re not that naive.”

  I met her gaze. “No,” I said. “I’m not. It was a joke.”

  “Thank God,” she said. “I’d hate to think Zack had saddled himself with a dunce. Anyway, I’m glad I ran into you. I forgot about Zack’s birthday party. I could make up an excuse, but the truth is I was working on a file and I forgot all about it.”

  “The one excuse Zack understands,” I said. “But we missed you. It was a lot of fun.”

  “So I heard,” Margot said. “I really do wish I’d been there. Zack’s a lot easier to take these days. You’ve curbed that mammoth ego of his. He’s almost bearable.”

  “I’ll pass along your compliment.”

  “Don’t. He might have a relapse.” Margot stared at the door to the men’s room, her brow creased with annoyance. “What’s taking them so long?”

  “My guess is that apart from the obvious, they’re talking,” I said. “Some of the most intriguing conversations I’ve ever had have been in the powder room.”

  Margot narrowed her eyes. “Holy Crudmore. I met you in the bathroom at the Hotel Saskatchewan, didn’t I?”

  “You bet. All those mirrors – I had multiple images of you warning me off Zack.”

  With her artful cleavage, her closely fitted, expensive black suit, her chunky gold bracelet, and her spike-heeled pumps, Margot was the image of burnished sophistication, but her grin was as open as the main street of her hometown, Wadena, Saskatchewan. “Don’t rub it in,” she said. “I never wanted anything permanent with Zack. He’s way too aware of how good he is. He gets under my skin. Once he made me so mad I threw a box of tacks on the floor of his office, so he’d puncture the tires of his wheelchair.”

  It was hard not to smile. “Somehow, I can’t imagine Zack letting that one get away.”

  “He didn’t. He enrolled me in a course on anger management and sent me a dozen roses and the bill for the course.”

  A biker with shoulder-length auburn curls, a leather jacket hooked on his meaty finger, and studded leather pants tight as a lizard’s skin strode past us into the men’s room. On the back of his T-shirt was a message: “If you can read this, the bitch fell off.”

  Margot followed his passage meditatively. “I’ll bet that guy’s lawyer is ready to suck gas.” She gazed at the door to the men’s room. “Do you think they fell in?” She walked over and pounded on the door. Almost immediately, Jason emerged. He looked grey. The events of the day were taking their toll, but Margot didn’t cut him any slack.

  “Next time you have to go to the john, take me with you,” she said. “I have five brothers. If I see anything I haven’t seen before, I’ll throw a hat over it.” She grabbed his arm and, high heels clicking on the marble floor, steered him towards the lobby.

  Sean appeared next. When he spotted me, his face lit up. “I saw you in court,” he said. “Ginny went back to check on Chloe – can I buy you lunch?”

  “Sure,” I said. “But it should be my treat. We were very grateful for your help driving Zack after the party.”

  “But Zack wasn’t grateful enough to see me as partner material.” There was an edge in Sean’s voice, but his crooked grin was still engaging. “What the hell. Let’s have lunch.”

  When Ed came through the door of the men’s room, Sean was clearly taken aback. “I didn’t see you in there.”

  “Stalls,” Ed said.

  I looked between them. “Do you two know each other?”

  “Ginny introduced us at the party,” Sean said. “It’s nice to see you again, Ed.”

  “Sean’s going to join us for lunch,” I said.

  “On second thought, I’d better pass,” Sean said, patting his trial bag. “I should go back to the office and run over a few things.”

  “I understand,” I said. “There’ll be other times.”

  “I hope so,” Sean said. “See you later, Ed.”

  “Sooner rather than later,” Ed said. “We’ll be in court this afternoon too.”

  “It will be worth your while,” Sean said, then he strode out the door without looking back.

  Ed watched him thoughtfully. “They play rough, don’t they?” he said.

  “Who?”

  “Lawyers like Sean,” Ed said.

  “The stakes are high: people’s futures.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Ed said, smoothing his cotton shirt. “Let’s fortify ourselves against what’s to come.”

  When we stepped out of the courthouse, it was easy to forget the sad mess of mismanaged lives we’d left behind. The sun was bright, the sky was silky blue, and a breeze was stirring the branches of the trees across the street in Victoria Park. Ed took a long slow breath and exhaled contentedly. “The air at this time of year is so delicious, I could eat it with a spoon,” he said.

  I pointed across the street. “If
you want something more substantial, the vendors are out. Care to dine al fresco?”

  “It would be my pleasure. Are you finding this whole Monaghan-Brodnitz battle as heartbreaking as I am?”

  I nodded. “The things we do to our kids.”

  “And to one another,” Ed said. He shook off the sadness. “Let’s get a move on. Bratwurst at its peak is a dish to savour, but it’s quick to wizen.”

  We avoided the subject of the trial during lunch. It was good just to talk about summer plans and feel the sunshine on our faces. When he’d finished his brat on a bun, Ed wiped his mouth on the paper napkin and turned to me. “Are you up for another?”

  “I took extra sauerkraut,” I said. “One is my limit.”

  “Indulgence is a land without limits,” Ed said. “Tennessee Williams had it right: ‘Nobody gets out of this life alive.’ ”

  “True enough,” I said. Five minutes later, brats on buns in hand, we made our way back to the courthouse.

  Sean was at the lawyers’ table shuffling papers, and Ginny was reading a computer printout that she held up when she saw us. It was an article titled “Self Injury – From a Teen Perspective.”

  “Did you learn anything?” I asked.

  Ginny’s lips tightened. “Just that there’s a lot to learn.”

  “How is Chloe?” Ed said.

  “Fine, I guess.” Ginny folded the printout carefully and dropped it in her bag. “I stopped by the girls’ school on the pretext that they’d forgotten their lunches. They, predictably, were furious at me.” Her voice was heavy with discouragement. “Even when I make an effort, I do the wrong thing.”

  Ed reached out a plump hand and patted her arm, but he was wise enough to stay silent. I looked over at the lawyer’s table where Margot sat. It was empty. So was Jason’s seat in the first row.

  Ginny followed the direction of my gaze. “Shouldn’t they be here by now?”

  For the next ten minutes that question, spoken or unspoken, was on the mind of everyone in the courtroom. Madam Justice Gorges was a stickler for punctuality. The door through which she would enter cracked open every minute or so. At first, there was whispering; then people fell silent, waiting. The hush was electric with anticipation, like the hush in a theatre when an actor has failed to make an entrance.

  Just as people began surreptitiously to check their BlackBerrys, Margot swept in, grabbed her barrister’s robe from the back of her chair, shrugged it on, and sat down. Her face was flushed, and she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, steeling herself. Jason followed her slowly. He collapsed into his seat and stared straight ahead. Ginny strained towards him, whispering his name, but he ignored her.

  Almost immediately, the door from the judge’s chambers opened. When the court clerk entered and declared court in session, we spectators rose and Madam Justice Gorges entered. Her face revealed nothing. Margot sprang to her feet. I could see that her hands were clenched into fists. She was fuming.

  Madam Justice Gorges was cool. “Thank you for joining us, Ms. Wright. I assume you have some thoughts regarding the custody assessment.”

  Margot’s intake of breath was audible. “Madam Justice, if I may address the court, I have consulted with my client over the break and he has advised me that he no longer wishes to pursue custody and access issues at this time.”

  For a beat, there was silence, then the whispers began. Madam Justice Gorges looked fierce and the whispers stopped. But Ginny was beyond admonishment. She turned to me, her face uncomprehending. “ ‘At this time’? Does that mean he’s going to try again?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “Ask Sean, but I think this is over.”

  Ginny turned towards her ex-husband. “Why?” she asked. Jason Brodnitz stared fixedly at his counsel’s back.

  Madam Justice Gorges had the husky rasp of a woman who enjoyed a good smoke and a shot of bourbon. “Mr. Brodnitz,” she said. “Is your lawyer correct? Is her statement an accurate reflection of your intentions?”

  Jason nodded.

  “The court clerk will require a verbal response,” Madam Justice Gorges said coldly.

  Jason Brodnitz stood. “Yes, my lawyer is expressing my wishes.”

  Now it was Susan Gorges’s turn for fury. “Mr. Brodnitz, the court takes custody and access matters very seriously. Our resources of time and money are limited, but we have expended both in our attempt to arrive at a fair and equitable decision that would serve your daughters’ well being. Now, at the eleventh hour, having wasted our time and our money, you decide that you don’t want to play.” The judge’s eyes drilled into Margot. “You’re an experienced barrister. A rigorous examination of your client before he brought this matter before the courts would have unearthed his ambivalence. You could have advised him accordingly and saved this court the time and expense of a frivolous suit. That said, if Mr. Brodnitz no longer wishes to pursue custody and access issues at this time, the court must honour his decision.”

  Margot knew when to suck it up. “Thank you, Madam Justice,” she said. She lowered her head slightly. “I apologize to the court for the inconvenience.”

  Susan Gorges then turned her attention to Sean. “Mr. Barton, does your client consent to the withdrawal of Mr. Brodntiz’s claim?”

  Sean rose. He was unruffled. He swivelled to look at Ginny, then turned back to the judge. “There was no way we could have anticipated this, Madam Justice. May I consult with my client?”

  “Of course. I understand this sudden reversal must have come as a shock.”

  Sean came over to Ginny. “Do you consent to Mr. Brodntiz’s withdrawal of his claim to pursue custody and access issues at this time?” His voice was loud, clearly intended to be heard publicly.

  Ginny’s voice was low and urgent. “I don’t consent to anything, Sean. I don’t want this surfacing whenever Jason decides the time is convenient.”

  “That won’t happen,” Sean said. Then he smiled. “Trust me. This is over.”

  Ginny nodded, then looked past Sean to the court clerk. “I consent,” she said.

  Susan Gorges directed her gaze at Sean. “Can you assure this court that you’ve done your job and your client understands exactly what it is she’s consenting to?

  “Yes, Your Honour. I’ve done my job. Ms. Monaghan is fully aware of the implications of her decision.” And he added, “She is also fully aware of the gravity of her decision. No one wants to further waste the time and resources of this court.”

  “That’s reassuring,” Susan Gorges said. “Court will now adjourn so the parties may formalize a consent judgment. We’ll meet in the conference room on the main floor. I assume Ms. Wright and Mr. Barton know the location.”

  The court clerk said. “All rise.”

  Madam Justice Gorges disappeared through the door at the back of the courtroom, and the room erupted. The media pressed towards Ginny. Sean stopped them. “We have nothing to say at this time. Nothing.” He turned to his client. “Ginny, this won’t take long. I’ve already started on the consent form.”

  Ginny rose. Her face was tentative, like that of an accident victim who can’t quite believe she’s escaped without injury. She reached out her hands to Sean. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said.

  “It was a good win,” he said, smiling.

  Ginny turned to Ed and me. “It’s over. Wow! This changes everything.” She scanned the area around us to make sure that she could speak privately. “Time to kick-start the campaign again.”

  The juices were flowing. Ginny cocked her head and gave me an impish smile. “You disapprove,” she said. “If I were a man, would you be disapproving?”

  “Yes,” I said. “But I’d be offering my hand. Congratulations, Ginny.”

  “Thanks,” she said absently. Her mind was already occupied with the next move. “We only have two weeks, so we’ll have to move fast. We should have a strategy meeting tonight – I’ll have somebody call you about the time and place, Joanne.”

  I touched
her arm. “Ginny, I know I promised not to offer advice, but I think you should spend the evening with the twins – no politics. Your daughters are going to need you to help them understand what happened here today.”

  Ginny slapped her forehead with her palm. “I’m an idiot.”

  “There’s a lot coming at you at once.”

  “And my job is to handle it,” Ginny said furiously. “Well, no more amateur mistakes.” She squared her shoulders and headed towards the side exit where Sean was waiting. Then the two of them disappeared.

  “People are full of surprises, aren’t they?” Ed said. “Jason didn’t strike me as a man who would make that kind of sacrifice.”

  “You think he withdrew because of Chloe?”

  “Without a doubt.” Ed said. “When I was in the stall in the men’s room, Sean and Jason were quarrelling. They kept their voices down, but I heard one of them – it must have been Jason – say, ‘If that got out, it would destroy their lives.’ ”

  “I guess Sean decided he had to go for broke.” I said.

  Ed’s face was grim. “He wouldn’t have played that card without Ginny’s consent.”

  “She must have known Jason would protect the girls.”

  “So she called his bluff,” Ed said. “Well, good for Ginny. But the next time you see her, tell her she lost my vote.”

  Willie was waiting just inside the door when I got home. I bent down to give him a nuzzle. “Where’s our big, sparkly, star-spangled top banana?” I whispered, and Willie roared towards the office we’d added to the back of the house. Pantera was, as always, lying across the threshold, protecting his master. Taylor’s cats were, in the weird way of cats, flopped over Pantera’s back, asleep. I stepped over them and went to kiss my husband. He was in jeans, an open-necked brown shirt, and an ancient blue sweatshirt.

  “I take it court is adjourned,” I said.

  Zack ran his hand over his head wearily. “I won my case.” He pointed to a worn and eyeless Care Bear on the couch by the window. “Francesca gave me our friend over there as a thank-you present.”