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hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth?
Anne Wilkes: I do.
(witness goes to stand and sits down)
Prosecution: Mrs. Wilkes, let’s start with the night of February 13, 2019. What do you remember about that day?
Anne Wilkes: I met up with a few of my girlfriends for a book club event that afternoon.
Prosecution: Which girlfriends?
Anne Wilkes: Eliza Tate and Penny Sands. Marguerite Hill, the author, was there, too, but I didn’t know her well at the time.
Prosecution: Which book were you discussing at this event?
Defense: Objection. How is the book club selection relevant to the murder case?
Prosecution: I will demonstrate its relevance if given the opportunity.
The Court: Overruled. You may continue, Ms. Clark, but make your point.
Prosecution: The book, Mrs. Wilkes?
Anne Wilkes: It was called Being Free by Marguerite Hill.
Prosecution: I’m not familiar with a book by that name. Not by that author. Do you mean Be Free?
Anne Wilkes: Er, yeah. Same thing.
Prosecution: This is a murder investigation, Mrs. Wilkes. Details are important.
Anne Wilkes: Sorry.
Prosecution: Is that or is it not the follow-up to Ms. Hill’s nonfiction bestseller Take Charge, a smash hit that took the world by storm a year ago?
Anne Wilkes: Yeah. Er, yes. At our first book club in October, we read Take Charge. We liked it, so in February, we read the sequel.
Prosecution: What is the book about?
Anne Wilkes: I think the title is self-explanatory. Both of Marguerite’s works are pretty typical self-help books for women. About how to take charge of your life and all that garbage. It’s inspirational, or so I assume. I didn’t actually read either book. There are hefty SparkNotes summaries online that are a godsend if you’re looking to get the gist of it. I have four kids. How do I have time to read a book that doesn’t involve pictures?
Prosecution: Where were you between the hours of 11:00 p.m. on February 13 and 2:00 a.m. the next morning?
Anne Wilkes: At a bar. Garbanzo’s. Our book club, uh, didn’t go as planned, so we went out to blow off some steam.
Prosecution: Were you with Eliza Tate during that time?
Anne Wilkes: Part of it.
Prosecution: Please explain what happened that night at book club.
Anne Wilkes: Now, that’s a long story.
Prosecution: We’ve got plenty of time, Mrs. Wilkes. Why don’t you start from the beginning?
ONE
