The Girl in the Halo by Alan L. Nobler

Author:Alan L. Nobler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Domestic Violence, Spousal Abuse, Divorce Court, California Legal Fiction, page turner
Publisher: Alan L. Nobler
Published: 2021-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

36 - Bill’s Deposition

June 10, 1985

The day had warmed up. I took Carol over to a deli in the Pruneyard plaza across from Don’s office. It was nice enough to eat under the large overhang outside the deli. Carol was quite relieved to be done with her deposition but really didn’t want to stay for Bill’s. While he had given her a hard stare for much of the time that she was detailing his physical abuse, he had still been better behaved than I’d expected. I knew we’d find out more about his self-control as we got into his deposition. I told her it was important that she stay with me for Bill’s deposition because she was going to have to give me feedback on his answers and maybe suggest follow-up questions.

Back in Don’s office, with a fresh cup of coffee, Bill and I were across the table from each other next to the same court reporter.

I had the reporter swear Bill in, then began with the same basic questions as Don had used as preliminaries. I was surprised by some of the answers.

“Where are you working?”

“I’m still not working!”

“You’re not working?”

“Nope. Got fired!”

“Weren’t you working for your father’s construction company?”

“Yes.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Whatever he told me.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Sometimes he’d have me doing general labor on a site, sometimes I’d be doing punch list duty to sign off on a completed project. Maybe drive a tractor.”

“What do ‘general labor’ duties entail?”

“General labor could be anything from moving a pile of crap from one side of a yard to the other. Or I could be digging a hole. Or nailing framing for a concrete pour. General stuff.”

“Who decided what you were doing?”

“Either my dad or one of the foremen.”

“You didn’t have a supervisory position?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Dad wanted me to spend more time at the bottom of the dung heap. Said it would make me a better contractor in the end.”

“Were you studying to be a contractor?”

“I wish—no, I don’t. Too much math.”

“So why were you fired?”

“He said none of the foremen liked my attitude.”

“Did you ever drive the heavy equipment?”

“Yes. I told you I’d sometimes drive a tractor.”

“Did that pay differently from general labor?”

“Yes, for the other guys at the sites. But not for me. I was labeled as general labor as a job description.”

I made a note to have Jules, our investigator, check out some job sites and foremen.

I continued that line of questioning. “Are you looking for work?” June was a time for full employment in the construction trades and I knew that if you could breathe, jokingly referred to as fogging a mirror, you could find a job if you wanted one.

“I called around, but nobody I knew was hiring.”

“So where are you getting the money to live on?” In his Income and Expense Declaration, Bill had listed monthly expenses of almost $2,500.

“I’m borrowing from my folks. I think I owe them about $10,000, so far.”

“Are you signing promissory notes to them?”

“What’s that?”

I knew he was playing with me, but needed to tie him down.

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