Monday Mourning

“This judge is a real pisser about qualifying experts.”

“Aren’t they all?”

Cloutier flicked a nervous smile. “The bailiff will call you in about five minutes.”

It was closer to twenty.

The courtroom was standard, nondescript modern. Gray-textured walls. Gray-textured carpet. Gray-textured fabric on long bolted benches. The only color was at center stage, inside the gates separating the spectators from the official players. Attorneys’ chairs upholstered in red, yellow, and brown. The blue, red, and white of the Quebec and Canadian flags.

A dozen people occupied the public benches. Eyes followed as I walked up the center aisle and took the stand. The judge was ahead and to my left, the jury straight ahead, facing me. Monsieur Pétit was to my right.

I have testified many times. I have faced men and women accused of monstrous crimes. Murder. Rape. Torture. Dismemberment. I am always underwhelmed by the accused.

This time was no exception. Rejean Pétit looked ordinary. Timid, even.

The clerk swore me in. Cloutier rose and began questioning me from the prosecutor’s table.

“Please state your full name.”

“Temperance Deasee Brennan.”

We spoke into microphones suspended from the ceiling, our voices the only sound in the room.

“What is your profession?”

“I am a forensic anthropologist.”

“How long have you practiced that profession?”

“Approximately twenty years.”

“Where do you practice that profession?”

“I am a full professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“You are an American citizen?”

“Yes. I have a Canadian work permit. I split my time between Montreal and Charlotte.”

“Why is it that an American serves as forensic anthropologist for a Canadian province?”

“There is no Canadian citizen who is both board-certified in this field and fluent in French.

“We’ll return to the question of board certification. Please describe your educational qualifications.”

“I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the American University in Washington, D.C. I hold MA and PhD degrees in Biological Anthropology from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.