There is no sex in this chapter.
After our conversation with Roger's mother, no one felt like finishing their food. Poor Betty, who argued along with Roger that my strategies were foolhardy, was very quiet as she cleared the food and discarded it.
"The courtroom is open again," she said upon returning. We glumly stood and walked to the doors, our security in front and back holding off reporters. Nevertheless, they shouted questions at us and Jason looked like he wanted to hide somewhere. Roger, the consummate actor, walked with an assurance none of us felt, and he led the way, giving smiles and waves to the reporters. "We'll talk after this is all over," he said with a bright smile when one overly ambitious reporter shoved a mic in his face. "Excuse us, ladies."
We took our place at the defendant's table. Betty took papers out of her briefcase and shuffled them. Roger stared ahead at the judge's bench.
The minutes stretched on. The gallery filled again, and Waters and Cornwall returned to the prosecution's table. The only one who didn't return was Cicily.
"I wonder where she is?" fretted Jason behind me.
"It's okay. She's done her part," I said glancing back. "She didn't have to return."
He shook his head. I was an idiot. Of course, he was worried about his mother's reaction. Roger gave him a sympathetic glance, but turned away again.
The bailiff returned and turned on the recording equipment. She looked at her watch, and looked at the door in which the judge would enter expectantly.
"All rise," the bailiff said.
Steffie Anderson took her seat at the judge's bench and looked at Water's and Cornwall, then us.
"Ms. Cornwall, are you prepared to proceed?"
"Yes, Your Honor. But I want to change the order of witnesses. I'd like to call Magda Adams to the stand."
The judge looked at me. If Cornwall thought Magda was a good witness for her, she was wrong.
"No objections, Your Honor."
Magda walked her bloated self to the witness stand, answered the bailiff's questions about her name and address, and promised to tell the truth. As if.
"Ms. Adams, tell us how you know Evaline Shipley."
"She's my neighbor in our condo building."
"And have you known her long."
"Ever since she moved in five years ago."
"And do you know the toybot, Andrew?
"Yes, I met him on the day she brought him home six weeks ago."
"Was there anything unusual about the toybot?"
"Objection," said Roger. "Calls for a conclusion by the witness."
"Sustained."
"I'll rephrase. What did you notice about the Andrew."
"He acted in a peculiar fashion."
"In what way?"
"He said things you wouldn't expect from a toybot. He said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Adams. Not 'Mistress Adams' as any toybot would say. And he wouldn't look at me. Again, not standard behavior.
"Did he say anything else?"
"No, but Evaline told me he had 'enhancements.' Enhancements my foot. He just isn't normal. Non-standard. You can tell that right off."
"Is there any way that he was non-standard?"
"Yes, one day when Evaline's door was left open, I went in, to check things, you know? The robot was cleaning the apartment! Toybots shouldn't do that. And he had an order screen up on the television. He ordered food from the grocer!"
"Thank you, Ms. Adams."
Roger stood. It was easy enough to impeach this witness, and given the last time I spoke with her, I threatened her, we decided that Roger would give the cross.
"Ms. Adams, you stated you entered the apartment once, when the door was left open."
"Yes."
"Your Honor, I submit defense exhibit A, a report by the superintendent of Ms. Shipley's building."
The judge nodded. "Go on, Mr. Shipley."
"Please pass this report to Ms. Adams," Roger said handing it to the bailiff.
"Ms Adams, please read the highlighted part of the report. "
She cleared her throat. "Ms. Adams stated that she was in the habit of checking Ms. Shipley's door since she found it opened a couple days prior."
"Are you telling me that you didn't enter Ms. Shipley's apartment on that first occasion?"
"No," she croaked.
"And while you found it necessary to check Ms. Shipley's door, you didn't think it important to inform Ms. Shipley that there was a problem with it?"
"Well, ah..."
"And just why would you enter in the first place when a call to the super would have been more appropriate? Just what were you doing in Evaline Shipley's apartment?Is it true, Ms. Adams, you entered Evaline apartment inappropriately and illegally to engage in sexual congress with Evaline's toybot?"
"What? No!" she sputtered.
"No further questions," said Roger.
"Now wait! Just because..."
"Step down, Ms. Adams," said the judge. "You are dismissed."
I smiled at Roger and gave him a wink when he returned to the table.
Cornwall didn't waste a minute calling the next witness.
"I call the auto-attendant from Peck's to the stand."
The bright, perky bot with the pencil skirt and the carefully crafted messy bun walked with a human up to the stand.
"What is this?" said the judge.
"The is the manager of Peck's, Ann Ketchen. She is here to make sure the robot performs to specifications in an unknown environment."
Oh, well played, Waters, I thought. Making the auto-attendant look dependent on a human made the robot seem less reliable. Roger gave a me a glance that communicated the same sentiment, with an added "we're fucked" nuance.
"Proceed," said the judge. "But Ms. Ketchen is not to make any statements during examination."
"Understood, Your Honor."
The bailiff approached the bot.
"State your name, and where you live."
"I'm a Stacey, an auto-attendant for Peck's Toybots."
"But where do you live?"
"I don't understand your question, please re-state."
The bailiff looked confused.
"Where do you stay during the time the store is closed?" asked the judge.
"Oh!" Stacey said brightly. "This unit stays in the store with the other bots, only this unit stays there all the time even though others leave with their new owners."
"That will do," said the judge to the bailiff.
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Stacey," instructed the judge, "please sit in the box here."
"Why, thank you! How nice!"
Some in the gallery chuckled. The judge banged her gavel once. "There will be order, or I will clear and close the courtroom. Understand! Proceed, Bailiff."
"Do you promise to tell the truth under penalty of perjury?"
"I can't lie!" Stacey replied perkily. "Peck's believes trust is the most important part of customer relations. Therefore all product statements and specifications are verified before I am programmed with them! It's part of the Peck's customer guarantee!"
I resisted the urge to groan. Though I was glad that the robot was on the stand, I wondered just how well she'd get through the testimony.
"Proceed, Ms. Cornwall," said the judge.
"Stacey," said Cornwall.
"Well, hello! It is a pleasure to meet you! And what is your name?"
"I ask the questions here," said Cornwall.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. I-ask-the-questions-here!"
The gallery laughed. They couldn't help it. Even the judge cracked up a little.
"Order," she snapped with a crack of her gavel.
"Stacey," said the judge when she composed herself. "The person asking questions is named Anita Cornwall. She needs to ask you questions regarding Evaline Shipley and the Andrew she bought at your store. Do you remember Evaline Shipley?"
"Yes! She bought a used Andrew serial number XB109856 at Pecks!"
"There you go, Ms. Cornwall. Ask your questions."
"Stacey, do you remember the day that the Andrew Ms. Shipley bought was delivered to Peck's?"
"All data about completed transactions is is stored in memory."
"And what do you remember about the delivery?"
"The Andrew serial number XB109856 was delivered with a shipment of used toybots and stored in the back room until the technician could recondition him. The manifest of the delivery was uploaded to the central link at its arrival. But that day the human technician didn't show up for work, so the reconditioning was not done.
"The Andrew serial number XB109856 was in the shop three hours before Ms. Shipley arrived and started her customer tour of the available models. She rejected our popular Bradley and Tom models which is outside the norm in buying preferences. This identified the customer as someone who was looking for something different.
"In searching the database of available models, this unit found the used Andrew serial number XB109856 that was listed as having several enhancements. Customers often find enhancements attractive buying points. The Andrew was shown to Ms. Shipley and she agreed to purchase him, another satisfied Peck's customer!" The bot gave an artificially bright smile.
"Was Ms. Shipley aware the robot was not reconditioned?"
"Yes, she signed a waiver of guarantee specifying this buying point."
"Did she have any conversation with the Andrew prior to purchase."
"She asked him a question."
"What question? Repeat the whole conversation."
"Ms. Shipley asked, 'You're not easy going, laid back or fun?' The Andrew replied, 'No, I am not.'And she said, 'Perfect.'"
"That's all?"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand. Please rephrase your question."
"Did Evaline Shipley have any other conversation with the Andrew?"
"Not prior to purchase."
"What about after purchase?"
After Ms. Shipley signed the purchase contract and paid for the Andrew serial number XB109856, this unit brought the Andrew to the purchase room. This unit said, 'Sweetheart, you'll go home with Miss Shipley.' 'I will?' he said. 'That is, if you want to,' Ms. Shipley said. 'I have a choice?' said the Andrew.'Now, Andrew,' this unit said. 'No,' said Ms. Shipley, 'If there is something in his programming tells him 'no' then he doesn't have to come with me.'What would I do?' asked the Andrew. 'Not much,' Ms Shipley said. 'Robots aren't permitted the run of the streets.' 'I'm aware,' said the Andrew. 'It doesn't sound like much of a choice.' 'We all don't have many choices, Andrew.' This unit said, 'She's already paid, Andrew. Go along with her.''Okay. I'll go with you, Miss Shipley. 'Evaline. Call me Evaline,' Ms. Shipley said. 'Evaline,' he repeated. And they left the store.
My head snapped up. It was obvious to me now the difference between the auto-attendant and my Andrew. She self referred to her as 'this unit', not 'I' or 'me' except in preprogrammed responses. Andrew, however, used personal pronouns freely. And from the look on Cornwall's face she realized it too.
