To Crawford the statement sounded scripted and rehearsed, something their lawyer had coached Grace to say, not something that she had come up with on her own.
Judge Spencer asked Crawford’s attorney if he had any questions for Mrs. Gilroy. “Yes, Your Honor, I do.” He strode toward the witness box and didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Georgia often spends weekends with Mr. Hunt, isn’t that right?”
“Well, yes. Once we felt she was old enough to spend a night away from us, and that Crawford was… was trustworthy enough, we began allowing him to keep her overnight. Sometimes two nights.”
“When she’s returned to you after these sleepovers with her father, what is Georgia like?”
“Like?”
“What’s her state of mind, her general being? Does she run to you crying, arms outstretched, grateful to be back? Does she act intimidated, fearful, or traumatized? Is she ever in a state of emotional distress? Is she withdrawn and uncommunicative?”
“No. She’s… fine.”
“Crying only when her father returns her to you. Isn’t that right?”
Grace hesitated. “She sometimes cries when he drops her off. But only on occasion. Not every time.”
“More often crying after a lengthier visit with him,” the attorney said. “In other words, the longer she’s with him, the greater her separation anxiety when she’s returned to you.” He saw that the Gilroys’ lawyer was about to object and waved him back into his seat. “Conclusion on my part.”
He apologized to the judge, but Crawford knew he wasn’t sorry for having gotten his point across and on the record.
He addressed another question to Grace. “When was the last time you saw Mr. Hunt intoxicated?”
“It was a while ago. I don’t remember exactly.”
“A week ago? A month? A year?”
“Longer than that.”
“Longer than that,” Moore repeated. “Four years ago? During the worst of his bereavement over the loss of his wife?”
“Yes. But—”
“To your knowledge, has Mr. Hunt ever been drunk while with Georgia?”
“No.”
“Lost his temper and struck her?”
“No.”
“Yelled at her, used abusive or vulgar language in front of her?”
“No.”
“Failed to feed her when she was hungry?”
“No.”
“Failed to secure her in her car seat? Not shown up when she was expecting him? Has he ever neglected to see to his daughter’s physical or emotional needs?”
Grace dipped her head and spoke softly. “No.”
Moore turned to the judge and spread his arms at his sides. “Your Honor, this proceeding is an imposition on the court’s time. Mr. Hunt made some mistakes, which he readily acknowledges. Over time, he’s reconstructed his life. He relocated to Prentiss from Houston in order to see his daughter regularly.
“He’s undergone the counseling that your predecessor mandated twelve months ago. A year hasn’t diminished his determination to regain custody of his child, and I submit that, except for their own selfish interests, there are no grounds whatsoever for Mr. and Mrs. Gilroy to be contesting my client’s petition.”
The Gilroys’ lawyer surged to his feet. “Your Honor, my clients’ grounds for contesting this petition are in the file. Mr. Hunt has proved himself to be unfit—”