Chapter Forty-Six
Excerpt from Testimony of Grace Montgomery
Ada Olson: Grace—you’ve heard the testimony of Dawn Sumner and Dr. Gerard Westin about the events that occurred the night Emile Dresiér was killed, correct?
Grace Montgomery: Yes.
Ada Olson: They both claim that following the argument with Mr. Dresiér, they left his office.
Grace Montgomery: Yes. That’s what they said.
Ada Olson: Ms. Sumner also testified that she saw your skates on his desk.
Grace Montgomery: Yeah—I don’t know how they got there. Maybe Dr. Westin brought them to Emile in his office. I was supposed to meet Emile there.
Ada Olson: But when you went to meet him, you heard the fighting about Emile knowing things—things about your mother and her friends, including Ms. Robbins.
Grace Montgomery: Yes.
Ada Olson: You told Ms. Robbins you didn’t hear much more than that. Is that true?
Grace Montgomery: No.
Ada Olson: What exactly did you hear through that door?
Grace Montgomery: Emile said Ana Robbins killed a man in the woods. He accused Dawn of knowing about it. He said Shannon had told him about Ana’s dress. That she’d given it to Dawn.
Ada Olson: So he knew about Ms. Robbins killing Jeb Clayton? And he was going to tell the reporter?
Grace Montgomery: That’s what he said.
Ada Olson: And then you left when you heard another person coming down the hall, correct?
Grace Montgomery: Yes.
Ada Olson: And when you got outside, you saw four cars in the parking lot, correct? Who did they belong to, if you know?
Grace Montgomery: Dawn. Emile. Dr. Westin. And Shannon Finch.
Ada Olson: The dorm mother at Avery Hall?
Grace Montgomery: Yes.
Ada Olson: And when you got back to Avery Hall on foot, was Ms. Finch there?
Grace Montgomery: No. And neither was her car.