The Secret Healer(111)
The archbishop was the last to enter the church; he walked down the center aisle, graciously nodding to the people on either side. With great ado, he took a place especially reserved for him, away from the spectators.
The sheriff and the members of the jury sat in a row in front of the spectators. On the left stood a table for Matthias Trauenstein and, a bit farther, a second one for Johannes Goldmann. In the middle was the witness seat. Madlen sat at a table with Andreas at a table on the right.
The sheriff stood and held up both his hands so he could be heard. Almost instantly, the people ceased their whispering.
“Greetings to all! I want to urge you to behave as you would at any trial,” he warned them as he raised his finger. “Otherwise, I will be forced to throw you out of the courtroom and prevent you from taking further part.”
Very few whispered; most took the threat seriously. Nobody wanted to miss whatever was going to happen in the courtroom today. The sheriff glanced at the jury for a moment. These were the same men who had presided over the first trial.
“And I must make all aware of another peculiarity. There are two different indictments, proffered by different men. Both charges will be handled here at this trial, one after another.”
Many of the spectators nodded; most seemed to understand the procedure.
“I urge both the prosecution and the defense to speak as loudly and clearly as possible so that even the last rows can understand.” With that, he sat in his place and turned to Johannes. “Prosecuting Counsel Goldmann, please take the floor.”
Johannes nodded, stood up, and walked around the table. “Honorable Heidelbergers. The defendant is being charged with a heinous crime. You all know what’s at stake. This one here”—he pointed at Madlen—“is a liar of the worst sort.”
Otilia elbowed Elsbeth’s side and looked at her questioningly. Elsbeth smiled knowingly, though she understood Otilia’s concern over Johannes’s threatening tone.
“She may have the face of an angel, but inside this woman is the playmate of the devil. I will prove it to you.” He grimaced contemptuously then gave Madlen a cold, hard stare. Mortified, she looked at the floor.
Johannes took a step forward, until he stood in front of the rows of spectators. It was difficult for him to find the right words to say next. “From the beginning, I’ll demonstrate to you the extent of her vile lies.” He lifted his head and looked at Madlen again with disdain. “She fooled so many people, but not as much as she fooled me.” He stomped over to the table where Madlen sat, and bent over, his face inches from hers. “I married this she-devil,” he roared as Madlen flinched.
“Kindly keep your distance from my client,” Andreas snapped as he jumped up. “If you are not in the condition to conduct yourself properly in this trial, then you should let a colleague do so.” The two men faced each other antagonistically. Finally, Johannes turned away from him abruptly. “I apologize to the court.” He nodded in deference to the archbishop. “My hatred for the defendant is not as large as my will to represent the case for the prosecution”—he turned and pointed at Madlen—“to prove that this woman has committed these heinous crimes beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
“I didn’t know that this was your wife.” The sheriff looked at the jury members; all of them shook their heads.
“Believe me when I say that I’m not proud of it.” Johannes took a deep breath. “But for me, all is not lost. I was lied to and betrayed and will do everything I must to annul this marriage.”
“She has a souvenir from you, too,” Matthias Trauenstein added contemptuously.
“You were so unaware when you married her that you didn’t know she’s the exact woman you were looking for on behalf of the archbishop?” asked the sheriff.
“No.” Johannes shook his head helplessly. “I had no idea; she blinded me. You can imagine the shame I felt once I figured it all out.”
“All this does not bring us any further,” the sheriff stated. “We’ve come to understand that you are charging the defendant with a heinous crime. Please present it to the court.”
It took Johannes considerable effort to gather himself. “Yes, may it please the court.” He took a look at the document. “I would like to describe what happened and what the defendant is accused of.” He sat on the edge of the table. “Many months ago, it came to the attention of the late Archbishop Kuno II that there was a secret healer in our land who worked with the devil. Because my family lived in Worms, he gave me this task, which was later confirmed by our revered new archbishop.” He nodded deferentially to the archbishop. “So I returned to Worms and started hearing stories. I didn’t want to believe these stories at first.” He pushed himself away from the table and walked toward the first row of spectators. “Unfortunately, I can’t say with certainty whether the defendant deliberately sought to distract me from my actual purpose or whether she simply intended to hide out in the home of a respected citizen.”