Marcus took the stand on the third day. Sarah had prepared him to answer questions rather than deliver speeches, and he followed her instructions even when he wished he could explain everything at once. He told the jury about the restaurant, Eleanor, the earlier incidents with Derek, and the morning six men entered his dining room. When asked why he had not simply signed the agreement, he answered that he had built the business with his wife and did not believe another man had a right to take it through fear.
"Why did you strike Mr. Collins's associate?" Sarah asked.
"Because he was holding me, he had shoved me, and he swung at my head after I asked him to stop. I believed another blow was coming."
"Why did you stop?"
"Because the danger stopped."
Sarah waited before the next question. "Why did you offer him ice?"
Marcus looked toward the jury. "Because he was hurt. I didn't have to like him to notice that."
Hayes's cross-examination was sharp and relentless. He asked about the 1987 fight, the severity of Leonard Price's injuries, and Marcus's military training. Marcus answered without minimizing anything. He told the jury Leonard had eventually recovered and that the experience helped convince him to retire from competition. Hayes suggested that an athlete with such skill would know precisely how to injure an opponent.
"Yes," Marcus said. "That's why I spent so much time learning when not to use it."
"You could have walked away."
"I asked them to leave my restaurant. I couldn't walk out through the men blocking the door without passing them."
"You could have allowed them to escort you outside."
"I had no reason to believe they meant to escort me safely anywhere."
Hayes showed the injured men's photographs again. "Whatever you meant, two people were seriously hurt."
Marcus did not look away. "I wish they weren't hurt. But wishing doesn't change who started it, or why I feared for my safety."
That afternoon the defense rested, subject to routine matters the judge still had to resolve. Hayes prepared his closing argument, and Sarah spent the evening at her desk sorting notes and marking the portions of the recording she wanted jurors to remember. Marcus went home to the apartment above the diner, exhausted in a way that made his old boxing training feel like a vacation. He ate two slices of toast, checked the front door twice, and sat beside Eleanor's memorial until midnight.
At six the next morning, Sarah received a call from an assistant United States attorney. A parallel federal investigation had uncovered evidence directly relevant to Derek's credibility, the threats against Tommy, and the alleged business pressure campaign. The government had determined that certain recordings and financial records could be disclosed with safeguards that would not compromise the remaining investigation. The state prosecution had been notified as well, and a formal disclosure package was being delivered to the court.