Lucinda walks through most of the other scars and hospitalizations, and a handful of other choice incidents, before saying gravely, "And that's just a fraction of what the plaintiff has endured. The other couple thousand occasions he dictated to a friend, who wrote them down for him; the jury has copies of that document to read, but even one of the events he's just described would be staggering to any decent parent."

Paul actually doesn't have a way to object to that one.

"The defendant may try to convince you that these scars have some other source. I ask you - what source? New injuries have appeared in two different states of residence at a regular pace. Altercations outside of the home? That wouldn't account for the sheer scale, nor much of the timing, even if you're very generous with your estimates.

"The defendant may try to convince you that the abuse was deserved. I ask you - how can that be? Even if corporal punishment of any severity were legal in either state - and it is not - the instigations that you've just heard about and will read more about before issuing a verdict are trivial. The defendant may try to convince you that the actions he wished to punish were more severe than described. I remind you that Laney has an eidetic memory and has, under oath, told us what caused each attack, but even so - I ask you - what can a twelve year old boy do, to which administering a cigarette burn is a measured and understandable response, but which also leaves the plaintiff with no criminal record whatsoever? What can a nine-year-old boy do, which leaves his parents feeling safe in their beds at night, but yet somehow deserves a bone-breaking, forty-five-minute beating?

"No further questions," Lucinda says, and she nods to Paul.