Patrick assumed a polite expression when it was his turn to cross-examine Oscar Blackstone. He rose and approached the witness box. “Mr. Blackstone, the success of your bank goes without question, but you have claimed that my client’s book libeled you. I must ask for specific examples in which my client unfairly defamed your family.”

Oscar raised his chin. “Page thirty-five, the second paragraph.”

Patrick slipped on a pair of clear glass spectacles. He didn’t need them, but they made him look smart. He opened the book, quickly spotted the insulting passage, and read it aloud for the court.

“‘Frederick Blackstone is the spawn of the devil, and his son is his sulfur-breathing henchman. My sainted grandmother used to tell me tales of demons that haunted the hills of Ireland, devouring the innocent and spitting out their bones after sucking the blood and marrow from their lifeless bodies. That’s who the Blackstones remind me of.’” He looked up at Oscar. “Is that the offending passage?”

“It is.”

“And are you the sulfur-breathing henchman referred to in the first sentence?”

Muffled laughter rose from the gallery, but Oscar maintained his dignity. “I assume so, yes.”

“This passage is Mr. Malone’s opinion, is it not? He merely states that you remind him of a terrifying demon.”

“It’s insulting and an outright lie,” Oscar said.

“A lie that you remind him of a blood-sucking demon? Others have gotten the same impression over the decades.”

Another spurt of laughter and stamping of feet came from the audience. The judge banged his gavel, and once again the crowd settled down.

“That’s why I’m here,” Oscar responded. “To stop this sort of insulting press.”

Patrick took a long and pointed look at the journalists in the front row. They were his best allies this morning. “Insulting press?” he asked. “Surely members of the press are entitled to their opinions, even if those opinions are unflattering.”

“But not libelous,” Oscar countered. “My bank is in the middle of the largest merger in this country’s history, and a sterling reputation is essential.”

Patrick turned to the judge. “Your Honor, I suggest that the passage I just read is only the opinion of the author and no intelligent reader could mistake it for a literal fact.” He turned back to Oscar. “Are there any other examples of libel in my client’s book?”

Oscar named the page, and Patrick once again flipped to the offending passage. His mouth twitched, but he fought back the laughter because Oscar had picked a rich one. He cleared his throat and read aloud.

“‘The Blackstones treat their employees worse than the pharaoh treated the slaves of Egypt.’ Is that the passage?”

“It is,” Oscar said. “We don’t know how the pharaoh treated his slaves, and Malone says we are worse than the pharaoh. We aren’t.”