Chapter 12 - The Affidavit
Owen looked sick when he saw the document bearing his name.
“I never said Daniel threatened anybody with a weapon,” he told Ortiz. “I said he was angry.”
The affidavit claimed Daniel had ordered security to delete footage, had threatened Patricia, and had planned to take Sophie out of the country. It carried a signature copied from Owen's employment paperwork.
“Did you sign this?” Ortiz asked.
“No. I'd swear to that in court.”
At the emergency hearing, Patricia entered in pale blue, clutching a tissue. Daniel sat with his attorney, Tessa, and a separate lawyer assigned to protect Sophie's interests. Emily waited outside because her own complaint was still under investigation.
Patricia's attorney described a household in crisis. He mentioned Daniel's slap, which Daniel admitted without trying to minimize. He omitted the report of Patricia's shove.
Then Owen testified. “That's not my statement,” he said, holding up the affidavit. “Someone took my signature from another document.”
The judge ordered the original produced. Katherine Bell testified about the suspicious withdrawal request. Ortiz explained that the video recovery was ongoing and that a child's statement had been preserved by a specialist.
The hearing did not end with shouting or instant victory. The judge refused to transfer the trust, froze disputed transactions, and set a prompt evidentiary review. Patricia was temporarily barred from unsupervised contact with Sophie while the investigation continued.
Outside, reporters gathered on the courthouse steps. Patricia avoided them and entered a black car.
Daniel approached Emily across the lobby. “The judge didn't give my mother what she wanted.”
“Good,” Emily said. “But there's still a little girl who wakes up frightened.”
“I know.”
He handed her a copy of his written apology, filed with the police as part of his statement. He wasn't asking her to accept it.
May you like
Emily read the first line. Behind them, a court clerk shouted for an officer.
A woman had just submitted a forged order authorizing Sophie's transfer to an out-of-state residential facility.
