Chapter 16 - The Hearing
The preliminary hearing was held in a small courtroom packed with reporters and family members. Vanessa sat beside her attorney in a navy suit, her expression carefully blank. She did not look at Daniel when he entered.
The prosecutor presented the backyard footage, the recovered dropper, the lab report, and the messages between Vanessa and Eric. The defense argued that the evidence was open to interpretation and that the substance might have been intended for a harmless purpose. The prosecutor pointed to the timing, the concealed handling of the glass, and the message about making sure Daniel could not participate in the vote.
Daniel testified that he had not consumed the drink and that Jake had warned him before he took a sip. He described the immediate panic and the way Vanessa's expression changed when the video appeared on the phone. He did not exaggerate or claim to know what she had intended beyond what the evidence supported.
The judge found sufficient grounds for the case to proceed. It was not a conviction, and Vanessa remained entitled to a defense. But the evidence had crossed the threshold for a trial.
Outside the courtroom, a reporter asked Daniel whether he had ignored warning signs because he wanted a new wife so badly.
He paused. “I ignored things I should have taken seriously. That is my responsibility. But the person who chooses to hurt someone is responsible for that choice.”
Then Detective Grant approached with an update. Eric's lawyer had contacted the prosecutor. Eric was willing to cooperate in the financial investigation, but he claimed he had never known Vanessa intended to put anything in Daniel's drink.
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“We don't know yet,” Grant replied. “But he says he has documents that explain the transfers—and one message about Laura.”
The detective looked toward the courthouse doors. “He says it names the person who canceled the second brake inspection.”
