Chapter 13 - NOT EVIDENCE
Richard said no before Ortiz finished the sentence.
“They are not getting his therapy records.”
David Shaw agreed.
“We’ll fight it.”
Vanessa’s lawyers argued Leo’s statements might show he had been coached.
The therapist’s notes, they claimed, could prove I influenced him.
I was furious.
“He’s two.”
“That’s why the judge may limit access,” David said.
“May?”
Richard stood. “My son is not a file they get to open because Vanessa needs a defense.”
The hearing lasted two hours.
The judge reviewed the request privately.
Then she denied nearly all of it.
Leo would not be dragged into court.
His therapy would remain protected except for a narrow forensic interview already conducted under police supervision.
Richard exhaled for what felt like the first time all day.
Outside, reporters shouted questions.
I kept walking.
That evening, Ortiz called.
Pete had agreed to testify.
So had Derek.
So had Elise.
Simon Vale still denied knowing anything about violence.
But prosecutors had found one email from him to Vanessa.
An incident will accelerate the necessity argument.
Vanessa replied:
How serious?
Vale answered:
Serious enough that a judge sees instability, not tragedy.
Richard read it twice.
“He knew.”
David shook his head. “He’ll say he meant a documented safety issue.”
“What else could that sentence mean?”
“In court? Anything a lawyer can make sound possible.”
The trial date was set.
Three weeks.
Before leaving, Ortiz handed me a folder.
“What is this?”
“Prep.”
I opened it.
The first page listed questions Vanessa’s attorney was likely to ask me.
At the top, underlined twice, was one sentence:
ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH RICHARD HALE?
I looked at Ortiz.
She gave me a tired smile.
“They don’t need it to be true, Anna.”
“They just need me to look uncomfortable.”
Exactly.
May you like
And for the first time since the fall, I understood Vanessa’s final strategy.
If she could not erase the camera, she would try to erase my credibility.
