Chapter 15 - The Hearing
The hearing happened the next morning.
Vanessa arrived in a navy dress with no jewelry and tears already prepared.
Her attorney, Caleb Ross, described her as "a concerned stepmother forced to act after months of instability."
I wanted to stand up and scream.
Laura touched my wrist under the table.
Wait.
Caleb presented photographs of the liquor bottles, the pills, and selected messages from my travel schedule. He claimed I had created a chaotic home and that Vanessa had been the only consistent caregiver.
Then the judge asked Vanessa directly, "Did you ever require Ella to eat from an animal's bowl?"
Vanessa's eyes filled.
"No, Your Honor. Ethan staged that after returning unexpectedly."
The lie was so smooth I almost admired it.
Almost.
Laura stood.
"We have video from the garage showing Mrs. Brooks and her brother planting the liquor and medication."
Caleb objected.
The judge allowed it.
Vanessa watched herself on a courtroom monitor.
Her face changed.
Then Laura played Ella's recording.
Not all of it. Just enough.
Say it again.
Daddy leaves me alone.
If you make this difficult, St. Catherine's has plenty of room for difficult girls.
Vanessa stopped crying.
The judge looked at her for a long time.
Then he looked at me.
"Mr. Brooks, where were you while this was happening?"
The question hurt because I deserved it.
"Traveling too much," I said. "Trusting the wrong person. Missing signs I should have seen."
"Do you take responsibility for that?"
"Every day for the rest of my life."
The judge nodded once.
He denied Vanessa's request and issued a temporary no-contact order regarding Ella.
I thought that was the turning point.
Then Laura received a sealed envelope from the court clerk.
Inside was a copy of a second petition Vanessa had filed three weeks earlier.
May you like
This one was not about guardianship.
It was a petition to remove me as trustee of Grace's estate.
