Chapter 18 - The Hearing
The county investigator arranged a formal interview for Lily with a child specialist, not in a police station but in a quiet room with books, paper, and a window that looked onto a garden. I waited outside with Ben, forcing myself not to pace. Nora sat across from me. We had apologized to each other, but the hurt was still there. I had accused her in front of my daughter and dismissed the one adult who had acted without hesitation.
The investigator came out an hour later. Lily had described Celeste telling her the locket was by the pool, warning her not to tell me, and then leaving her alone near the water. She had not claimed Celeste pushed her. She had been clear about what she saw and what she didn't.
"That's important," the investigator said. "We need to be exact. We won't ask a child to fill in gaps for us."
Owen was questioned about the disabled alarm and the missing footage. At first he denied touching the system. Then the technician produced a service log showing his access code. Owen asked for a lawyer.
Celeste's attorney issued a statement calling the incident a tragic accident and accusing me of using my daughter's grief to attack a woman who had cared for her. The words made me furious, but Ben reminded me that evidence mattered more than outrage.
The hearing ended with a temporary no-contact order for Celeste while the investigation continued. As we left, a court officer handed Ben an envelope recovered from the broken camera cabinet.
Inside was a copy of the trust amendment Celeste had tried to get me to sign.
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The witness line bore Emily's name.
When the child specialist finished, she told me Lily had been careful and consistent. She had not tried to please us with a bigger story. She described what she saw, admitted what she could not see, and asked whether she would be in trouble for remembering. That question hurt more than anything else.
