Chapter 16 - The Laugh in the Front Row
I nearly refused to hear what Jason had to say.
For weeks I'd heard his laugh every time I woke from a bad dream. One ugly burst of sound, right after my bones broke.
Agent Shah did not ask me to meet him. She interviewed him with counsel present and later summarized what investigators could corroborate.
Jason admitted he had helped route donation money through Marsh Point Properties. He admitted Ethan told him to delete emails about unfinished ramps. He said Margaret had pushed the fake medical documents because the charity was collapsing and creditors were circling.
Then Shah paused.
"He says he thought Ethan was going to make a scene at the ceremony. He expected shouting, maybe a staged argument. He laughed before he understood how badly you were hurt."
"That's supposed to make it better?"
"No. It's his explanation. Not an excuse."
At the protective-order hearing, the prosecutor played the auditorium video in open court. The room went quiet as Ethan lifted the chair. We watched it strike my arm. We heard my cry and Jason's laugh.
Ethan's attorney argued that Ethan had panicked and lost control. My attorney presented the prior threats. The judge said the video showed an intentional act of violence and issued a longer protective order.
I didn't look at Ethan until the hearing ended. When I did, he was staring at my swollen belly, not my face.
"Claire," he whispered as the bailiff moved him away. "Don't take my daughter."
"She isn't something you own," I said.
Outside, reporters wanted a quote. I gave them one sentence: "Please remember the veterans who are still waiting for their homes."
Then Dana's phone rang. It was the investigator reviewing Jason's statement.
May you like
She listened, and the color drained from her face.
"Claire," she said, "Jason says your mother-in-law told Ethan to stop you before you reached the podium."
