Chapter 18 - The Questions Nobody Asked
The criminal case concerning my injuries moved forward separately from the financial investigation. Months after that awful afternoon, I sat in a courtroom wearing a simple blue dress. Maya did not sit in the gallery. She was at school, where she belonged.
Sloane's lawyer suggested I had been angry over my shrinking place in Malcolm's household. He asked whether I sometimes forgot where I put my glasses, as though misplacing spectacles explained two cracked ribs.
"Of course I forget things," I answered. "Last week I forgot where I put my reading lamp. I've never forgotten who kicked me."
The prosecutor asked me to describe the moment I got between Sloane and Maya. I explained the spill, the raised foot, the blow to my shoulder, and how I curled my body over my granddaughter. Tess testified to what I had told her before anyone from the family coached me. Dr. Hsu described the injuries and what they could and could not prove.
Then Malcolm testified. He didn't pretend he had seen everything. He told the court exactly what was in front of him when he opened the door: Maya under me, Sloane's foot raised, my breath breaking when she moved.
"I wish I had come home sooner," he said.
"But you didn't," the defense attorney replied.
"No. And I can't make my absence into an excuse for what I saw."
The court also heard about the camera access and the toy bird's provenance. An expert explained why the short audio was consistent with an original recording while acknowledging its limits. The judge kept the proceedings focused on the alleged assault, not every accusation circulating online.
Near the end of the day, Sloane unexpectedly asked to speak to her attorney. They whispered for several minutes. Then her lawyer stood and requested a recess.
May you like
Outside, Andrea looked at me with an expression I could not read.
"Ruth," she said, "Sloane wants to make an offer."
