Chapter 9
Daniel testified on the fourth day.
He looked pale but steady.
“My mother taught me that loyalty meant silence,” he said. “I believed her because believing her was easier than facing what was happening in my own house.”
Margaret stared at him with pure hatred.
He did not look away.
The prosecutor played the wire recording.
I did not mean for her to die that fast.
Margaret’s attorney objected.
The judge overruled.
The sentence hung in the courtroom like smoke.
When I testified, Margaret’s lawyer tried to make me look greedy.
“You entered the house under a false name.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to gain employment.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted access to Leo.”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“And money?”
I looked at the jury.
“I wanted my nephew alive.”
The room went silent.
He tried again.
“You struck Margaret Whitmore.”
“Yes.”
“Hard?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she hurt a child and would not let go.”
“So you admit violence?”
I turned toward Margaret.
“No. I admit I stopped it.”
The verdict came after seven hours.
Guilty.
Margaret did not cry.
She looked at me and said, “You stole my family.”
Daniel answered before I could.
“No. You buried yours.”
She screamed as deputies took her away.
Outside, Leo waited with Dr. Lane.
He ran into my arms.
“Bad Grandma gone?”
I held him tight.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“For long time?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
Then he touched my scarf.
“Mommy happy?”
May you like
I looked up at the sky.
“I hope so.”
