Chapter 7
For one dangerous second, I forgot where I was.
I started toward Carol.
Claire stepped directly in front of me.
“No.”
“She’s wearing Emily’s necklace.”
“I see it.”
“That belongs to Sophie.”
“I understand.”
“Then stop her.”
“I’m your lawyer, Daniel. Not security.”
Carol noticed us staring.
She touched the necklace deliberately.
Then smiled.
Sophie hid behind my leg.
“Mommy’s heart.”
Claire looked down.
“You recognize it, Sophie?”
Sophie nodded.
Carol’s smile disappeared.
Claire immediately spoke to the deputy.
Within minutes, Detective Cole was called.
Carol protested loudly.
“This is my necklace!”
Cole asked where she bought it.
Carol claimed she couldn’t remember.
I remembered everything.
The tiny scratch near the clasp.
Emily had damaged it years ago when Sophie grabbed it as a baby.
Detective Cole photographed the necklace.
Samuel brought an old insurance inventory showing the same piece.
Carol finally stopped smiling.
But she refused to remove it voluntarily.
The court hearing began before police could obtain a warrant.
Rachel sat beside her attorney, Thomas Avery.
I sat beside Claire.
Sophie waited outside with Laura.
Rachel testified first.
Her voice trembled.
“Daniel has a terrible temper.”
I stared at her.
“He scares me.”
Avery showed the judge photographs of Rachel’s cheek.
Then her arm.
There was a bruise there from when I shoved her away from the door.
“Did Daniel strike you?”
“Yes.”
“Did he drag you by the hair?”
“Yes.”
“Did he throw you from your home?”
“Yes.”
Every answer was technically true.
And each one sounded monstrous alone.
Then Avery asked, “Were you afraid he would hurt Sophie?”
Rachel started crying.
“Yes.”
My hands clenched under the table.
Claire whispered, “Stay still.”
The judge watched me.
I forced myself to breathe.
When it was my turn, Claire didn’t protect me from ugly facts.
“Did you slap Rachel?”
“Yes.”
“Did you drag her?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I had just watched her drag Sophie across the kitchen by her hair.”
Rachel looked down.
Claire continued.
“Did Rachel stop after you intervened?”
“No. She grabbed Sophie again. Then she slapped me. Then she lunged for Sophie after I moved Sophie away.”
“What did you do?”
“I removed Rachel from the house.”
“Were you angry?”
“Yes.”
“Extremely?”
“Yes.”
“Do you regret using more force than necessary?”
The question hurt.
“Yes.”
Rachel’s head lifted.
“But do you regret stopping her from reaching Sophie?”
“No.”
Claire introduced the hospital records.
Photographs of Sophie’s injuries.
The closet.
The blanket.
The cup.
The forensic interview wasn't played, but the judge received a summary.
Rachel’s attorney objected repeatedly.
Then Claire produced the photograph of Sophie sleeping in the closet.
The courtroom went silent.
Rachel whispered to Avery.
He looked irritated.
The judge stared at the photograph.
“Mrs. Carter, did you take this?”
Rachel’s attorney stood.
“My client invokes her Fifth Amendment rights regarding matters connected to the criminal investigation.”
The judge nodded.
But his expression had changed.
At the end, he denied Rachel’s request to remove Sophie from my care.
Then he granted a temporary protective order preventing Rachel from approaching Sophie.
I almost collapsed with relief.
But it wasn’t over.
As we stepped into the hallway, Detective Cole walked toward Carol.
“Carol Mitchell?”
Carol crossed her arms.
“What now?”
“We have a warrant for the necklace.”
Carol ripped it from her neck.
“You people are insane.”
She shoved it toward Cole.
Sophie watched from Laura’s arms.
When Cole sealed the necklace in an evidence bag, Sophie started crying.
“Can I have it?”
“Not yet,” Cole said gently.
“Why?”
“Because we need to make sure it gets back to you the right way.”
Carol laughed.
Everyone turned.
“You think this is about a necklace?”
I felt Claire tense beside me.
Carol looked directly at me.
“Ask your precious lawyer what happens when the bank comes for the house.”
My stomach dropped.
“What bank?”
She smiled.
“You really don’t know.”
Claire stepped forward.
“Do not speak to my client.”
Carol ignored her.
“Rachel told me you never read anything before you sign.”
I stared at Carol.
“I didn’t sign anything.”
“Are you sure?”
Detective Cole ordered Carol to leave.
But the damage was done.
I called Samuel from the parking lot.
He checked public records.
Then he called me back twenty minutes later.
His voice was grim.
“Daniel.”
“What happened?”
“There’s a lien recorded against the property.”
My chest tightened.
“For what?”
“Four hundred thousand dollars.”
I nearly dropped the phone.
“That’s impossible.”
“It appears to be tied to a private loan.”
“I never borrowed four hundred thousand dollars.”
“I know.”
“Who did?”
Samuel paused.
“The documents list you and Rachel as borrowers.”
“That signature is fake.”
“Then we have fraud.”
“Who made the loan?”
Another pause.
“A company called MT Capital Holdings.”
MT.
Michael Trent.
I looked toward the courthouse doors.
Rachel and Carol were gone.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
May you like
One message.
YOU SHOULD HAVE SIGNED WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE.
