Chapter 12 - The Boy on the Witness Stand)
The courtroom was full.
Reporters occupied every available bench.
Families of victims sat together.
Evelyn held Rebecca's hand.
Natalie's sister sat behind the prosecutor.
Grace sat where Peter could see her.
Richard wore a dark suit.
No wedding tuxedo.
No charming smile.
Still, he looked calm.
That was his talent.
Performance.
Peter climbed onto the witness stand.
The prosecutor began simply.
"How old are you?"
"Ten."
"Do you know the difference between telling the truth and telling a lie?"
"Yes."
"Can you give me an example?"
Peter looked toward Richard.
"If someone says his name is Richard Coleman but he has six driver's licenses with different names, that's a lie."
A few people laughed nervously.
Richard's attorney objected.
The judge overruled.
Peter described entering the office.
The concealed drawer.
The documents.
The notebook.
Richard standing beside his bed.
The wedding.
"Why did you interrupt the ceremony?" the prosecutor asked.
Peter looked at Grace.
"Because I thought my mom was in danger."
"Did anyone tell you to do it?"
"No."
"Were you angry that your mother was getting married?"
Peter hesitated.
"A little."
Richard's attorney looked interested.
The prosecutor asked, "Why?"
"Because I missed my dad."
"Did that make you invent what you found?"
"No."
"How do we know?"
Peter pointed toward evidence tables containing passports and documents.
"Because it's right there."
The prosecutor smiled slightly.
"No further questions."
Richard's attorney approached.
His name was Victor Shaw.
Smooth.
Polite.
He spoke gently.
"Peter, you loved your father very much."
"Yes."
"And you didn't want anyone replacing him."
"No one can."
"Exactly."
Shaw walked closer.
"So when Richard entered your family, you resented him."
"Sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"He moved Dad's pictures."
Grace had forgotten that.
Richard said the house needed a fresh beginning.
Shaw continued.
"You argued with Richard."
"Yes."
"You disliked his rules."
"Some."
"You entered his private office without permission."
"Yes."
"You took documents that didn't belong to you."
"Yes."
Shaw looked toward the jury.
"And then, during your mother's wedding, you accused him publicly."
Peter nodded.
Shaw smiled.
"Peter, is it possible you wanted to stop the wedding so badly that you assumed the worst about paperwork you didn't understand?"
Peter looked at him.
"No."
"You're ten."
"Yes."
"You're not a lawyer."
"No."
"You're not an accountant."
"No."
"You don't understand complex financial records."
"Not all of them."
"Then how could you possibly know what those papers meant?"
Peter paused.
The courtroom became silent.
Then he said, "I knew Richard had different names."
Shaw nodded.
"But many people legally change names."
"I knew he had pictures of women Mom didn't know."
"That proves nothing."
"I knew he wrote Mom's name beside five million dollars."
Shaw's expression tightened.
Peter continued.
"And I knew he got scared when he saw the papers."
"People become upset when their privacy is violated."
Peter looked directly at Richard.
"He didn't look upset."
"What did he look like?"
"Like he got caught."
The jury watched Richard.
His jaw tightened.
Shaw changed direction.
"You testified that Richard stood beside your bed."
"Yes."
"Did he threaten you?"
"Not with words."
"Did he touch you?"
"No."
"Did he say he'd hurt you?"
"No."
"So nothing happened."
Peter looked at Shaw.
"Something happened."
"What?"
"I got scared."
Shaw smiled faintly.
"Fear doesn't prove a crime."
Peter nodded.
"My dad wrote that too."
Shaw stopped.
"What?"
Peter looked toward the prosecutor.
Daniel's letter had been admitted as supporting evidence related to his investigation.
Peter continued.
"My dad said fear isn't proof. That's why he collected evidence."
The room remained completely silent.
Shaw had no response.
The prosecution then called Rebecca.
She described the fire.
The attack.
The years in hiding.
Natalie described captivity.
Michael Dean testified against Mark.
Financial experts traced millions of dollars.
Forensic investigators reconstructed Daniel's crash.
By the time Richard testified in his own defense, the charming persona began breaking.
He blamed Mark.
He claimed he had loved Grace.
The prosecutor asked, "Did you love Rebecca?"
Richard hesitated.
"I cared for her."
"Marianne?"
Silence.
"Susan?"
Richard looked angry.
"Natalie?"
"Mark chose them."
The prosecutor stepped closer.
"But you married them."
Richard said nothing.
"You took out insurance policies."
Silence.
"You lied about your identity."
Silence.
"You pursued Grace after her husband discovered your criminal network."
"I didn't kill Daniel."
"I didn't ask if you did."
Richard realized the mistake.
The prosecutor continued.
"Did you know Mark killed Daniel?"
Richard looked toward Mark at the co-defendant table.
Mark stared back.
Years of partnership condensed into one moment.
Then Richard said, "Yes."
Mark exploded.
"You coward!"
The judge ordered silence.
Mark shouted again.
"He was supposed to scare him!"
Richard yelled back.
"You told Dean you'd finish it!"
Mark stood.
Officers restrained him.
The courtroom erupted.
Grace grabbed Peter's hand.
Mark had just confirmed the conspiracy in front of the jury.
His own attorney looked devastated.
The judge dismissed the jury for the day.
As Richard was led away, he passed near Peter.
He stopped.
"You think you won?"
An officer pushed him forward.
Peter said nothing.
Richard smiled.
"There are things your father never told you."
Grace stood.
"Keep walking."
Richard looked at her.
Then at Peter.
"He wasn't the hero you think he was."
Peter's face changed.
Grace felt anger rise.
But Richard was already being led away.
That night Peter could not sleep.
"What did he mean?"
Grace sat beside him.
"He wanted to hurt you."
"What if Dad did something bad?"
"Everyone makes mistakes."
"What if it's worse?"
Grace knew Richard's strategy.
Poison trust.
Create doubt.
It had worked on women for years.
She would not allow it now.
"We'll find out the truth."
The next morning Bennett arrived carrying a sealed file.
"Richard wasn't completely lying."
Grace's stomach dropped.
May you like
Bennett placed the file on the table.
"Daniel did keep one final secret."
