Chapter 36 The Testimony
Sarah smoothed the front of her navy blue power suit, her hands moving with a mechanical precision.
She was here at the courthouse.
Whew.
She felt like an actor preparing for the most difficult performance of her life. The subpoena in her bag felt like a lead weight, a physical reminder that her private chaos had finally spilled into the public record.
The courtroom was smaller than she expected. It was a room of dark wood and fluorescent lights that hummed with a low, irritating buzz. As she took her seat at the witness stand, she felt the eyes of the room on her. The prosecutor, a man with a face like a sharpened pencil, stood up and adjusted his glasses.
"Mrs. Hayes," the prosecutor began, his voice echoing off the high ceiling.
"Let’s discuss the night of the fourteenth. The night Gary MacIntyre suffered a life-altering fall in the parking garage of the Veridian District headquarters."
Sarah took a slow, measured breath. She looked toward the back of the room, half-expecting to see Alex standing there, guarding the exit. He wasn’t there, but she could still feel the phantom weight of his hands on her shoulders from the night before.
"I’ve already provided my statement," Sarah said, her voice clear and steady.
"I was finishing up a late-night review of the contract. I left the building long after Mr. MacIntyre."
"A late-night review," the prosecutor repeated, his tone dripping with skepticism.
"And yet, security logs show your car remained in the lot until nearly midnight. Mr. MacIntyre was found at eleven-fifteen. You were in the vicinity of a man who was actively trying to dismantle your career. Wouldn't you say you had a motive to... see him out of the picture?"
"I had a motive to beat him in the boardroom," Sarah countered, leaning forward.
"Gary MacIntyre was a business rival. A difficult one. But I don't settle professional disputes in parking garages. I settle them with better designs and stronger bids."
The prosecutor paced in front of her.
"There are reports of a heated exchange between you and Mr. MacIntyre earlier that week. Words that weren't professional were used. Is it true you felt threatened by his influence over the Veridian board?"
"I felt he was playing a dirty game," Sarah said. "And as the court knows, Gary was found with a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit. He was intoxicated, he was angry, and he lost his footing. It was a tragedy, but it was an accident."
The questioning continued for what felt like hours. The prosecutor dug into her history, her firm’s finances, and her movements that night. He was looking for a crack, a moment of hesitation that would link her to the violence he suspected had occurred. But Sarah remained a fortress. She spoke simply. She did not over-explain. She stayed focused on the truth of her innocence, even as the truth of Alex’s involvement burned in the back of her mind.
Finally, the judge tapped a pen against his desk. He looked over the evidence—or rather, the lack of it.
"Mr. Prosecutor," the judge said, his voice dry.
"You’ve presented plenty of motive, but zero physical evidence. No DNA, no footage of Mrs. Hayes near the stairwell, and a medical report that confirms the victim’s high level of intoxication. Unless you have a witness who can place her at the scene of a struggle, I see no reason to proceed with Mrs. Hayes as a suspect."
The gavel struck the block with a sharp, final crack.
"The witness is dismissed."
Sarah felt a surge of relief so powerful she nearly stumbled as she stepped down from the stand. It was over. The legal shadow that had been looming over her since that night had vanished. She walked out of the courtroom, through the heavy double doors, and into the bright, blinding sunshine of the plaza.
She took a deep breath of the cold air, feeling a temporary sense of peace. She had won. She had protected herself, and by extension, she had protected Alex. The firm was still hers. The Veridian deal was still within reach.
She began to walk toward her car, her mind already shifting back to the Harrington problem. She needed to figure out how to unfreeze her accounts. She needed to talk to Stacy.
She stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the light to change. Across the busy street, near a row of parked cars, she saw a familiar figure.
It was Alex.
He had been around the courts?
She wanted to run after him and maybe even scream at him. He was too careless.
Why did he do some of the things he did?
Was it that he didn't know the risk he posed to her and even himself?
She would scold him. But she would do that the next time she saw him.
“Oh dear lord.” Sarah heard herself whisper.