Chapter 108 Objection my Lord

Chapter 108 Objection my Lord
Helen looked confused. "That's not I saw the money. Patricia paid him."

Because Ms. Wade, the evidence suggests that you and Robert Hartley acted alone. That you used Patricia's name her grief, her anger as cover for your own crimes. And now, facing life in prison, you're maintaining that fiction to get a reduced sentence."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Are you? Because from where I'm standing, you're a convicted murderer with every reason to lie. A woman who was obsessed with Adrian Wolfe, jealous of Emma Wolfe, and willing to do anything including blame an innocent grieving mother to save yourself."

"Objection!" Lisa was on her feet. "Counsel is badgering the witness and making speeches, not asking questions."

"Sustained. Mr. Brennan, please confine yourself to questions."

"Apologies, Your Honor." Brennan turned back to Helen. "Ms. Wade, one final question. If Patricia  truly ordered this kidnapping, if she was truly this criminal mastermind you describe why didn't you have a single shred of hard evidence connecting her to the crime? No texts, no emails, no recordings, no paper trail. Nothing but your word. Why is that?"

Helen's voice was barely audible. "Because she was careful."

"Or because it's not true. No further questions."

Brennan returned to his seat, looking satisfied.

Helen sat there, tears streaming down her face, her testimony shredded.

Lisa stood for redirect, trying to salvage what she could.

"Ms. Wade, Mr. Brennan suggested you were acting out of jealousy toward Emma Wolfe. But you'd never even met Emma before the kidnapping, had you?"

"No. I'd never spoken to her."

"So your motivation couldn't have been personal jealousy toward a stranger."

"No. I was following Patricia's orders."

"And the phone calls Mr. Brennan referenced the ones you initiated. Did Patricia ask you to call her rather than the other way around?"

"Yes. She said it was safer. That if the calls came from me, it would look less suspicious."

"The money you withdrew the fifteen thousand dollars. What was that used for?"

"Supplies for the kidnapping. Burner phones, zip ties, the rental of the warehouse. Patricia couldn't pay for those things directly without creating a trail."

"And to your knowledge, did Patricia  know about and approve of the kidnapping plan?"

"Yes. She approved every detail. The timing, the location, the method. Nothing happened without her approval."

"Thank you. No further questions."

But the damage was done. I could see it in the jurors' faces. Brennan had planted doubt. Helenna confessed murderer, possibly obsessed with Adrian, definitely motivated to reduce her sentence might not be telling the truth.

Judge Martinez looked at the clock. "It's 11:45. We'll break for lunch and reconvene at 1 PM."

In the conference room, the mood was somber.

"He hurt us," Richard said bluntly. "Brennan did exactly what he needed to do made Helen look unreliable."

"But she corroborated Emma's testimony," Lisa argued. "Everything Emma said Helen told her Helen confirmed on the stand."

"While admitting she's a murderer with a deal that depends on implicating Patricia. The jury might think she'd say anything to save herself." Richard ran his hand through his hair. "We still have the phone records, the financial evidence, Emma's testimony. But without Helen being completely credible, this case got harder."

"What about the money to Robert?" Adrian asked. "Brennan said it came from Robert's own account. Is that true?"

"Technically, yes. But that account was jointly held with Patricia until six months before Sophia's death. Then it was transferred solely to Robert's name. We believe that was part of the plan giving Robert an account Patricia could funnel money through without her name being directly attached." Lisa pulled out financial documents. "We'll argue that in closing. Show the jury the pattern of transfers before the account was changed."

"Will that be enough?" I asked.

"I don't know," Lisa admitted. "Emma, you and Helen gave consistent testimony. The evidence shows a pattern of communication and financial transactions. But Brennan's created reasonable doubt. And reasonable doubt is all he needs."

I felt sick. After everything all the preparation, the testimony, the emotional toll we might still lose.

"What happens now?" Mom asked.

"This afternoon, we call our last few witnesses. Character witnesses for Emma, an expert on conspiracy cases to explain why lack of direct evidence doesn't mean lack of guilt. Then we rest our case." Lisa looked at me. "Monday, the defense presents their case. They'll probably call Patricia to testify let her tell her version where she's just a grieving mother who knew nothing about the kidnapping."

"She's going to lie," I said.

"Yes. And we'll have a chance to cross-examine her. Poke holes in her story. But Emma you need to be prepared that the jury might believe her. She's going to be sympathetic. Well-spoken. She'll cry about losing Sophia. She'll paint herself as a victim."

"She tried to have me killed."

"I know. And we'll do everything we can to prove that. But this is going to come down to who the jury finds more credible. You and Helen, or Patricia."

The afternoon session dragged. Character witnesses testified that I was honest, kind, not the type of person to lie for money or revenge. A conspiracy expert explained that criminal conspiracies rarely leave paper trails, that absence of direct evidence is expected, not suspicious.

But I could see the jury was tired. We'd been at this for a week testimony, evidence, expert opinions. They wanted it to be over.

So did I.

At 4 PM, Lisa stood. "Your Honor, the prosecution rests."

"Very well. Mr. Brennan, is the defense ready to present its case?"

"Yes, Your Honor. We'll begin Monday morning."

"Then we'll adjourn until Monday at 9 AM. Have a good weekend, everyone."

The weekend. Two days to wait before Patricia took the stand and told her version of events.

Two days to worry about whether everything we'd built was enough.

That evening, I couldn't face being home. Couldn't face the nursery or Lily's innocent questions or the weight of everyone's expectations.

"I need to go somewhere," I told Adrian. "Anywhere. I just need to not think about the trial for a few hours."

He understood. "Where do you want to go?"

"The beach. Can we drive to the beach?"

It was an hour away, and it was nearly dark, but Adrian didn't argue. He just grabbed his keys.

We drove in silence, the city lights giving way to darkness and then the moonlit ocean. The beach was empty this late, cold wind whipping off the water.

I stood at the edge of the sand, staring out at the endless black ocean.

"What if we lose?" I asked.

Adrian came to stand beside me. "Then we deal with it."

"How? How do we deal with Patricia walking free? How do I raise our son knowing the woman who tried to kill me is out there somewhere?"

"With security. With vigilance. With the knowledge that even if the legal system fails us, we'll do whatever it takes to keep our family safe."

"That's not a life, Adrian. That's a prison."

"I know." His voice was raw. "Emma, I'm so sorry. For all of this. If I hadn't hired you, if I hadn't brought you into my life you'd be safe. You'd be working your three jobs and struggling, but you'd be safe."

"And my mother would be dead."

"Maybe. But you wouldn't have been kidnapped. You wouldn't be testifying in a trial that might fail. You wouldn't be living in fear."

I turned to face him. "Adrian, I don't regret this. Any of it. Yes, Patricia is a nightmare. Yes, the trial is terrifying. But I also have Lily, who calls me Mama. I have you, who I love more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I have Ethan growing inside me. I have a family. A real family. And I wouldn't trade that not for safety, not for anything."

"Even if Patricia walks?"

"Even then." I took his hands. "We'll figure it out. Together. Because that's what we do. We survive."

Adrian pulled me close, and we stood there on the empty beach, holding each other while the waves crashed and the wind howled.

Tomorrow was Saturday. Sunday after that. Then Monday, Patricia would testify.

And everything our safety, our future, our family would depend on whether twelve strangers believed her lies or our truth.

I didn't know which way it would go.

But standing there with Adrian, feeling Ethan move inside me, thinking about Lily asleep at home I knew one thing for certain.

Whatever happened, we'd face it together.

And somehow, that had to be enough.