Chapter 19 - The Trial Preparation
Eight months later.
The sterile, meticulously organized conference room of the District Attorney’s office was a stark contrast to the chaotic ashes of the Vance estate. Evie sat at a long mahogany table, nursing a cup of lukewarm coffee, staring at the towering stacks of legal boxes that contained the entirety of her ruined childhood.
Tomorrow, she would take the witness stand in the most highly publicized attempted murder trial the state had seen in a decade.
"You look exhausted, Evelyn," Prosecutor Sarah Jenkins noted softly, sliding a printed transcript across the table. Sarah was a sharp, formidable woman who had built her career dismantling white-collar syndicates, and she had taken Evie’s case with a fierce, protective passion.
"I haven't slept properly in eight months," Evie admitted, rubbing her eyes. "Every time I close my eyes, I hear the padlock clicking on my bedroom door. I smell the gasoline."
"That is exactly what you need to tell the jury tomorrow," Sarah said, tapping the transcript. "Richard’s defense team is incredibly expensive and entirely ruthless. They are going to paint you as a hysterical, ungrateful child who suffered a mental breakdown during a tragic accidental fire. They will claim you fabricated the story about the padlock to steal control of the massive family trust."
"But we have the black box," Evie countered, feeling a surge of anxiety. "The ledger proves he embezzled millions and paid Silas to start the fire."
"The ledger proves financial motive," Sarah corrected carefully. "It proves he was in debt to Vanguard, and it proves he authorized a payment to a known hitman. But Richard’s lawyers are arguing that he paid Silas to burn the house down for insurance money, completely unaware that you were trapped inside. They are pushing the narrative that Claire acted alone in locking your door out of sheer panic and confusion."
Evie felt a sickening jolt of disgust. "He's throwing my mother under the bus to save himself?"
"He is," Sarah confirmed grimly. "Claire is facing a separate trial next month, but Richard is trying to pin the attempted murder entirely on her alleged hysteria. That is why your testimony is the absolute linchpin of this case, Evie. You have to look the jury in the eye and convince them that Richard Vance knew exactly what he was doing."
The heavy wooden door to the conference room opened, and Detective Thorne walked in, wearing a sharp suit instead of his usual weathered trench coat.
"You ready for tomorrow, kid?" Thorne asked, offering a reassuring smile.
May you like
Evie looked at the transcript, then at Thorne, and finally out the window at the bustling city below. The terrified girl who had hidden in the safe house was dead. The woman sitting in the chair was unbreakable.
"I'm ready," Evie said. "Let's burn his empire down."
