Chapter 14 - Emma on the Witness Stand
Emma wore a plain navy dress.
No apron.
No service badge.
Vanessa watched her walk toward the witness stand.
The same contempt remained in her eyes.
The prosecutor asked Emma to describe the welcome gala.
She described the tray.
The forced medicine.
The collar.
The raised hand.
The wrist she caught.
“Were you afraid?”
“Yes.”
“Of being struck?”
“No.”
“Of losing my job.”
“Why did that matter?”
“My brother’s treatment depended on the employee insurance plan.”
“Did Ms. Croft know?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She maintained leverage files on staff.”
The prosecutor displayed Emma’s page.
Brother’s treatment.
Fear of job loss.
The jury read the notes.
Vanessa’s attorney approached.
“You disliked my client.”
“Yes.”
“You believed she treated you as inferior.”
“She did.”
“You resented wealthy guests.”
“No.”
“You resented serving them.”
“Sometimes.”
The attorney smiled.
“You admit resentment.”
“I admit being human.”
A few jurors reacted.
The attorney held up a photograph from the monitoring room.
It showed Emma placing a tablet beside Eleanor’s glass.
“You handled Mrs. Sterling’s medicine.”
“I placed her vitamin beside breakfast.”
“The date on this image shows the night of the gala.”
“The original file shows six months earlier.”
“You expect the jury to accept your technical interpretation?”
“I expect them to accept the forensic report.”
The attorney changed direction.
“After stopping Ms. Croft, you received continued employment.”
“Yes.”
“Protection for your brother.”
“His care moved to an independent foundation.”
“You gained access to Mrs. Sterling.”
“I already had access as staff.”
“You became famous.”
“I received threats.”
“You are writing a book.”
“No.”
The attorney paused.
“Did Alexander Sterling offer you money?”
“No.”
“A home?”
“No.”
“A position?”
“He offered temporary job protection.”
“You refused?”
“I signed only after an independent attorney reviewed it.”
The attorney looked toward Alexander.
“Are you romantically involved with him?”
The question produced whispers.
Emma looked directly at Vanessa.
“No.”
“Would you like to be?”
The prosecutor objected.
The judge sustained it.
Emma continued before the next question.
“This case is not a romance.”
“It is about a woman who believed everyone around her could be purchased, frightened, drugged, or erased.”
Vanessa’s face tightened.
The attorney requested the answer be struck.
The judge allowed the first sentence and instructed the jury to disregard speculation about intent.
Emma understood.
Court did not exist to reward dramatic lines.
It existed to connect proof to charges.
She corrected herself.
“I saw Ms. Croft raise her hand.”
“I stopped it.”
“I later found evidence that she targeted me because of my brother’s illness.”
May you like
“Those are facts.”
The attorney had no further questions.
