Chapter 6 - A Child's Testimony
On the fifth day of the trial, the courtroom reached absolute capacity.
Because of Emma's age, the judge had ruled that her testimony would be taken via a closed-circuit video feed from a private, child-friendly room inside the courthouse, allowing her to testify without facing her father and grandmother directly.
The video feed lit up on the large courtroom monitors.
Emma sat in a small blue armchair beside a child psychologist. She wore a bright red sweater and had her hair tied in two neat braids. She held a small stuffed bear in her lap.
Prosecutor Gomez smiled warmly at the screen. "Hello, Emma. Can you tell the judge your name and how old you are?"
"My name is Emma Vance, and I am seven years old," her clear, young voice echoed through the courtroom speakers.
"Emma," Gomez asked gently. "Do you know why we are talking today?"
"Yes," Emma said, squeezing her bear. "To talk about the videos on my tablet."
"Can you tell us why you started making those videos?"
Emma looked down at her hands for a moment, then back at the camera. "Because Daddy was acting mean to Lucas whenever Mommy was at work. He would yell at him when he cried. And then Grandma started coming over every night with small pills."
In the courtroom, Brenda’s lawyer tried to object, but the judge motioned for him to sit down.
"What did Grandma do with those pills, Emma?" Gomez asked.
"She used a big spoon to crush them in the kitchen," Emma described, her voice innocent yet utterly devastating. "She put the powder inside Mommy's glass bottle in the fridge. She told Daddy, 'This will make Maya sleep so long that CPS will take the babies.'"
Gasps exploded across the gallery. One juror covered her mouth in shock.
"And Emma," Gomez continued softly. "What happened on the night of Friday, September 14th?"
Emma’s breath hitched on the video screen. "Daddy was mad because his work called him. Lucas was crying in his crib. Daddy picked him up really hard and... and he dropped him on the floor. Lucas hit his head. Mommy ran in and stopped him, and then I brought my tablet down so Daddy wouldn't hit Mommy."
In the defendant's box, Ryan suddenly burst into loud, ragged sobs, burying his face in his arms on the table. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Emma..."
"Order in the court!" the judge slammed his gavel repeatedly. "Remove the jury temporarily!"
As the jury stepped out, Brenda leaned over and slapped Ryan hard on the arm. "Pull yourself together, you fool! You're ruining everything!"
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Ryan looked up at his mother, his face contorted with pure hatred for the woman who had guided him into hell.
"Shut up, Mom!" Ryan roared, his voice echoing through the entire courtroom. "I'm done lying for you! I'm done!"
