Chapter 21 - Sarah Takes the StandSarah described entering the drawing room.
Victoria beside the crib.
The iron.
The steam.
Leo crying.
Her decision to pick him up.
She did not dramatize.
She did not speculate.
“What did Victoria say?”
“She told me to give Leo to her.”
“What did you say?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I did not believe he was safe with her.”
“Did Victoria touch you?”
“She grabbed my arm.”
“What did you do?”
“I turned so Leo was away from her.”
“Did you strike Victoria?”
“No.”
“Push her?”
“I moved between her and Leo.”
“Did you threaten her?”
“I said I would scream for Ethan if she touched Leo again.”
The prosecutor showed the footage.
Sarah watched without expression.
When Ethan appeared on-screen, Victoria immediately cried and accused Sarah of attacking her.
“What did you think?”
“I was shocked.”
“And then?”
“I saw the camera light.”
The prosecutor smiled slightly.
“What color?”
“Green.”
“What did that mean?”
“It was recording.”
“Did you know then that the video would support you?”
“Yes.”
“How did Victoria react?”
“She went pale.”
Mercer stood for cross-examination.
His tone was polite.
That made Sarah more cautious.
“Ms. Miles, you love Leo.”
“Yes.”
“Deeply.”
“Yes.”
“Like a son?”
Sarah paused.
“No.”
Mercer looked surprised.
“You don’t?”
“I love him as Leo.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“He has a mother.”
“His mother is deceased.”
“Yes.”
“And you became a maternal figure.”
“I became a trusted adult.”
Mercer changed direction.
“You disliked Victoria.”
“I distrusted her.”
“Before the incident.”
“Yes.”
“So you entered the drawing room already biased against her.”
“I entered because Leo was crying.”
“But when you saw Victoria, you assumed danger.”
“I saw what she was doing.”
Mercer held up a photograph.
Sarah carrying Leo through the garden.
“You often cared for him.”
“Yes.”
Another.
Sarah beside Ethan.
“You spent substantial time with Mr. Cole.”
“I worked in his home.”
“Did Victoria ever accuse you of wanting her place?”
“She accused me of jealousy.”
“Were you jealous?”
“No.”
“Not even slightly?”
“No.”
“Never wished Ethan would call off the wedding?”
Sarah thought.
“After I learned what Victoria was doing, yes.”
A few jurors smiled faintly.
Mercer did not.
“Before?”
“I worried the marriage was too fast.”
“So yes.”
“That wasn’t your question.”
Mercer paused.
Sarah felt a small surge of confidence.
He continued.
“You considered Victoria dangerous before the steam incident?”
“No.”
“Unkind?”
“Yes.”
“Controlling?”
“Yes.”
“Bad for Ethan?”
“Possibly.”
“Bad for Leo?”
Sarah hesitated.
“Sometimes careless.”
“So when you entered the room, you were predisposed to interpret her actions negatively.”
“No.”
Mercer leaned closer.
“You saw what you expected to see.”
Sarah looked directly at him.
“I saw an iron in her hand and a frightened baby in a crib.”
Silence.
Mercer stepped back.
He changed subjects.
The bracelet.
The photographs.
Sarah’s position in the household.
Then the question everyone expected.
“Have you ever been romantically interested in Ethan Cole?”
“No.”
“Do you love him?”
Sarah sighed.
“As family.”
“Not romantically?”
“No.”
“Would you marry him?”
The prosecutor objected.
“Sustained.”
Mercer smiled.
“No further question on that.”
Sarah felt irritated, exactly as prosecutors predicted.
Then Mercer approached with Claire’s letter.
“You were close to Claire Bennett.”
“Yes.”
“You admired her.”
“Yes.”
“You saw yourself as protecting her son.”
“Yes.”
“So your emotional investment is significant.”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps too significant for an employee.”
Sarah stopped.
Then answered:
“Children do not need adults who calculate how much caring is appropriate for their job description.”
The courtroom went still.
Mercer frowned.
“Was that rehearsed?”
“No.”
The prosecutor hid a smile.
Mercer continued.
“Ms. Miles, when Victoria said, ‘Who do you think he’ll believe?’ you took that as evidence she planned to frame you.”
“Later, yes.”
“At the time?”
“At the time I thought she was arrogant.”
“Could she simply have been angry?”
“Yes.”
“Could she have acted impulsively rather than according to a long plan?”
“The emails say otherwise.”
Mercer’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m asking what you personally know.”
“I know she disabled the camera before the incident.”
“You learned that later.”
“Yes.”
“You know she edited clips of you.”
“Later.”
“Yes.”
“You know she discussed removing you.”
“Later.”
Mercer spread his hands.
“So at the moment you entered the room, all you knew was that Leo was crying and Victoria had an iron.”
Sarah nodded.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
He seemed pleased.
Then the prosecutor stood for redirect.
“One question, Ms. Miles.”
Sarah waited.
“When you entered the room, did you need to know about hidden accounts, emails, Marcus Vale or financial plans to decide whether to pick Leo up?”
“No.”
“What did you need to know?”
Sarah looked toward Leo’s empty place in her mind.
“He was afraid.”
The prosecutor sat.
Sarah stepped down.
As she passed the defense table, Victoria whispered something.
Too quiet for the microphones.
Sarah heard it.
“You ruined everything.”
Sarah stopped.
She looked at Victoria.
“No.”
Her voice remained calm.
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“You did.”
Then Sarah walked away.
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