Chapter 4 - THE DEPOSITION
Z
Monday morning arrived with a cold, biting rain that mirrored the storm brewing inside me. Maya had requested an emergency, pre-hearing deposition at her law office. She had argued to the judge that given the severity of the allegations against me, and the impending Thursday hearing, we had the right to depose Melissa immediately regarding her sworn affidavit. Evelyn’s lawyer, a sleazy, high-priced shark named Vance, had tried to block it, but the judge had sided with us.
I sat in Maya’s pristine glass-walled conference room, staring at the polished mahogany table. The stenographer sat quietly in the corner, fingers resting lightly on her machine. Maya stood by the window, reviewing her notes, a predator observing her hunting ground.
At precisely 9:00 AM, the heavy glass door opened. Melissa walked in, followed by Evelyn and Vance.
Melissa looked awful. She had tried to conceal the dark circles under her eyes with heavy makeup, but her hands were trembling as she pulled out her chair. She wore a high-necked black blouse, looking more like she was attending a funeral than a deposition. Evelyn, on the other hand, was the picture of aristocratic composure. She wore a tailored navy suit, her posture perfect, her expression an icy mask of maternal disappointment.
When Evelyn looked at me, she offered a tight, sympathetic smile. "Natalie. You look tired, sweetheart."
I didn't blink. I didn't speak. I just stared at her, feeling a sick twist of bile in my throat.
"Let's get this over with," Vance said, slapping his briefcase onto the table. "My clients are accommodating this highly irregular request as a courtesy, Miss Chen. Let's keep it brief."
"We will take exactly as much time as we need, Mr. Vance," Maya replied, her voice smooth as silk. She took her seat beside me and hit a button on a small recorder. "This is the deposition of Melissa Harper in the matter of emergency guardianship of Lily..."
Maya went through the formalities, the oaths, the standard legal warnings. Melissa swore to tell the truth, placing her hand on a Bible with fingers that shook so badly they rattled against the leather cover.
"Miss Harper," Maya began, steepled her fingers and leaning forward. "Let's review the events of last Thursday. You arrived at my client's home at approximately 1:00 PM. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Melissa whispered.
"You have to speak up for the record," Maya instructed politely.
"Yes," Melissa said, louder this time, her eyes darting nervously toward Evelyn.
"And you claim that shortly after arriving, Lily became violent. In your affidavit, you stated she threw a heavy ceramic lamp at your head. Is that accurate?"
"Yes. It missed me and shattered against the wall."
"I see." Maya pulled out a glossy 8x10 photograph and slid it across the table. "This is a photo of Natalie's living room, taken by police upon their arrival at 3:20 PM. Can you point to the shattered ceramic lamp?"
Melissa stared at the photo. Her mouth opened, then closed. Vance leaned over to look.
"Objection," Vance said smoothly. "The witness was traumatized. Perhaps she misremembered the exact location, or perhaps Evelyn cleaned it up to protect the child from broken glass."
"Did you clean it up, Miss Harper?" Maya asked, ignoring Vance and staring directly at Melissa.
"I... I don't remember," Melissa stammered. "Everything was happening so fast."
"Okay. Let's move on to the bedroom." Maya pulled out another piece of paper. "You stated in your sworn affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that Lily locked herself in a bedroom and threatened to jump from a second-story window."
"Yes," Melissa said, sounding a bit more confident. "She was screaming that she would jump if we came in."
"Miss Harper, how many times have you visited your sister's house?"
Melissa frowned. "Dozens of times. Why?"
"Just establishing familiarity." Maya leaned back, a dangerous glint in her eye. "Miss Harper, my client's home is a single-story ranch. There is no second floor. So I am deeply curious as to how a five-year-old child threatened to jump from a second-story window that does not exist."
The silence in the room was absolute. The stenographer's machine clicked loudly, a rapid burst of keystrokes that sounded like gunfire.
Melissa turned ghost-white. She looked at Evelyn in sheer panic. Evelyn's jaw clenched, a tiny pulse beating furiously at her temple. Vance looked at the affidavit, then at the file, cursing silently.
"I... I misspoke," Melissa choked out. "I meant she was trying to climb out the window. Just a regular window."
"You swore under oath she threatened to jump from a second-story window," Maya pressed, her voice rising, sharp and authoritative. "Did you actually see the child at all that afternoon, Melissa? Or did you and your mother fabricate this entire incident to justify a police presence?"
"Objection! Badgering!" Vance barked. "Don't answer that, Melissa."
"We didn't fabricate anything!" Melissa cried, her composure shattering. "She was out of control! We were trying to help!"
"Help?" I spoke for the first time. The word tore from my throat, raw and venomous. "You locked my terrified five-year-old daughter in a room and told her the police were going to take her away forever. You kicked over a toy box to make it look like a struggle. You staged a crime scene."
Evelyn slammed her hand on the table. "Natalie! That is enough of these insane paranoid delusions! We are trying to save Lily from you!"
"You're trying to steal her trust fund!" I shouted, half-rising from my chair. "You're bankrupt, Mom! We know about the failed real estate deals. We know about the second mortgage. You are millions of dollars in debt, and Daniel's money is the only thing keeping you from living on the street!"
Evelyn’s aristocratic mask finally slipped. True, unadulterated hatred flashed in her eyes. "Daniel was a fool," she hissed, leaning across the table, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly cold register. "He thought he could isolate you from your family. He thought he was so smart with his little legal documents. But he's gone, Natalie. And you are unstable. You are going to lose that child."
"Evelyn, stop talking," Vance commanded sharply, realizing his client was bleeding out on the record.
Maya held up a hand, completely unbothered by the screaming match. In fact, she looked triumphant. She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a small, black USB drive.
"Miss Harper," Maya said, turning her attention back to a hyperventilating Melissa. "Before we conclude for today, I'd like to ask you one final question about Daniel's death."
Melissa froze. The color completely drained from her face, leaving her looking like a corpse. "Daniel's... accident?"
"Accident," Maya repeated dryly. "Eighteen months ago, your black SUV was reportedly stolen. Two days later, a vehicle matching that exact description ran Daniel off the road, killing him instantly. A week after that, your vehicle was found burned in an abandoned lot."
Vance stood up. "This deposition is over. This is entirely irrelevant to a family court proceeding and highly inflammatory."
"It goes to character, Mr. Vance," Maya said coolly. "And it goes to motive." Maya stared dead into Melissa's terrified eyes. "Melissa. Where were you on the night of October 14th?"
Melissa couldn't speak. She was shaking so violently her chair rattled against the floor. She looked at the USB drive in Maya's hand. I knew, and she knew, what we were implying. We were letting her know that we knew.
"I... I was home," Melissa whispered, tears finally spilling down her cheeks.
"Are you sure?" Maya asked softly. "Because perjury in family court is one thing, Miss Harper. But lying about a homicide investigation? That carries a life sentence."
"We are leaving," Vance snapped, grabbing Evelyn's arm. "Not another word, Melissa. Let's go."
May you like
Evelyn stood up, her composure forced back into place, but I could see the tremor in her hands. She looked at me, a silent promise of war. I looked back, a silent promise of annihilation.
As they rushed out of the room, Melissa cast one last, terrified glance at the USB drive on the table. The seed of paranoia had been planted. It was only a matter of time before it bloomed into a full-blown panic.
