Chapter 16 - Avery Speaks
The judge allowed Avery to testify by video.
No courtroom full of strangers.
No direct view of Darius.
Serena sat beside her.
Nolan waited outside.
Grant waited farther away because Avery asked him to.
That request hurt.
He honored it.
Avery described the balcony.
Darius arguing with Catherine.
Howard by the library door.
Catherine hiding the bracelet.
Darius grabbing Catherine's wrist.
Avery running downstairs.
Then the sound.
Her mother falling.
She never saw the exact push.
She saw Darius standing near the railing afterward.
That distinction mattered.
The prosecutor did not ask her to say more than she knew.
Darius's attorney tried to suggest memory could be influenced by grief.
Avery looked at the camera.
"Maybe."
The attorney seemed surprised.
Then Avery continued.
"But I remember being scared before anyone told me what to remember."
The line silenced the room.
Lily testified too.
She described Elena's work.
The red-door apartment.
The man with the silver watch.
Nolan hated watching his daughter carry adult facts.
But Lily wanted the truth in the record.
Grant testified last.
The defense asked why he ignored Catherine's warnings.
Grant did not make excuses.
"Arrogance."
"Trust in my brother."
"Work."
"Fear."
"Pick one."
The attorney frowned.
Grant looked at the jury.
"I failed to listen."
"That failure is not proof my brother is guilty."
"But I will not lie about it to make myself look better."
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That honesty strengthened the case more than any polished denial could have.
