Chapter 18 - THE LAST WEEK BEFORE TRIAL
I stopped sleeping.
Not entirely.
Enough.
Every night I imagined cross-examination.
“You forgot things.”
Yes.
“You were angry.”
Yes.
“You had threatened to kick your son out.”
Yes.
“You had taken allergy medicine.”
Sometimes.
“You benefited from his care.”
Yes.
“You signed financial papers.”
Limited ones.
“You let him manage money.”
Yes.
“You loved him.”
Yes.
That last one felt like accusation.
My therapist said:
“Love does not make the facts less factual.”
Fine.
Then prosecutor met with me.
No coaching answers.
Preparation.
“Do not volunteer speeches.”
Good luck.
“If you don’t know, say don’t know.”
Good.
“If you cannot remember exact words, say approximate.”
Good.
“Do not exaggerate time in cage.”
I wouldn’t.
“Do not say he intended to kill you.”
I never did.
“Do not speculate what would have happened without Rachel.”
Good.
Then Rachel.
She worried about kick.
The prosecutor said:
“Defense will ask why you crossed fence instead of waiting.”
“I know.”
“Answer truth.”
“I thought Helen was in immediate danger.”
“Why?”
“Locked cage. Cold. Hose. Threat.”
Then:
“Would you do same?”
Rachel hesitated.
“Yes.”
The prosecutor sighed.
“Fine.”
Honest.
Then Marcus’s lawyer filed motion to exclude guardianship draft as unfairly prejudicial.
Judge allowed portions relevant to motive/coercion, not every speculative line.
Good.
The “prewritten backyard incident” admissible because strong link.
Search history limited to relevant ones.
No dumping dozens of scary queries.
Again.
Precision.
Then “Mom Safety” photos.
Some allowed.
Defense wanted them to show genuine concern.
Prosecution agreed.
Good.
The jury would see the burner photo.
Keys.
Open door.
Not hide inconvenient evidence.
Then bank evidence.
Altered POA.
HELOC.
Only enough to show financial motive and separate fraud count.
Care reimbursements largely excluded from criminal trial because messy.
Good.
Then medical portal messages.
Some.
Not all.
Then I got one last call from Samuel before trial.
“Marcus’s lawyer wants to renew plea.”
“What now?”
“Pleads to financial fraud and unlawful restraint. Two-year cap recommendation, maybe less with credit/probation depending judge.”
“Prosecutor?”
“Considering.”
“What do they need from me?”
“Victim input.”
I sat.
Trial risk.
Plea certainty.
Would avoid testifying.
But Marcus still refused to admit coercion? The plea included restraint, maybe not planned coercion.
I said:
“I won’t oppose if factual basis says he planned the cage and lied about my condition.”
Samuel relayed.
Marcus rejected that phrasing.
Trial.
There.
He still wanted to call it safety gone wrong.
He could not say:
I planned to frighten my mother.
So a jury would hear.
I hung up.
Then slept six hours.
May you like
Best in weeks.
Decision made.
