Chapter 24 - LAUREL TESTIFIES ABOUT THE MONEY
Laurel wore navy trousers and a white blouse.
No dramatic black.
She began with Poppy’s illness.
Then the transfer.
“Who ordered it?”
“The doctors.”
“Did Enrico demand it?”
“He asked whether it was necessary. They said yes.”
“Did he choose the transport company?”
“No.”
“Did he agree to pay $2,300?”
“No.”
Then the acknowledgment.
“Why did Cole want it signed?”
“He said he needed proof Dad was causing expenses.”
“Why?”
“For the interference file.”
Then the ledger.
Defense attacked.
“Is it wrong for a father to document a grandparent’s involvement?”
“No.”
“Did Enrico sometimes overstep?”
“Yes.”
That surprised some jurors.
“Examples?”
Laurel gave them.
Birthday deposit.
Emergency nanny without speaking to Cole.
Calling specialists.
Business retaliation after the ICU.
All true.
“Was Cole therefore unreasonable to want boundaries?”
“No.”
Then:
“So why are we here?”
Laurel looked at Cole.
“Because boundaries do not include taking oxygen off a sick child.”
Simple.
Then her own misconduct.
“You searched Cole’s locked drawer.”
“Yes.”
“Outside the collection order?”
“Yes.”
“Why should the jury trust you?”
“They should not trust me because I’m his wife or because I’m Enrico’s daughter. They should look at hospital video, medical records, emails, and whatever testimony they believe.”
Good.
Then defense asked:
“Did you ever tell Cole, ‘My father can pay for anything you can’t’?”
Laurel closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
When?
During an argument six months earlier.
Cruel sentence.
Class insult.
She apologized later.
Did it contribute to Cole’s humiliation?
Probably.
Did it justify what he did?
No.
May you like
Laurel admitted both.
That honesty changed the room.
