Chapter 6 - The Unraveling
Down at the County District Attorney’s office, the machinery of justice was moving with crushing momentum.
Mark sat across from Assistant District Attorney Clara Mercer. Her desk was buried under financial ledgers, cell tower records, and pharmaceutical shipping logs.
""We have her, Mark,"" Mercer said, turning her monitor toward him. ""Vanessa’s digital footprint was sloppy. We found search queries on her laptop dating back three months before Sarah’s crash: questions about drug interactions, fatal dosages disguised as accidental falls, and offshore account setups.""
Mark looked at the screen. The cold, premeditated calculus of it made his stomach heave. Sarah hadn't lost control on a rainy road because of depression; she had been drugged, disoriented, and systematically driven to her death.
""She’s offering a plea deal,"" Mercer continued cautiously. ""Her attorney reached out this morning. Second-degree manslaughter, child endangerment. Twenty-five years with parole eligibility at fifteen.""
Mark leaned forward, his hands resting flat on the mahogany desk. ""No.""
Mercer raised an eyebrow. ""Going to trial means Lily might have to provide recorded testimony. It’s hard on children.""
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""Lily won't face that woman in an open courtroom, but we will provide every deposition, every medical record, and every witness statement necessary,"" Mark said with steely calm. ""Sarah was murdered. Lily was poisoned. Twenty-five years is an insult to the life she stole and the life she almost erased. Take it to the grand jury for first-degree murder, Clara. We aren't bargaining.""
Mercer studied his face for a long second, then nodded slowly, a professional respect settling in her eyes. ""First-degree murder it is.""
