Chapter 22
The defense began its case by trying to make Diane look frightened.
Not controlling.
Not calculating.
Frightened.
They called a psychologist who had evaluated her.
He said Diane showed high anxiety around family loss.
He described her need for control as a response to insecurity.
I listened carefully.
Some of it probably was true.
But explanation was not innocence.
Then Diane took the stand.
I hadn’t expected that.
Neither had Alvarez.
Diane walked slowly.
She swore to tell the truth.
Then her attorney asked why she doubted Lily’s paternity.
Diane looked at the jury.
“I was concerned for my son.”
Not sorry.
Concerned.
She talked about my job.
My male coworkers.
The night I waited with Ben for his wife.
She carefully avoided admitting she fabricated screenshots.
Then her attorney asked about the DNA test.
“I was told there were questions about laboratory accuracy.”
“Did you intentionally provide Jason with false results?”
“I provided him with the information I believed he needed.”
My jaw tightened.
That wasn’t an answer.
Her attorney tried again.
“Did you create the document?”
“No.”
“Did you pay Marlene Price to create it?”
Diane hesitated.
“I paid Marlene for private consultation.”
Jason shook his head.
The prosecutor objected.
Overruled.
Then came Lily’s trust.
Diane said Thomas had been old.
Confused.
That the trust language did not represent his real wishes.
She claimed she used funds for family purposes.
The Sedona house, apparently, was for “family gatherings.”
The Scottsdale condo was an “investment.”
Everything had an explanation.
Then her attorney asked about the barbecue.
Diane finally cried.
“I lost my temper.”
I stopped breathing.
It was the first direct admission.
“I regret pulling Lily.”
Pulling.
Not dragging.
“I did not intend to hurt her.”
“What happened before that?”
“She was questioning me.”
My nails pressed into my palm.
“What did she ask?”
“Whether Jason was her real father.”
“And why did that upset you?”
Diane looked toward Jason.
“Because I knew how painful that subject was for my son.”
Jason stared at her in disbelief.
“So you reacted emotionally.”
“Yes.”
“I should not have.”
Her attorney nodded sympathetically.
Then Diane added, “But Sarah attacking me made everything worse.”
There it was.
She couldn’t even apologize without redistributing blame.
Then Alvarez stood for cross-examination.
Her first question was simple.
“Mrs. Coleman, is Jason Lily’s biological father?”
Diane hesitated.
The entire courtroom noticed.
“According to recent tests.”
Alvarez walked to the evidence table.
“And the test performed after Lily’s birth?”
Diane’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
“So yes.”
“Yes.”
“You knew that seven years ago.”
“I had questions.”
“Did you know the original laboratory report listed Jason as the biological father?”
Diane looked at her attorney.
He could not help her.
“Yes.”
A murmur moved through the courtroom.
Alvarez continued.
“Did you give Jason that report?”
“No.”
“What did you give him?”
“A different report.”
“One showing zero probability.”
“Yes.”
“Was that report authentic?”
Silence.
“Mrs. Coleman?”
“No.”
My eyes filled.
There.
The truth.
Finally.
“Did you know it was false when you gave it to your son?”
Diane swallowed.
“Yes.”
Jason made a sound beside me.
Barely audible.
Like air leaving his body.
Alvarez did not pause.
“Why?”
“I believed Sarah was wrong for him.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Diane’s face hardened.
“I was protecting my family.”
“By telling your son his biological daughter was another man’s child?”
“Yes.”
“By taking assets meant for that child?”
“I did not take them.”
“By filing a false declaration?”
“I managed the trust.”
“By paying Marlene Price?”
“She threatened me.”
“The first twenty thousand dollars came before any threat, correct?”
Diane said nothing.
“Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
Alvarez turned toward the jury.
Then back.
“Did you fabricate text messages suggesting Sarah had an affair?”
Diane’s eyes flashed.
“I edited messages.”
“Did Sarah send them?”
“No.”
My breath stopped.
Jason covered his mouth.
Alvarez continued.
“Did Sarah ever tell you she cheated?”
“No.”
“Did you have evidence she cheated?”
“No.”
“Did you believe she cheated?”
Diane stayed silent.
“Mrs. Coleman?”
“No.”
Jason began crying.
Quietly.
I wanted to reach for him.
I didn’t.
Not yet.
Alvarez’s voice hardened.
“So you knew Sarah was faithful.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Lily was Jason’s biological child.”
“Yes.”
“You knew the trust belonged to Lily.”
“I disagreed with the trust.”
“That was not the question.”
Diane snapped, “It should never have gone to a child whose mother would control it!”
There it was.
The real Diane.
Angry.
Certain.
The judge told her to answer only what was asked.
Alvarez waited.
Then asked, “Did you tell seven-year-old Lily she did not belong in the family?”
Diane’s face changed.
“She was disrespectful.”
“Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
“Did you grab her by the hair?”
“I grabbed her.”
“By the hair?”
“Yes.”
“Did you drag her?”
“I moved her.”
The prosecutor pointed toward the screen.
“Would you like us to play the video again?”
Diane’s attorney objected.
Overruled.
Diane finally whispered, “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes. I dragged her.”
My eyes closed.
Alvarez asked one final question.
“When you told Lily she should have disappeared before her mother brought her home, were you protecting her?”
Diane stared at her.
“No.”
“Were you protecting Jason?”
Silence.
“No.”
“Were you protecting anyone?”
Diane looked at the jury.
For once, she had no answer.
The defense rested the next morning.
Closing arguments finished by afternoon.
Then the jury left.
We waited.
One hour.
Two.
Four.
The judge sent everyone home.
The second day passed.
No verdict.
By the third morning, my stomach was in knots.
Lily called before court.
“Mommy?”
“Hi, baby.”
“Did the judge decide?”
“Not yet.”
“Tell them I have school tomorrow.”
I laughed.
“I’ll mention it.”
She lowered her voice.
“Are you still scared?”
“A little.”
“Remember your boundaries.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“I will.”
Twenty minutes after I entered the courtroom, the bailiff announced the jury had reached a verdict.
Jason sat beside me.
Robert and Emily behind us.
Diane stood at the defense table.
The jury entered.
The foreperson held a paper.
My heart pounded so hard I could hear it.
Then the clerk asked the first question.
“On the charge of child abuse, how do you find the defendant?”
May you like
The foreperson stood.
“Guilty.”
