Chapter 14 - THE WITNESS LIST

Grant arrived at my apartment before sunrise.

The photograph had been taken less than twenty-four hours earlier.

Someone had followed me from the hospital.

The threatening message did not match Cole’s handwriting.

That meant another person in his network remained free.

Grant examined nearby security cameras.

A dark sedan had parked across the street shortly before the brick was thrown.

The license plate belonged to Judge Malcolm Voss.

The sedan had been reported stolen three hours later.

Voss denied any involvement.

He claimed he had been home all night.

His private security system supported his statement, but Grant suspected the footage had been altered.

Federal agents froze Voss’s accounts and searched his office.

They found sealed custody files involving twelve families connected to Cole.

Several children had been removed from their mothers based on nearly identical reports.

The reports accused the women of instability, neglect, or financial dishonesty.

Cole had helped write them.

Voss had approved them.

Some of the children were placed with relatives who paid Cole consulting fees.

The scheme had turned family suffering into a business.

Mara recognized names in the files.

She contacted the mothers and encouraged them to speak with investigators.

The witness list grew.

So did the danger.

Cole’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for Monday.

Eli would need to testify about the minivan and Mara’s kidnapping.

He was terrified.

“What if I forget something?” he asked.

“Tell the truth you remember,” I replied.

“What if Cole looks at me?”

“Look at me instead.”

“Will you be there?”

“Yes.”

On the morning of the hearing, the courthouse was surrounded by reporters.

Mara carried Grace through a private entrance.

Eli walked between Grant and me.

His hands trembled, but his head remained raised.

Inside the courtroom, Cole sat beside his attorneys.

He looked polished and calm.

When Eli entered, Cole smiled at him.

The smile was small enough that no one else seemed to notice.

Eli stopped walking.

I took his hand.

“You are not inside that minivan anymore,” I whispered.

Before the judge entered, a court officer approached Grant.

Travis Ransom had agreed to testify against his brother.

In exchange, he wanted protection.

Grant asked why.

May you like

"The vanilla buttercream hit the hardwood floor with a sickening, heavy...

"The vanilla buttercream hit the hardwood floor with a sickening, heavy thud. I didn’t even register the sound of the custom glass...

"The perfect wife was about to commit the unthinkable. Then the front do...

"""""""The perfect wife was about to commit the unthinkable. Then the front door opened.""""The heavy bronze candlestick was raise...

"When my husband shoved me into the freezing pool in front of his entire...

"When my husband shoved me into the freezing pool in front of his entire family, I thought the cold water would be the worst part....

The officer handed him a note.

Travis claimed Judge Voss had ordered Daniel’s death.