Page 116 of In the Shadows
"An operation that exposed criminals. Including the man who murdered my father."
"Objection." Price turned to the judge. "The witness is characterizing my client?—"
"The witness is answering the question," Sarah interrupted. "Counsel opened this door."
"Overruled," Morrison said. "Continue, Mr. Price."
Price's jaw tightened—a small thing, quickly controlled. He turned back to Lila.
"Ms. Bennett, isn't it possible that your judgment has been compromised? That your relationship with Mr. Cross, your grief over your father, your years of obsessive investigation—isn't it possible that all of this has led you to see guilt where none exists?"
Lila looked at him for a long moment. The courtroom was silent.
"No," she said. "It isn't possible. Because I'm not the one who falsified surveys. I'm not the one who moved money through shell companies. I'm not the one who paid a medical examiner to lie about how a man died." She turned to look at Warren Caldwell directly. "I just followed the evidence. It led here."
Warren didn't move. Didn't blink. But his eyebrows lifted a fraction—a flicker of something that might have been recognition. Or hatred. Or fear.
Ronan saw it. He suspected the jury did too.
"No further questions," Price said.
Sarah 's redirect was three questions.
"Ms. Bennett, does your relationship with Ronan Cross change the financial records entered into evidence?"
"No."
"Does it change the testimony of the cooperating witnesses?"
"No."
"Does it change what your father wrote in his own handwriting, in his own notes, years before you ever met Ronan Cross?"
"No. It doesn't change anything."
"No further questions."
Morrison nodded. "The witness may step down."
Lila stood. Walked past the defense table, past Warren Caldwell, past the rows of spectators. She didn't look at anyone. Her face was composed, her steps steady.
She sat down beside Ronan and let out a breath she seemed to have been holding since she'd taken the stand.
He took her hand. She gripped it hard enough to hurt.
Neither of them spoke. There was nothing to say. She'd done what she came to do.
The rest of the day's testimony blurred together—a forensic accountant, an FBI analyst, a former employee who had flipped after the arrests.
Ronan kept one eye on Warren Caldwell. The man had recovered his composure, that mask of pleasant detachment firmly back in place. But Ronan had seen behind it now. Had seen the flicker when Lila looked at him and said the words out loud.
He was afraid. Underneath everything, Warren Caldwell was afraid.
Good.
When the judge adjourned, Sarah caught them in the hallway.
"You did well. Price landed some hits, but you didn't fold." She was already checking her phone, already moving on to the next thing. "Closing arguments are on Friday. Jury could have a verdict by early next week."
