Page 114 of Matlock
“How long?” Simon asked.
“A day. Maybe two.”
And then it would be over.
All of it would disappear.
Simon would be free.
And I would lose him.
Simon nodded, his expression unreadable.
Susan stood and moved to the kitchen, her hands shaking as she poured herself more coffee. David followed, placing a hand on her shoulder.
I looked at Simon. He was staring at Sadie, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and guilt.
He’s blaming himself. For not protecting her sooner. For not stopping Alan before it got to this point.
I wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault.
But I knew he wouldn’t believe me.
Keys shifted in his chair, his eyes still locked on Sadie. “You need anything?” he asked quietly.
Sadie shook her head, still not looking at him.
“Sadie—”
“I’m fine,” she clipped, her voice sharp.
Keys sat back, his jaw tightening.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
I cleared my throat. “There’s one more thing,” I said.
Simon’s head snapped toward me.
“Simon confessed to a crime he didn’t commit,” I stated, my voice steady but grave. “He took the fall for his sister. Even though that confession was made to protect Sadie, it creates a legal liability.”
“What kind of liability?” David asked, his voice tight.
“Obstruction of justice. Filing a false report. Potentially conspiracy to obstruct justice,” I said. “The prosecution could argue that Simon deliberately misled law enforcement, that he interfered with their investigation by confessing to something he didn’t do.”
Susan’s face went pale. “But he was trying to protect Sadie.”
“I know,” I agreed. “And that matters. It matters morally, and it may matter legally. But the fact remains that Simonmade a false confession. He lied to the police. He provided false evidence by putting his blood on the knife.”
Simon’s jaw clenched. “So even if the murder charge is dropped...”
“You could still face charges for the obstruction,” I finished. “Yes. It’s a serious complication, and we need to be prepared for it.”
“Can you fight it?” David asked.
“I can,” I said. “And I will. The circumstances of protecting an abuse victim, a family member in danger, are mitigating factors. A good prosecutor might decide it’s not worth pursuing. But a vindictive one, like Rosalind, might see it as an opportunity to still get a conviction of some kind.”
I looked directly at Simon. “This is why we need to be strategic about how we present this to the jury. The recording proves Sadie acted in self-defense. But we need to control the narrative around your confession before the prosecution can weaponize it.”
