Chapter 5 - The Deposition
The high-rise law office in downtown sat on the twenty-fourth floor, offering a panoramic view of the city skyline. Inside the conference room, the atmosphere was thick with legal animosity.
Arthur Vance, Tyler’s high-priced defense attorney, sat across the long glass table. Beside him sat Michael and Sarah. Michael wore a dark suit, a flesh-colored bandage still covering the stitches on his bottom lip. Sarah looked exhausted, her fingers constantly fidgeting with her gold necklace. Tyler was not present, restricted to the juvenile facility by court order.
On our side sat my attorney, Marcus, along with Lisa and myself. Emily was at home with Lisa’s sister, safe from the legal warfare.
A court reporter sat at the head of the table, her fingers poised over the stenography machine.
"We are on the record," Arthur Vance announced, leaning forward with an air of practiced authority. "This is a preliminary deposition regarding civil claims and evidentiary disclosures in the matter of Croft juvenile proceedings."
Arthur Vance turned his cold, calculating gaze toward me.
"Mr. Miller, let’s cut through the emotional rhetoric," Arthur Vance began smoothly. "My client, Tyler Croft, is a star athlete with no prior criminal record. We concede that an unfortunate accident occurred on July 21st at the pool deck. However, we contend that your daughter, Emily, was trespassing near the equipment hatch despite explicit warnings from older children, and that the hatch fell due to a faulty latch mechanism."
"Is that your official position?" my lawyer, Marcus, asked with a faint, mocking smile.
"It is," Arthur Vance asserted firmly. "Furthermore, we contend that the video files provided to law enforcement were obtained through illegal search and seizure of a minor's personal property, rendering them inadmissable under state digital privacy laws. We are prepared to file a motion to suppress all video evidence."
Michael sneered across the table at me, leaning into his microphone. "You stole my son's phone, Daniel. You assaulted me, and you're using hacked videos to blackmail my family because you're jealous of Tyler's success."
I didn't lose my temper. I looked at Michael, then turned my eyes directly toward Sarah.
"Sarah," I said quietly, ignoring the attorneys. "Did you watch the November video?"
Sarah blinked, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. "What?"
"The video from Thanksgiving two years ago," I said softly. "The one where Tyler stood behind nine-year-old Emily while she was coloring on the living room rug, looked directly at his phone camera, and stomped on her foot with all his weight."
Sarah’s face twitched. "Daniel, boys get rowdy during the holidays..."
"Did you watch the video from March 14th?" I continued, my voice steady, relentless. "The one where he lured little Mason into the garage, locked him in the dark, and told him he’d break his fingers if he told anyone about the bruises on Emily’s arms?"
Sarah froze. Her eyes darted toward Michael, then back to me. "What... what are you talking about? Mason?"
"Mason gave me the phone, Sarah," I said, leaning across the table. "Your nine-year-old nephew was so terrified of your son that he risked getting beaten just to hand me that phone because he couldn't watch Emily get hurt anymore. Tyler wasn't just abusing my daughter. He was terrorizing every single young child in our family while you and Michael sat on the patio drinking wine."
Sarah turned her head sharply toward her husband. "Michael... what is he talking about? Is Mason on those videos?"
Michael’s jaw clenched tightly. "Sarah, shut up. Let Arthur handle this."
"No!" Sarah snapped, her voice cracking as the first crack appeared in their united front. "Michael, did you know Mason was on those videos?!"
"Mrs. Croft, please remain quiet," Arthur Vance cautioned, glaring at his client.
"I didn't steal the phone, Arthur," I said, turning back to Tyler’s lawyer. "The phone was voluntarily handed to me by an eye-witness victim who had legal access to the device during a ongoing violent crime. Our digital forensics expert has already confirmed the chain of custody. The judge in the preliminary juvenile hearing has already reviewed the files, and your motion to suppress was formally denied two hours ago."
Arthur Vance’s mouth tightened into a hard, thin line. He looked down at his notes, the smooth confidence suddenly draining from his face.
Marcus, my lawyer, pulled a thick document from his briefcase and slid it across the glass table.
"This is a formal civil complaint for intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, and parental negligence," Marcus announced. "We are suing Michael and Sarah Croft for three million dollars in medical damages, psychological therapy costs, and punitive damages. And because Michael Croft attempted to coerce my client into signing a fraudulent legal statement under duress while a child lay injured, we have filed a formal complaint with the State Bar and the District Attorney for witness tampering and obstruction of justice."
Michael’s face drained of color. He looked at the document, then looked at his wife, who had buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
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"You're trying to ruin us," Michael whispered, his voice trembling with genuine fear for the first time.
"No, Michael," I said, standing up from the conference table and buttoning my suit jacket. "You ruined yourselves the moment you decided to raise a bully and call it ambition."
