Chapter 5 - The Bail Hearing Shock
The Davidson County Courthouse was cold and gloomy.
I sat in the front row of the gallery alongside Amy, who looked color-restored and dressed in a simple, elegant navy dress. My lawyer, Robert Vance, sat beside us with a stack of forensic evidence.
Teresa was brought out in an orange jumpsuit, wrists cuffed to her waist. Her silver hair was unkempt, but her eyes were still full of defiance.
When she saw me, she began to cry dramatic, crocodile tears. "Connor! My baby! Tell them to let me go! I’m your mother! Tell them it was all a joke!"
Judge Harold slammed his gavel down. "Silence in the court!"
The defense attorney stood up. "Your Honor, my client is a sixty-two-year-old grandmother with no prior criminal record. This is a private family dispute over house management and financial assistance. We request immediate release on personal recognizance."
Prosecutor Katherine Vance stood up immediately.
"Your Honor, the State strongly opposes bail," she argued, stepping forward. "This is not a family dispute. This is a calculated, multi-year financial scheme involving forgery, grand larceny, identity theft, and child endangerment. We have evidence showing Mrs. Bradley attempted to fraudulently encumber the victim’s home for $350,000 while holding his sick child and wife under duress."
Robert Vance handed a tablet to the bailiff, who passed it to the judge.
On the screen was the security footage captured by my newly installed home cameras from the past month, which David Miller had managed to recover from the cloud server.
The video clearly showed Teresa locking Amy in the kitchen, taking her car keys, grabbing her roughly by the arm, and screaming at her that if she spoke a word to me, she would make sure CPS took Frederick away.
Judge Harold’s face darkened as he watched the footage. The entire courtroom went dead quiet.
He looked up at Teresa over his half-moon glasses.
"Mrs. Bradley," Judge Harold said, his voice dripping with disgust. "You are a danger to your family and a flight risk. Bail is denied. You will remain in custody pending trial."
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Teresa gasped, her fake tears instantly turning into rage. "You can't do this to me! Connor, you spineless fool! You picked that worthless orphan over your own blood?!"
I didn't say a word. I simply wrapped my arm around Amy’s waist and walked out of the courtroom, leaving my mother’s screams behind us.
