Chapter 6 - The Confession of Audrey
In a separate, smaller interview room down the hall, Audrey Vance was nervously shredding a paper cup into tiny pieces, staring down at her lap.
The door opened, and I walked in, setting a cup of black coffee on the table in front of her.
Audrey flinched, looking up with red, tear-swollen eyes. “Lucas... please. I told them everything. I swear I didn't hit Sophia! That was all Mama! I just... I was afraid of her! You know how she is when she doesn't get her way!”
I pulled out the chair and sat down, watching her with a measured, clinical gaze.
“I know exactly how she is, Audrey,” I said quietly. “And I know that nobody held a gun to your head when you helped her lock the pantry door or when you laughed while Sophia was crying on the nursery floor.”
Audrey burst into fresh tears, burying her face in her hands. “She told me... she told me if we helped her take control of the house and the trust fund, she’d buy me a condo in downtown Miami! I was drowning in credit card debt, Lucas! I was desperate!”
“So you traded your humanity for real estate,” I said, my voice hardening.
“Are you going to let them put me in prison?” she sobbed, looking up through her fingers. “I’m your sister! We grew up in that house! We used to ride bikes in the driveway!”
“That house belongs to me, Audrey. And the people who lived in it are gone,” I replied coldly. “Whether you go to prison for five years or serve probation with community service depends entirely on one thing.”
Audrey sniffled, sitting up straight. “What? What do you want me to do?”
“On the stand tomorrow, during the preliminary injunction hearing, you are going to read a prepared statement detailing every single instance of abuse, financial fraud, and psychological torture Eleanor inflicted on Sophia and Leo,” I said, sliding a folded piece of paper across the table. “No omissions. No protecting Mama’s reputation. If you miss a single detail, I personally ensure the prosecutor throws the book at you right alongside her.”
Audrey stared at the paper as if it were a venomous snake. Slowly, with trembling fingers, she reached out and picked it up.
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“And... and if I read it?” she whispered.
“Then Mr. Harrison will recommend a suspended sentence and mandatory psychological counseling,” I said, standing up and heading toward the door. “Choose wisely, Audrey. It’s the last smart decision you’ll ever get to make.”
