Chapter 7 - THE REVELATION OF THE TRAPAssistant District Attorney Sarah Jenkins stood up slowly. She didn't look flustered at all. In fact, a faint, dangerous smile played on her lips as she walked toward the witness stand holding a small manila envelope.
"Dr. Thorne," Ms. Jenkins began smoothly. "You claim you held a consultation with Maya Vance three weeks before she gave birth—specifically on December 10th at your private clinic in Manhattan. Is that correct?"
"That is correct," Thorne answered, puffing out his chest. "It was an emergency home-visit consultation arranged by Mrs. Eleanor Vance."
"Fascinating," Ms. Jenkins said. She opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of documents along with a flash drive. "Your Honor, I submit State’s Exhibit D: certified flight manifests, passport stamps, and international hotel receipts."
She turned back to Thorne, her eyes locking onto his like a hawk.
"Dr. Thorne, on December 10th, where was Maya Vance?"
Thorne blinked, a slight crack appearing in his calm demeanor. "As I stated, she was at her residence in New York."
"Really?" Ms. Jenkins held up a document. "Because according to United Airlines records, U.S. Customs, and the Grand Hotel Zurich, Maya Vance was in Zurich, Switzerland, accompanying her husband on a corporate trip from December 5th to December 18th!"
The entire courtroom went dead silent.
"In fact," Ms. Jenkins continued, her voice rising with power, "we have verified hotel security footage showing Mrs. Vance dining in Zurich on the exact day and time you claimed you were diagnosing her with 'psychosis' in Manhattan!"
Thorne’s face turned bright red. "I... I may have confused the date—"
"Let’s talk about another date, Dr. Thorne," Ms. Jenkins interrupted sharply. She slid a bank transfer statement onto the witness podium. "Let’s talk about December 28th—three days before New Year’s Eve. A wire transfer of $45,000 was made from a shell company registered in the Cayman Islands directly into your offshore account in Nassau."
Eleanor froze in her chair.
"Who owns that Cayman Islands shell company, Dr. Thorne?" Ms. Jenkins demanded, stepping right up to the witness box. "Should I read the incorporation documents? The owner is Mr. Richard Sterling—the defense attorney sitting right over there!"
"Objection!" Defense Attorney Sterling screamed, jumping out of his chair, his face slick with sweat. "Your Honor, this is outrageous! Irrelevant!"
"OVERRULED!" Judge Reyes slammed his gavel, his eyes burning with fury. "Sit down, Mr. Sterling! Witness, answer the question!"
Dr. Thorne was trembling violently now. "I... I was paid to write the report... Eleanor Vance promised me another $50,000 once the legal guardianship of the child was transferred to her..."
The courtroom burst into absolute chaos.
Judges, bailiffs, and spectators were shouting. Eleanor turned on her own attorney, grabbing him by the collar in a frantic rage. "You idiot! You said they’d never track the offshore account!"
"Order! ORDER IN THIS COURT!" Judge Reyes roared, hammering his gavel repeatedly.
When the room finally quieted down, Judge Reyes turned to the court officers with cold, terrifying authority.
"Remand Dr. Aris Thorne into custody immediately for perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy," the judge ordered. "As for Defense Attorney Richard Sterling, he is immediately removed from this case, disbarred pending formal proceedings, and held in contempt of court. Officers, arrest him!"
May you like
Two officers stepped forward and cuffed the defense lawyer right at his table, leading him away alongside the disgraced doctor.
Eleanor and Chloe sat at the defense table, completely abandoned, utterly exposed, and entirely ruined.
