Chapter 16 - The Witness Who Couldn't Remember
The witness was my mother's neighbor, Carol Benton.
She had known our family for twenty years and frequently helped Kate with errands.
According to the statement Ryan's attorney circulated, Carol had seen me handle Paige roughly outside a grocery store on Thursday.
There was one immediate problem.
I had not gone to a grocery store Thursday.
I had been working at the office until late afternoon, then met Kate outside my apartment.
Rebecca obtained work-entry records, a parking receipt, and a statement from my colleague.
Jonah's camera also placed Paige outside my doorway at the time I said.
When investigators interviewed Carol, she acknowledged she might have confused Thursday with another day.
Then she admitted she had not seen Paige clearly.
Finally, she said my mother had told her the date.
The entire accusation collapsed under ordinary questions.
I felt no triumph.
It was terrifying how easily someone could become a witness to a story that had never happened.
That afternoon, Kate asked through her attorney to send me a letter.
Rebecca read it first.
Kate wrote that she had spent years believing Ryan was always one bad day away from becoming the man he used to be.
She wrote that she'd learned to apologize before anyone asked what had happened.
She wrote that she'd lied because Ryan promised he would take Paige away if she spoke.
But near the end she made an admission I couldn't ignore.
I knew the moment I dropped her off that her leg was worse than he said.
I was hoping you would do what I couldn't.
I reread that line until the page blurred.
Kate had trusted me to seek help while sacrificing me as the explanation.
She had treated my love as a resource she could spend without asking.
The letter ended with a request for forgiveness.
I placed it in a drawer.
I wasn't ready.
Then Brooks called.
"We recovered additional data from the nursery phone," he said.
"What kind of data?"
"A deleted video fragment."
He paused.
May you like
"It may show more than the ceiling."
