Chapter 19 - The Defense
Margaret’s defense attorney, Victor Hale, was good.
That worried everyone.
He did not argue that Margaret was innocent in every sense.
That would have been impossible.
Instead, he separated each accusation into pieces.
Financial misconduct?
Complex corporate dispute.
Forgery?
Margaret believed she had authority.
The shove?
A reckless act, perhaps, but not attempted murder.
The cut parachute line?
No direct proof Margaret cut it.
The journals?
Angry private writing.
The flight?
Fear of being falsely accused.
Each explanation was weak alone.
Together, Hale hoped they would create doubt.
At a pretrial hearing, he challenged portions of the financial evidence.
Some was admitted.
Some excluded.
Rebecca explained the rulings to Grant.
“Why can’t the jury hear everything?”
“Because criminal trials have evidentiary rules.”
“But it shows who she is.”
“Character isn’t automatically proof of a particular act.”
Grant shook his head.
“The truth is bigger than what the jury hears.”
“Yes.”
That disturbed him.
Then Rebecca added:
“But the evidence they will hear is strong.”
The video.
The audio.
The cut line.
Margaret’s research about parachute failure.
Her call to Lorraine.
The forged trust amendment.
Her words to Caleb.
The journal entry referencing Hailey.
Her flight.
The stolen backpack.
The prosecution had plenty.
Hailey practiced answering questions without guessing.
Her forensic interviewer taught her one rule:
If you do not know, say you do not know.
If you do not remember, say you do not remember.
Never try to help the questioner.
Grant watched one practice session.
“Did you see your grandmother cut the parachute line?” the interviewer asked.
“No.”
“Could someone else have done it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did your grandmother tell you she wanted your trust money?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know she pushed you because of money?”
“I don’t.”
Grant realized how powerful honesty sounded.
Hailey did not need to prove motive.
She only needed to tell what happened.
One evening, Thomas asked if she wanted him in the courtroom when she testified.
“Yes.”
“What about your parents?”
“Yes.”
“Anyone else?”
Hailey thought.
“Owen.”
Thomas was surprised.
“You barely know him.”
“He knows what it feels like when people think Grandma is telling the truth.”
Thomas swallowed.
“I’ll ask.”
Owen agreed.
The morning before trial, Margaret made one final attempt to control Grant.
Her attorney delivered an offer.
Margaret would plead guilty to several financial felonies and reckless endangerment if prosecutors dropped attempted murder.
She would accept a substantial prison sentence.
But she wanted Grant to publicly state that he believed she never intended to kill Hailey.
Grant stared at Hale.
“No.”
“This could spare Hailey from testifying.”
“No.”
“Mr. Mercer, your mother is offering decades of incarceration.”
“In exchange for controlling the story.”
Hale remained calm.
“She wants her son to acknowledge nuance.”
Grant leaned forward.
“She told my daughter she would push her.”
He counted each fact.
“She researched parachute failure.”
“She asked what happens when a steering line breaks.”
“The line was cut.”
“She took Hailey to the cliff without an instructor.”
“She pushed her.”
“She looked down.”
“She smiled.”
“Then she called Caleb and said it was done.”
Grant’s eyes hardened.
“You want nuance?”
He shook his head.
“My daughter survived attempted murder.”
Hale stood.
“I’ll convey your answer.”
“Make it short.”
“What should I say?”
Grant looked at him.
“Tell her no.”
The plea failed.
Trial would proceed.
That evening, Grant finally told Hailey about the offer.
“She said she’d admit some things if I said she didn’t mean to kill you.”
Hailey stared at him.
“What did you say?”
“No.”
Hailey’s shoulders relaxed.
Grant noticed.
That mattered more than he expected.
“Were you scared I might say yes?”
Hailey looked down.
“A little.”
Grant crouched.
“Never again.”
She met his eyes.
“What?”
“I spent too many years letting your grandmother tell me what reality looked like.”
His voice cracked.
“She doesn’t get to do that anymore.”
Hailey nodded.
Then asked:
“Do I still have to testify?”
“Probably.”
She took a breath.
“Okay.”
The night before court, she packed a small object into her bag.
The cracked helmet camera.
It was no longer needed as evidence physically; investigators had preserved forensic copies and returned certain personal items under agreement.
Elise saw it.
“You sure you want that?”
Hailey touched the damaged casing.
“No.”
“Then why take it?”
Hailey looked at her mother.
May you like
“Because I want to remember that it kept recording.”
The truth, even cracked and falling, had survived.
