Chapter 13 - The Case Finally Reaches Court
Fourteen months later, Stephen Cole accepted a plea agreement.
His testimony changed the case.
He admitted altering Laura’s medication.
He claimed he intended to make her ill enough to discredit her, not kill
her.
The dosage became dangerous.
Laura collapsed.
Instead of calling emergency services immediately, Stephen panicked.
Rebecca arrived.
They waited.
Those lost minutes mattered.
Rebecca still denied knowing Stephen had changed the dosage beforehand.
Prosecutors had evidence she participated in the cover-up, financial
fraud, evidence destruction, and the later scheme involving Richard.
The court would decide the legal consequences.
Richard did not attend every hearing.
He refused to make the trial the center of Ethan’s childhood.
Laura deserved justice.
Ethan deserved a life.
The distinction became important.
One afternoon, Richard took Ethan to the park.
Ethan carried a new camera.
Richard noticed.
“You still like taking videos?”
Ethan nodded.
Then he looked uncertain.
“Is it bad?”
“No.”
“Rebecca got mad.”
“Rebecca was afraid of what you recorded.”
Ethan thought about that.
“So cameras aren’t bad?”
Richard smiled.
“No, buddy.”
Ethan pointed the camera at him.
“Say something.”
Richard laughed.
“What?”
“Anything.”
Richard looked into the lens.
“I love you.”
Ethan grinned.
May you like
This time, the camera captured something worth keeping for a different
reason.
