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Sarah took a deep breath.
“She told me the man in the passenger seat was her husband. Vanessa said they’d been arguing while she was driving, and they crashed when she lost control.”
I could hear George whisper, “What?”
“She kept saying she couldn’t lose her kids,” Sarah said softly. “She said that if her husband survived, he would blame her and take the children.”
Vanessa shook her head. “None of this happened!”
“Vanessa said they’d been arguing.”
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Sarah looked directly at her. “You begged me to help you move him into the driver’s seat. You said it would look like he caused the crash.”
The courtroom gasped.
Jeffrey covered his mouth in shock.
The judge’s expression hardened.
“Is that true?” he asked Vanessa.
“Of course not!” she cried. “This woman is making it up!”
“You begged me to help you.”
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Sarah turned back to the judge.
“I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I was young and stupid, and I thought it wasn’t my place to interfere.”
Her voice shook with regret. “But the man was still alive.”
Sarah continued. “He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. That’s why he got hurt the most.”
Jeffrey whispered, “Dad…”
“Vanessa kept saying she couldn’t let him blame her,” Sarah said.
“But the man was still alive.”
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Vanessa looked fearful. “There’s no proof of this!”
The judge turned to Sarah.
That’s when I spoke up. “Yes, Your Honor. We actually do.”
Sarah reached into her purse and pulled out her phone.
“When I first walked up to the car, I took a photo,” she said. “You know, for social media and stuff.”
Vanessa froze.
“There’s no proof of this!”
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Sarah handed the phone to my lawyer, who passed it to the judge.
The judge studied the image, and then his expression changed.
“The photo shows David injured in the passenger seat while Vanessa stands outside the driver’s door looking panicked.”
Vanessa’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Gasps rippled through the room.
The judge studied the image.
