Chapter 6 - WHAT LILY ACTUALLY WROTE
Rebecca did not ask Lily another question that day.
The court appointed attorney Maya Chen solely for Lily after Sarah obtained separate counsel.
A different lawyer, Rachel Kim, took over Sarah's representation.
That separation mattered.
Lily needed one adult in the case whose client was Lily and nobody else.
Three days later, Maya brought school records under seal.
No Lily.
No Vanessa.
No Sarah.
Adults only.
One worksheet had been completed eight months after the crash.
Prompt:
When I think about my mom, I feel...
Lily wrote:
mad because she left me in the car
Then below:
scared she will leave again
Another page:
Aunt V says Mom chose drinking over us.
Another:
I miss Mom but don't tell Aunt V because she gets quiet.
Rebecca sat back.
There it was.
Lily's actual voice.
Not clean.
Not useful to either side.
Mad.
Scared.
Missing her mother.
Protecting her aunt's feelings.
The forged courtroom statement had taken pieces from these pages.
Mom left me.
I want to stay here.
Then turned them into certainty.
Maya said:
“The child was never uncertain about loving both women. The adults needed her to be.”
Vanessa's attorney looked sick.
She asked for a recess.
Then, on the record, she stated:
“Ms. Carter provided the statement to my office and represented that Lily had written it voluntarily.”
Rebecca looked at Vanessa.
“Is that accurate?”
Vanessa answered:
“Yes.”
“Did your attorney ever meet Lily privately about the statement?”
“No.”
The lawyer turned toward Vanessa.
“You told me the school counselor had helped Lily write it.”
Vanessa said nothing.
That ended the attorney-client relationship quickly.
The lawyer requested permission to withdraw from sponsoring the document and later, after securing substitute counsel, from the case entirely.
No dramatic betrayal.
Professional necessity.
Then the school counselor testified.
She had never helped Lily prepare a custody statement.
She had warned Vanessa twice not to ask Lily to write letters about where she wanted to live.
Why?
Because Lily had begun trying to say whatever kept whichever adult she was with from becoming upset.
Vanessa's new lawyer asked:
“Did Ms. Carter ever tell Lily to lie?”
The counselor answered:
“Not in my presence.”
Important.
“Did Ms. Carter care for Lily appropriately?”
“Yes.”
“Did Lily appear bonded to her?”
“Very.”
“Did Lily fear returning immediately to her mother?”
“Yes.”
There.
Vanessa had real evidence.
She had not needed to fabricate any.
Rebecca looked at her.
That was what made it harder to understand.
Then Maya produced the torn statement's reconstructed scan.
The metadata embedded in the PDF Vanessa had emailed her former lawyer remained intact.
Author field:
VCARTER-HOME
Creation software:
A common PDF editor.
Created at 11:38 p.m.
Two nights before court.
Vanessa's house.
Her computer.
May you like
Rebecca did not need to ask whether she had access anymore.
She needed to ask what exactly Vanessa had done.
