Chapter 16
Chapter 16: The Deposition
Two weeks later, we met in a gray, sterile conference room for the mandatory legal depositions. Robert, Janet, and Sabrina sat on one side of the long table, accompanied by a public defender who looked incredibly overwhelmed. Marcus Thorne and I sat on the other side.
Janet refused to look at me, staring intently at the wall. Robert looked broken, his shoulders slumped. Sabrina looked terrified.
Marcus began the questioning, focusing first on Janet. "Mrs. Davis, please identify the signature on this bank authorization form dated October 14th."
Janet swallowed hard. "It’s my signature."
"And the signature next to yours, purporting to be Claire Davis? Did you witness Claire sign this document?"
Janet looked at her lawyer, who subtly shook his head. "No," she whispered.
"Louder for the record, please," Marcus demanded.
"No," Janet said, her voice trembling. "I signed her name."
"And why did you do that, Mrs. Davis?"
"Because we needed the money!" Robert burst out, unable to contain himself. "My business was failing! Sabrina needed tuition for Carter! Claire has a good job, she could always save more! We did what we had to do to keep this family afloat!"
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"Thank you, Mr. Davis," Marcus said calmly, turning on his tape recorder. "You have just confessed to bank fraud, forgery, and conspiracy on the record. We are finished here."
The look of absolute horror on their lawyer’s face was priceless. Robert had just destroyed any chance of a defense strategy in a single, arrogant outburst.
