“Mr. Vance,” she said, looking at the plastic bag.

“Does this drive contain the footage from the afternoon of the assault?”

“It does, Your Honor,” Vance said.

“It contains the complete, unedited high-definition recording of the events in the kitchen.”

“It also contains the footage of the hours leading up to the incident.”

Harris shook his head, his face reddening.

“This is late disclosure, Your Honor,” Harris said.

“My client has already testified that the camera system was destroyed in the kitchen fire.”

“The defendant lied under oath, Mr. Harris,” the judge said, her voice cold.

She looked at the bailiff.

“Bring the media cart in,” she ordered.

“We will recess for fifteen minutes while the state connects the drive to the courtroom monitor.”

The judge struck her gavel once.

The sharp sound made Margaret flinch.

I sat perfectly still in the second row of the gallery.

My hands were folded in my lap, my fingers pressing against the fabric of my trousers.

Across the aisle, Ethan turned his head slowly.

His eyes met mine.

The confident, arrogant look he had worn all morning was gone.