“Mr. Parker was attending to urgent business matters out of town,” Sterling said, not blinking. “He returned as soon as he was notified.”

“Is that so?” Victoria smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

She picked up a black flash drive from our table and held it up.

“Your Honor, we have submitted a digital exhibit to the clerk, along with certified phone logs from the night of the birth.”

Judge Vance nodded to the clerk, who plugged the drive into the court system.

The small monitor on the judge’s bench flickered to life.

A matching monitor on the wall turned on, showing a high-definition video.

It was Ryan.

He was standing on a balcony in Aspen, the snow-covered mountains visible behind him under a dark night sky.

He was holding a crystal glass filled with amber liquid, his arm draped around a young woman in a sequined dress.

“To the good life!” Ryan shouted in the video, his laughter loud and slurred. “No responsibilities, no rules!”

The video played on a loop for ten seconds before Victoria paused it.