Chapter 8: The Deposition
Chapter 8: The Deposition
The civil suit moved faster than the criminal case.
We had Preston in a deposition room downtown. It was the first time I had seen him since the wedding.
He looked terrible.
His golden-boy aura was gone. He looked sleep-deprived, pale, and much older than his thirty-two years. His expensive suit hung slightly loose on his frame. My parents sat behind him, looking equally haggard.
Marcus sat beside me, calm and collected.
Preston’s lawyer, a sweaty, nervous-looking man, cleared his throat. “My client asserts that he was suffering from acute emotional distress and a momentary lapse in judgment.”
Marcus didn't even look at the lawyer. He locked eyes with Preston.
“Mr. Whitmore. Did you, or did you not, place your cellular device in the pocket of a minor child?”
“I… I don't recall exactly,” Preston stammered.
Marcus slid a still frame from the video across the table. It showed Preston’s hand explicitly dropping the phone into the denim pocket.
“Does this refresh your recollection?”
Preston swallowed hard. He looked at his father. My father looked away.
“Yes,” Preston whispered.
“Speak up for the court reporter,” Marcus demanded.
“Yes!” Preston snapped, a flash of his old arrogance breaking through. “I put it there! She was annoying me. She was being a brat, eating her cake, making noise. I just wanted to scare her a little.”
I felt sick to my stomach. Making noise? She had been whispering that the bride looked like a princess.
“So you framed an eight-year-old for a felony to 'scare her',” Marcus said flatly. “And when her mother intervened, you decided to bludgeon the child with a solid wood sign. Is that correct?”
“It slipped!” Preston yelled, slamming his hand on the table. “I was angry at Evelyn! She never respected me! I just wanted to smash the table. It slipped!”
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Marcus closed his folder.
“Thank you, Mr. Whitmore. You just admitted on the record to premeditated framing and reckless endangerment. We’re done here.”
