CHAPTER 5: THE CHRISTMAS HEARING
CHAPTER 5: THE CHRISTMAS HEARING
The moment Patricia Wells stepped out of the black SUV, Lucy stopped breathing.
Not literally.
But close enough that Thomas noticed.
Her shoulders locked.
Her hands curled into fists.
Every trace of color drained from her face.
Lily instinctively moved behind her sister, exactly as she had outside Bailey's Coffee.
Thomas understood then.
This wasn't simply fear.
It was conditioning.
Years of it.
"Stay inside," Thomas said quietly.
He walked to the front porch before Patricia could reach the door.
She smiled as though they were neighbors meeting for coffee.
She was impeccably dressed in a cream-colored coat, pearl earrings, and polished leather boots.
Everything about her projected respectability.
Only her eyes were cold.
"So," she said pleasantly, "you're Mr. Grayson."
"I am."
"Thank you for keeping my nieces warm."
She smiled wider.
"I'll take them now."
"No."
Her smile didn't disappear.
It simply became thinner.
"I don't think you understand how custody works."
"I understand enough."
"They're under emergency CPS protection."
Patricia gave a small, theatrical sigh.
"You've been lied to."
"They're imaginative children."
"They've always told stories."
Thomas folded his arms.
"Children don't invent burn scars."
For the first time, something flickered across her face.
Not guilt.
Calculation.
"You'd be surprised what children do for attention."
Behind Thomas, the front door opened.
Catherine stepped onto the porch.
"You should leave."
Patricia laughed.
"Catherine."
"I wondered how long it would take before you crawled back into this."
"You stay away from those girls."
"They're exactly where Rebecca wanted them."
Patricia's smile vanished.
"Don't you dare speak for my sister."
"I don't have to."
Catherine's voice was steady.
"Rebecca already did."
For the briefest moment, Patricia looked unsettled.
Then she turned, climbed back into her SUV, and drove away without another word.
Thomas watched the taillights disappear.
"That was too easy."
Catherine nodded grimly.
"Because she already has another plan."
The next morning—Christmas Day—Lakeside's courthouse opened for an emergency hearing.
The old brick building had been closed for the holiday until a judge agreed to hear the case because children were involved.
Inside, the courtroom was nearly empty.
Only those directly connected had been allowed to attend.
Thomas sat beside Catherine.
Across the aisle sat Patricia.
She looked perfectly composed.
Her attorney arranged neat stacks of paperwork.
She even smiled sympathetically at everyone who entered.
If Thomas hadn't met Lucy and Lily...
He might have believed her too.
Judge Eleanor Briggs entered promptly at nine.
"This emergency hearing is now in session."
Everyone rose.
Then sat.
Melissa Harper from CPS summarized the case.
"Your Honor, due to allegations of physical abuse and neglect, we requested temporary removal of the children pending investigation."
Patricia's attorney stood.
"My client categorically denies every allegation."
"They are the inventions of frightened children manipulated by a stranger."
He gestured toward Thomas.
"My client has devoted two years to raising these girls after their mother's tragic death."
Thomas remained silent.
The attorney continued.
"Mr. Grayson has known these children for less than twenty-four hours."
Judge Briggs nodded.
"Understood."
Then she turned to Melissa.
"What physical evidence do you currently possess?"
Melissa placed photographs into evidence.
Bruises.
Burn marks.
Medical observations from the overnight examination.
The courtroom grew quieter.
Patricia never flinched.
Instead, her attorney calmly responded.
"The children are active."
"They bruise easily."
"As for the burn..."
He shrugged.
"A childhood accident."
Then Patricia herself took the stand.
She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
"I loved my sister."
"My whole world changed when she died."
"I sacrificed everything to raise her daughters."
Her voice cracked convincingly.
"They've struggled emotionally."
"They often blame me because I have to discipline them."
Several people in the courtroom looked sympathetic.
Thomas felt sick.
She had rehearsed every word.
Then the judge looked toward the twins.
"Lucy."
"Lily."
"You don't have to testify unless you're comfortable."
Lucy slowly stood.
"I want to."
Thomas's heart pounded.
The eight-year-old walked to the witness chair.
She looked impossibly small.
The bailiff adjusted the microphone.
Judge Briggs smiled gently.
"Take your time."
Lucy nodded.
She answered every question quietly.
Clearly.
Without exaggeration.
When asked whether Patricia had ever struck her...
She answered yes.
When asked how often...
She answered,
"I stopped counting."
Patricia looked down sadly, as though disappointed by the lies.
Then came the difficult question.
"Lucy..."
"Did your aunt ever intentionally burn you?"
The courtroom held its breath.
Lucy looked at Patricia.
Immediately, she fell silent.
Her breathing quickened.
Thomas recognized the terror.
Patricia wasn't speaking.
She didn't need to.
Years of fear spoke for her.
Judge Briggs noticed.
"It's okay."
"You don't have to look at her."
Lucy slowly turned toward the judge.
Then, with shaking fingers, she pulled back the collar of her sweater.
The circular scar became visible.
"I forgot to dust the fireplace."
No one moved.
"My aunt heated the poker."
Patricia suddenly stood.
"She's lying!"
Judge Briggs struck the gavel.
"Sit down, Ms. Wells."
Patricia sat.
But for the first time...
She looked rattled.
Then something unexpected happened.
Lily stood.
"I want to tell too."
She climbed into the witness chair.
At first she whispered so softly no one could hear.
The judge asked if she needed a break.
Lily shook her head.
Then she reached into the pocket of her borrowed sweater.
She removed a tiny object wrapped in tissue.
"I kept it."
Melissa frowned.
"What is that?"
Lily carefully unfolded the paper.
Inside was a small brass button.
Burned black around the edges.
Patricia's eyes widened.
"It fell off."
Lily's voice trembled.
"The poker hit my coat."
"The button came off."
"I hid it."
Deputy Collins immediately accepted the evidence.
The button smelled faintly of soot even now.
Patricia's attorney paled.
Melissa stood again.
"Your Honor..."
"The burn pattern on the child's scar is consistent with a rounded metal object."
She pointed toward the button.
"This evidence supports the child's statement."
Patricia whispered furiously to her attorney.
He no longer looked confident.
Then Catherine stood.
"I have something else."
She carried Rebecca's folder to the witness stand.
"Rebecca left this with me."
Patricia immediately objected.
"Hearsay."
But the judge examined the documents carefully.
Among them were emails.
Calendar appointments.
Notes documenting Rebecca's attempts to change guardianship.
One handwritten journal entry caught the judge's attention.
Rebecca had written:
"If anything happens to me before I fix this, Patricia will pretend she wanted the girls. She wants what they inherit—not who they are."
The courtroom fell silent.
Patricia's face lost all color.
Her attorney slowly closed his briefcase.
He leaned toward her.
Whispered something.
Patricia shook her head violently.
"No."
He whispered again.
This time longer.
Finally...
He stood.
"Your Honor..."
"My client requests a brief recess."
Judge Briggs studied him.
"For what purpose?"
He hesitated.
"To discuss... new information."
The judge nodded.
"Ten minutes."
As everyone rose, Thomas watched Patricia storm into the hallway.
Her carefully crafted mask had cracked.
For the first time since he'd met her...
She looked afraid.
May you like
And Thomas had the unmistakable feeling that the hearing was no longer about whether Lucy and Lily would be protected.
It was about what else Patricia had spent two years desperately trying to keep buried.
