Judge Monroe leaned forward.
“These,” I said calmly, “are from Hale & Ember.”
Victor’s jaw tightened.
Gerald rose.
“Your Honor, relevance—”
Grace was already standing.
“We will establish relevance.”
Victor spoke before his lawyer could stop him.
“That was an accident.”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
“You were helping out.”
“Yes.”
“You weren’t an employee.”
I felt something cold move through me.
There it was.
After all those years, he still believed that sentence could save him.
Judge Monroe looked at me.
“Mrs. Hale, explain.”
I lowered my blouse.
“The burn happened on February 18, 2013.”
Victor stared at me.
He knew the date.
I could tell.
“I was in the kitchen at our original Fulton Street location,” I continued. “A pressure fryer malfunctioned during dinner preparation. The safety valve had been sticking for weeks. I had reported it three times.”
Victor shifted.
“We had scheduled maintenance.”
“No.”
His head snapped toward me.
