Because those photographs weren’t the only evidence I had brought.
I pulled a small black recorder from the inside pocket of my coat.
Daniel’s face changed.
Not much.
Just enough.
His chin tightened.
Vanessa stopped breathing for half a second.
Their attorney noticed.
Curtis Hale immediately stood.
“Your Honor, if Mrs. Vance intends to introduce a recording, we would need to establish admissibility and—”
Judge Mercer raised one hand.
“You’ll have your opportunity, Mr. Hale.”
Then he looked at me.
“This contains conversations recorded inside my own home.”
Daniel leaned toward his attorney.
Whispered something.
Curtis shook his head.
I continued.
“I also brought copies of bank records, property records, medical reports, photographs with original metadata, text messages, and a written timeline covering the last eleven weeks.”
The courtroom had become very quiet.
Daniel looked at me as if he were seeing a stranger.
That almost made me laugh.
