Chapter 5 - The Deposition
The formal legal war escalated rapidly over the next month. Brendan’s arrest for violating the protective order gave us absolute leverage in the divorce and custody proceedings. He spent three days in county jail before his parents managed to scrape together enough bail money by selling Brenda’s beloved jewelry.
By December, we were sitting in a high-rise law office for the formal depositions.
On one side of the mahogany table sat Brenda, Arthur, Brendan, and their court-appointed attorney—a overwhelmed young man who looked like he regretted taking the case. On our side sat Sarah Jenkins, myself, and the court-appointed Guardian ad Litem who had been assigned to represent Evelyn's best interests.
Brenda sat puffed up like an angry toad, her arms crossed tight over her chest, wearing a outdated dress and glaring at me with pure, unadulterated venom.
"Mrs. Hayes," Sarah began, directing her attention to Brenda. "Let us establish the financial history of the residence at 412 Elmwood Drive. Who made the down payment on that property?"
Brenda huffed. "Rachel did. But it was a gift to the family!"
"There is no gift deed," Sarah noted, turning a page. "And who made every single mortgage payment from January through October of this year?"
"Rachel paid it out of the joint account," Brenda spat. "Which belonged to my son as well!"
"A joint account into which Mr. Brendan Hayes deposited a total of zero dollars over ten months," Sarah corrected smoothly. "Now, let us address the events of October 12th. You took your granddaughter, Amanda, to Six Flags. You left nine-year-old Evelyn home alone. Is that correct?"
"She was being punished!" Brenda snapped, leaning forward, her knuckles white. "That girl is manipulative! She deliberately knocked over Amanda's expensive art set! She was spoiled, disrespectful, and needed to learn humility! I gave her simple household tasks to teach her responsibility!"
"Mrs. Hayes," the Guardian ad Litem, a sharp woman named Ms. Vance, interrupted. "Did you lock the deadbolts from the outside when you left?"
Brenda hesitated. "I... I locked the door to keep her safe!"
"You locked a nine-year-old child inside a house with no key to exit in the event of a fire," Ms. Vance said, her voice dropping into a register of terrifying chill. "Do you realize that constitutes false imprisonment under state law?"
"She had a phone!" Brenda screeched. "She could have called us!"
"Her phone was confiscated and found in your nightstand drawer by the police," Sarah pointed out, placing a photo of the seized item on the table.
Brenda’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She looked frantically at her son, but Brendan was staring at his hands, completely broken.
"Furthermore," Sarah continued, pulling out a thick stack of financial bank records, "we have completed a forensic audit of the account my client funded. It appears that over the course of eight months, over $14,000 was transferred from the household account directly into your personal savings account, Mrs. Hayes. You were funneling my client's hard-earned money into your private funds while treating her daughter like unpaid help."
Arthur, Brenda’s husband, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly turned to his wife, his face pale. "Brenda? What is she talking about? You said that money was from Brendan's severance package!"
"Shut up, Arthur!" Brenda barked, her composure completely shattering. "I was securing our family's future! This woman was trying to control us with her money! She thought she was better than us just because she had a corporate job!"
She stood up, pointing a trembling, manicured finger at me. "You ruined everything! My son loved you! We gave you a home! And you destroyed us because of a little girl who isn't even smart enough to keep a kitchen clean!"
The room went dead silent.
The Guardian ad Litem lowered her pen, looked directly at Brenda, and made a lengthy note in her file.
May you like
"Thank you, Mrs. Hayes," Ms. Vance said quietly. "You have provided this court with all the clarity it needs regarding the home environment you created for Evelyn."
Brenda looked around the room, suddenly realizing what she had just done. She looked at her lawyer, who simply closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, knowing the case was entirely lost.
