Chapter 7 - The Reckoning
The deposition took place two weeks later in a glass-walled conference room on the ninth floor of the county courthouse.
Sabrina sat at the end of the table, flanked by a cheap, slick-haired civil attorney she had hired on contingency. She was wearing a conservative navy suit, minimal makeup, and a soft, pitiful expression designed to project the image of an innocent victim crushed by a powerful family.
Across from her sat Arthur Vance—who had officially come out of retirement to act as my lead counsel—along with Matthew, myself, and an assistant district attorney named Sarah Jenkins.
Sabrina’s lawyer opened his folder with an arrogant flourish. "We are here today to discuss a reasonable settlement regarding my client’s traumatic experience at the Hayes residence, as well as the equitable division of the condo property—"
"Save your breath, Counselor," Arthur interrupted smoothly, placing a single thumb drive on the polished mahogany table.
Sabrina’s lawyer frowned. "What is that?"
"That, sir," Arthur said, "is a high-definition video and audio recording from the living room of Dorothy Hayes on the afternoon of Friday, October 14th."
Sabrina’s face paled slightly, but her lawyer scoffed. "A recording? My client was the victim of an unprovoked verbal and physical assault by an elderly woman suffering from mental decline—"
"Let's watch it together, shall we?" Arthur suggested calmly.
Arthur plugged the drive into the conference room projector. He hit play.
The large screen on the wall lit up. The audio filled the room, crisp and unmistakable.
Sabrina’s voice echoed off the glass walls: “Get on your knees and wipe my shoes. Actually, rub my feet too. Maybe that will teach you where you stand.”
On the screen, everyone watched as seventy-eight-year-old Dorothy Hayes lowered herself onto her knees in front of a smirking Sabrina Sterling.
Sabrina’s attorney froze. His eyes widened in utter horror. He looked from the screen to his client, his mouth slightly open.
"Sabrina..." her lawyer whispered, his voice cracking with shock. "What... what is this?"
Sabrina sat paralyzed, her face drained of all color, her hands clutched so tightly in her lap that her knuckles turned white. "It... it's a fake! They fabricated it! They used AI or something!"
"It was uploaded directly to an encrypted cloud server at 2:15 PM on October 14th, Miss Kowalski," Assistant DA Sarah Jenkins spoke up, her voice as cold as steel. "The digital forensic unit has already verified its authenticity, timestamp, and metadata."
Sarah Jenkins pulled a pair of heavy documents from her briefcase and slid them across the table.
"Sabrina Kowalski," Sarah Jenkins announced, "you are hereby served with a criminal indictment for Felony Elder Abuse, Filing a False Police Report, Perjury, and Attempted Extortion."
Sabrina’s lawyer immediately closed his folder, took a step back from his client, and held up his hands. "I... I was not aware of this evidence. I am withdrawing as counsel immediately."
"You can't leave me!" Sabrina shrieked, jumping out of her chair, her professional mask completely disintegrating into hysterical panic. "Richard! You're my lawyer!"
"I am a civil attorney, Miss Kowalski," he said nervously, backing toward the door. "You need a criminal defense attorney. And a miracle."
The door to the conference room opened, and two uniformed county sheriff’s deputies stepped inside.
"Sabrina Kowalski," the deputy said, walking up behind her chair. "Put your hands behind your back."
"No! Matthew! Tell them!" Sabrina screamed, looking at Matthew with wild, frantic eyes, tears streaming down her face as the cold steel handcuffs clicked around her wrists. "Matthew! I love you! I was just stressed! Please! Don't let them do this to me! Matthew!"
Matthew sat in his chair, his arms crossed, looking at her with a quiet, unshakeable calm. He didn't flinch. He didn't blink.
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"You told my mother she was going to learn where she stands, Sabrina," Matthew said softly as the deputies turned her toward the door. "Now you're going to learn where you stand."
As Sabrina was led out of the glass conference room, kicking, screaming, and sobbing in front of dozens of court workers and attorneys, the heavy glass door swung shut behind her, cutting off her cries forever.
