Chapter 8 - The Rejected Settlement
Late Tuesday evening, my phone rang while Francine and I were reviewing financial asset disclosures at the kitchen island.
It wasn't Dustin. It was Harrison, Judith and Dustin’s lead defense attorney.
I looked at the caller ID, then raised an eyebrow at Francine.
"Put it on speaker," Francine instructed quietly.
I tapped the screen and accepted the call. "This is Elizabeth Carter."
"Mrs. Carter," Harrison’s voice came through, sounding significantly less confident than he had during the deposition. "I’m calling on behalf of my clients to propose an immediate, out-of-court settlement before our scheduled final hearing on Friday."
I kept my voice neutral. "I'm listening."
"Mr. Carter and his mother are prepared to offer a comprehensive custody split," Harrison said quickly. "Joint legal custody, fifty-fifty physical division of the minor child on a alternating weekly schedule, and all past protective orders and domestic allegations dropped with prejudice on both sides. No financial alimony claims, and all property division settled as-is."
Francine shook her head violently, mouthing the word No with absolute conviction.
I took a deep breath, letting the silence stretch for three seconds before answering.
"Fifty-fifty custody?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm. "Let me make sure I understand your proposal, Mr. Harrison. You want me to send my eight-year-old daughter—who was physically assaulted, chemically or mechanically sheared, locked out of her own home, and subjected to systematic psychological surveillance—back into a house where her father watched it happen and called it discipline?"
"Mrs. Carter, litigation of this nature is devastating for a child—"
"My daughter is currently planting flowers in our garden and smiling for the first time in months," I interrupted, my voice hardening into steel. "She is safe. She is protected. And your clients are facing felony child endangerment charges and permanent legal exclusion from her life."
"If you proceed to trial, we will fight you on every asset, drag this out for years, and make your life a living hell in the local press," Harrison warned, dropping the polite negotiator facade.
"Go ahead and fight," I replied evenly. "Because we have four hundred hours of high-definition video footage documenting every single second of abuse your clients inflicted under our roof. Tell Dustin and his mother I'll see them in front of Judge Alvarez on Friday morning."
May you like
I tapped the red end-call button and dropped the phone onto the kitchen counter.
Francine reached across the island and squeezed my hand. "That was the best phone call you’ve ever made, Em. They're terrified. They know they've lost."
