“Look,” I said.
My father refused to look at me.
“She is clearly there.”
“It was still an accident.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t.”
“Then what are you trying to prove?”
“That Briana lied.”
Briana’s face hardened.
“I was confused.”
“You said you never saw her.”
“I was in shock.”
“You also said she shouldn’t have been standing there.”
“She was in the way.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she knew what she had done.
My mother closed her eyes.
Mr.
Brennan went completely still.
I stared at my sister.
“In the way of what?”
Briana shook her head.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then tell me what you meant.”
“I was trying to park.”
“And Chloe was already there.”
“She’s a child, Lindsay.
Children don’t pay attention.”
“She looked up at you.”
“You don’t know what I saw.”
“The recording shows your car slowing almost to a stop.”
“I was turning.”
“You slowed after you turned.”
My father finally raised his voice.
“That is enough!”
People at the far end of the waiting room looked over.
For once, I did not feel embarrassed.
I had spent most of my life being trained to fear witnesses because witnesses made family conflict shameful.
Now I understood their real value.
Witnesses made rewriting harder.
Mr.
Brennan quietly saved a second copy of the recording.
I watched him do it.
Then I sent a copy to myself and another to Marcus.
Briana saw the transfer happen.
Her expression changed again.
“You sent that to Marcus?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because Chloe is his daughter.”
She actually looked offended.
My mother came close to me.
“Think very carefully about what you’re doing.
Briana made a terrible mistake.
Do you really want one awful afternoon to destroy this family?”
I looked at her for several seconds.
Then I understood that she was asking the wrong daughter that question.
“I’m not destroying anything.”
