Chapter 1 - The Finger of Blame
The boy’s small finger remained locked in the air.
It pointed directly at the front row of the gallery.
A woman in a flawless crimson designer suit sat frozen.
Her name was Victoria Sterling.
She was the boy’s stepmother.
The color instantly drained from her perfectly contoured face.
The entire courtroom erupted into total chaos.
Reporters scrambled over the wooden benches to get a better view.
Cameras flashed, violating the strict rules of the court.
The judge slammed his wooden gavel down with furious force.
“Order!” the judge bellowed.
“I will have order in my courtroom immediately!”
But nobody was listening to the judge.
Every single pair of eyes was glued to Victoria.
The older man in the dark suit released the boy’s arm in sheer shock.
His name was Richard, the boy’s uncle.
Richard stared at Victoria with his mouth hanging slightly open.
Victoria slowly stood up, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt.
She forced a tight, condescending smile onto her lips.
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” she announced to the room.
Her voice was cold, echoing off the high ceiling.
“The child is clearly deeply traumatized.”
“He doesn’t know what he is saying!” she added sharply.
The boy stood his ground, clenching his fists at his sides.
“I know exactly what I saw!” the boy screamed back.
“You were in the hallway that night!”
“You had the glass in your hand!”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
“Judge, are you going to allow a child to make a mockery of this trial?” she demanded.
The judge pointed his gavel straight at Victoria.
“Sit down, Mrs. Sterling,” the judge warned.
He then turned his attention back to the trembling child.
“What is your name, son?” the judge asked gently.
“My name is Leo,” the boy answered, his voice shaking.
“Well, Leo, that is a very serious accusation you just made,” the judge said.
The maid in the center of the room fell to her knees.
She buried her face in her hands, weeping loudly.
“Leo, please stop,” she cried out between heavy sobs.
“They will hurt you too.”
Leo looked down at the maid, his eyes filled with fierce determination.
“I won’t let them send you to prison, Maria,” Leo promised her.
He looked back up at the judge.
“Maria hid me in the closet when she heard the glass break.”
“She told me not to make a sound.”
“But I peeked through the wooden slats of the door.”
The courtroom fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“I saw Victoria holding the poisoned glass,” Leo declared clearly.
Victoria let out a loud, mocking laugh.
“This is a pathetic fairy tale fabricated by a guilty maid!” Victoria yelled.
The judge slammed his gavel one more time.
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“Bailiff, clear the gallery!” the judge commanded.
“I want the boy, the maid, and the attorneys in my chambers right now.”
