Ch.17: The Leak

The next day, Sterling didn't look tired. He looked energized. He looked like a man who had found a new weapon.

"The Prosecution calls Detective Mark Davis to the stand."

My stomach dropped.

Mark Davis. My ex.

He walked to the stand, avoiding my eyes. He looked clean-cut, reliable, the kind of cop you'd trust to save a kitten from a tree. But I knew the truth. I knew about the anger issues he hid behind the badge. I knew why we broke up.

I glanced at Julian. He was watching me, not the witness. His expression was unreadable, but I felt the weight of his gaze.

"Detective Davis," Sterling began, pacing in front of the jury box. "You know the Defense Counsel, Ms. Vance, personally, do you not?"

"I do," Mark said, his voice steady. "We were in a relationship for two years."

"And during that time, did you ever discuss her brother, Liam?"

"Often."

"And how would you describe their relationship?"

I stood up. "Objection! Relevance. My relationship with the victim is not on trial."

"It goes to motive, Your Honor," Sterling shot back. "The Defense has alleged a conspiracy involving the victim. We are establishing the victim's character through a witness who knew him intimately."

"Overruled," Halloway said, leaning back. He was enjoying this. "Answer the question, Detective."

Mark took a breath. He finally looked at me. There was no love in his eyes. Just cold calculation.

"They fought," Mark said. "Constantly. Harper thought Liam was a loser. A drain on her resources. She told me once that she wished he would just disappear so she could focus on her career."

A gasp rippled through the gallery.

"Liar!" I whispered, gripping the edge of the table.

"Did she ever express... violent thoughts toward him?" Sterling pressed.

"She said he was dead weight," Mark said. "She said he was going to get himself killed one day, and she wasn't going to be the one to clean up the mess."

"Thank you, Detective." Sterling turned to the jury. "No further questions."

He had painted me as a monster. A sister who hated her brother. A lawyer who was defending her brother's killer not out of duty, but out of relief.

"Cross-examination?" Halloway asked.

I stood up. My hands were shaking. Not from fear this time. From fury.

I walked to the podium. Mark watched me, smug. He thought he had won. He thought he could use our past to destroy my future.

"Detective Davis," I said, my voice low. "You said we broke up because of my career. Is that true?"

"Yes," Mark said. "You were obsessed with work."

"Is that why I filed a restraining order against you six months ago?"

Mark blinked. The smugness faltered.

"Objection!" Sterling shouted. "The witness's personal life is not relevant!"

"It goes to credibility, Your Honor!" I shouted back. "The witness has a documented history of harassment and bias against the Defense Counsel!"

"Overruled," Halloway said, waving his hand. "Proceed, but tread carefully, Ms. Vance."

I pulled a document from my file.

"This is a police report from February 14th," I said, holding it up. "Valentine's Day. Do you remember where you were that night, Detective?"

Mark stayed silent.

"You were outside my apartment," I said, stepping closer. "Banging on the door. Screaming that if you couldn't have me, no one could. My brother, Liam, was the one who called the police. He was the one who made you leave."

I slammed the report onto the railing.

"You didn't hate Liam because he was a 'loser', Detective. You hated him because he protected me from you."

The jury was whispering. The P-Stock ticker flickered upward. **VANE INNOCENT: 55%**.

"And isn't it true," I continued, relentless, "that you were the first officer on the scene at the crash? Before Captain Miller? Before the paramedics?"

Mark's face went pale. "I was in the area."

"You were in the area," I repeated. "Did you check the victim's pulse?"

"He was dead."

"Did you check it?"

"He was clearly dead!"

"Did you see a phone?"

Mark hesitated. A fraction of a second.

"No."

"You're lying," I said. "You took it. You took his phone because you knew there were texts on it from *you*. Threatening texts. Texts that would make you a suspect."

"Objection!" Sterling roared. "Counsel is testifying!"

"I have the cloud backups!" I bluffed, praying the jury bought it. "I have the messages, Mark! Do you want me to read them?"

Mark looked at Sterling. Panic flared in his eyes.

"Get him off the stand," Sterling hissed to the judge.

"Recess!" Halloway banged the gavel. "Ten minutes!"

Mark practically ran from the stand. The gallery was in chaos.

I walked back to the defense table, my heart pounding. I had done it. I had discredited him.

I sat down next to Julian. I expected a nod. A 'well done'.

But Julian wasn't looking at the empty witness stand. He was looking at me.

His expression was cold. Assessing.

"You didn't tell me about the restraining order," he said.

"It wasn't relevant," I said, drinking water from a paper cup.

"Everything is relevant," Julian said. "Especially when it involves a police officer with a grudge who was first on the scene."

He leaned closer.

"Did he take the phone, Harper?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I was bluffing."

"You gambled," Julian said. "With my life."

"I saved your life!" I snapped. "I destroyed his credibility!"

"You made it personal," Julian countered. "And when you make it personal, you make mistakes."

He looked at the door where Mark had fled.

"Sterling didn't put him on the stand to prove you hated your brother," Julian said quietly. "He put him on the stand to rattle you. To make you emotional. To make you reveal what you know."

"I didn't reveal anything."

"You revealed that you have access to Liam's cloud backups," Julian said. "Even if it was a bluff... now Sterling thinks you have the data."

My blood ran cold.

"If he thinks I have the data..."

"Then he stops playing games in court," Julian finished. "And he starts cleaning house."

He looked at me, his eyes hard.

"You just painted a target on your back, Harper. And this time, I can't buy your way out of it."

The betrayal stung, but the look Julian gave me was worse. Was he doubting me?