Claire testified for most of a day.
She admitted everything defense could use.
She pushed Wade’s shoulder at the doorway.
She threw a cup weeks earlier.
She sometimes called me without telling Wade because she did not want an argument.
She stayed after the first wrist-grab.
Stayed after the phone incident.
Told neighbors things were fine.
Told me things were fine.
Defense asked:
“You lied to Daniel Hart?”
“Yes.”
“Your neighbor?”
“Yes.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes.”
“So why should the jury believe you now?”
Claire looked at him.
“Because I was lying then to keep the situation small.”
“And now?”
“Now there is video.”
Simple.
Then the injury day.
“Did Wade intentionally throw Lucy into the door frame?”
Claire answered:
“I don’t know what he intended.”
That mattered.
“What did you see?”
“He grabbed her arm when she ran toward me. He pulled her backward hard. She twisted and hit the frame.”
“Did he look surprised?”
“Yes.”
“Did he help?”
“Eventually.”
“Eventually?”
“He blamed her first.”
Then the boot.
“Why hide the drive?”
“Because Wade had broken my phone and searched my purse. I needed the files out of the house.”
“Why use your child?”
Claire’s face tightened.
“I hate that I did.”
The defense waited.
Good.
“I believed the hospital was safer than the house. I believed Daniel would be contacted. I told Lucy to keep the boots on until a nurse or her father was there.”
“Did you tell her to resist medical staff?”
“No.”
“Did you consider that hiding evidence on a child might place her at risk?”
Claire began crying.
“Not enough.”
No saint.
No perfect plan.
A frightened person making a desperate calculation.
Then:
“Did Wade see you hide it?”
“I saw him looking at the boot when I stood.”
“You don’t know what he saw.”
“No.”
“Could his hospital panic have been unrelated?”
“Possible.”
Then prosecutor redirect.
“Did you tell Wade there was a USB in the boot?”
“No.”
“Did anyone at the hospital mention something inside before he said ‘nothing’s in there’?”
“No.”
“Did he know you had been saving copies of videos?”
Claire paused.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He found Tessa’s card and asked whether I was documenting him. I said yes.”
There.
Motive to suspect.
Not certainty.
Then the jury saw the final kitchen video.
Nobody moved during Lucy’s cry.
Not even me.
