Chapter 6 - The Discovery
Detective Miller and the district attorney had spent the last two weeks doing something my parents never expected: digging.
"Over the past six years," the DA stated, handing a thick stack of folders to the judge, "Mr. and Mrs. Hayes have taken Clara to four different urgent care clinics and three different hospitals, always out of their home county. They 'doctor-hopped' to prevent any single physician from noticing a pattern of abuse."
The DA pulled out a highlighted sheet.
"When Clara was eleven, she was treated for a severe concussion under the alias 'Chloe,' paid for in cash. Her parents claimed she fell out of a tree. When she was fourteen, she was treated for bruised ribs at a clinic fifty miles away. The parents claimed she fell off a trampoline."
Dad turned pale. He whispered frantically to his lawyer.
"Furthermore," the DA continued, "we obtained a search warrant for Vanessa's phone. We recovered text messages sent to her mother just minutes after Clara was pushed down the stairs."
The DA read from a transcript.
"Mom, I pushed the little brat and she's not getting up. I think her leg is broken. Tell Dad to get the car, we need to take her somewhere out of town so the school doesn't find out."
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The courtroom erupted into whispers. The judge slammed his gavel.
Vanessa buried her face in her hands. The golden child’s golden armor was completely shattered.
