Chapter 23: The Lie
214 words
The exposure of the offshore accounts had Preston reeling, but his arrogance was a reflex he couldn't control. He took the stand, sworn in, clearly believing he could charm his way out of the reckless driving allegations.
"I was going forty, maybe forty-five," Preston lied smoothly, leaning into the microphone. "Ms. Miller stopped abruptly. It was unavoidable."
Vance stood up slowly. He held a small, metallic drive in a plastic evidence bag.
"Mr. Sterling," Vance said, walking toward the witness box. "Are you aware that your Pagani is equipped with a telemetry system? A 'black box' that records inputs every millisecond?"
Preston blinked. "That... that data is private."
"Not when subpoenaed for vehicle black box data," Vance countered.
He plugged the drive into the court projector. A graph appeared on the screen. The red line spiked vertically.
"One-hundred and ten miles per hour," Vance read aloud. "Throttle at 100%. Brake application: zero percent until impact."
The courtroom erupted. The Judge banged his gavel, his face red. "Order! Mr. Sterling, I am reminding you that you are under oath. A perjury charge carries mandatory jail time in this state."
Preston shrank in the seat, the projection of his crime looming over him like a tombstone. The lie hadn't saved him; it had buried him.
End of Chapter 23
