Chapter 18: The Secret Witness
248 words
The judge's admonishment hung in the air like smoke, but Thorne merely adjusted his tie, his cold eyes unbothered. He believed his legal team had already sown enough doubt about Elena’s mental stability to secure a mistrial, or at least a settlement small enough to pay out of pocket.
Kendra 'The Pitbull' Mosley stood up. She looked exhausted, her blazer rumpled, but her eyes were razor-sharp slits.
"Your Honor," Kendra rasped, her voice smelling of stale coffee and victory. "The plaintiff calls a rebuttal witness. Someone not on the original list due to witness protection concerns."
Thorne stiffened. For the first time, the silver fox looked like a cornered animal.
The doors at the back of the courtroom opened. A young man, barely thirty, walked in flanked by two officers. He wore a cheap suit that didn't fit, and he was shaking so hard his knees knocked together. It was Dr. Thorne’s former intern—the one who had disappeared three days after Elena’s surgery.
"State your name for the record," Kendra said.
"Tyler Evans," the young man whispered.
"Mr. Evans, who performed the suturing on Ms. Vance’s face after the necrotic tissue was identified intra-operatively?"
Tyler began to cry. He raised a trembling hand, extending a finger directly at the defense table.
"I did," Tyler sobbed, staring at Thorne. "He told me to just 'stitch it up and get her out' because he had a dinner reservation. He made me do it."
End of Chapter 18
