“Yes,” the young woman whispered.“Bianca was afraid of Derrick’s family.They told him she wasn’t the kind of woman he should be with.”
“Was the pregnancy planned?”
“Oh, no.But Bianca used to say there were no accidents.She believed what happened was meant to be.She said she wasn’t going to let a baby stop her from going to law school.”
“Did Mr.Reddick support the pregnancy?”Nicole asked, her tone sharp enough to cut glass.
The witness shook her head.“He pressured her to get an abortion.”
Nicole tilted her head.“But abortion is illegal in Texas, isn’t it?”
“He said it didn’t matter.He offered to pay for her to fly to Colorado.He even bought the ticket.But Bianca refused.After that, she told me she was thinking of ending things.She said she’d need child support, but she couldn’t stay with a man who didn’t want their baby.”
“And did Mr.Reddick know she was ending the relationship?”
The young woman’s hands twisted in her lap.“Yes.The night before she died.She called me right after he left.Said he was furious, accused her of cheating.Said it wasn’t his baby.He told her he’d demand a DNA test once the child was born.”
“How did Bianca sound?”
Her voice cracked.“She was crying.She said she loved him, but she never thought he’d act that way about their child.She told me she felt crushed by Derrick, by his family, by life.She didn’t know if she could trust him anymore.”
The courtroom was hushed, Nicole’s questions landing like hammer blows.Every juror’s gaze was locked on the witness.Every word carried weight.
Tripp sat at the defense table, jaw tight, his gaze fixed on Nicole.She wielded the testimony like a scalpel.Precise.Ruthless.And his mother, seated two rows back, was watching, studying Nicole, and analyzing him.He could feel it like heat on the back of his neck.
When the judge nodded his way, Tripp rose.He buttoned his jacket and stepped toward the witness stand.His shoes clicked on the polished floor, loud in the silence.
“You were Bianca’s closest friend, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not friends with Derrick?”
“No.I’m beneath his social class.”
Tripp let the answer hang, then clipped his words.“Just answer the questions, please.Did you like Derrick?”
The young woman hesitated, flicking her gaze toward Nicole.Nicole gave the faintest nod, almost imperceptible, but Tripp saw it.A signal.
“No,” the witness said.
“Why not?”
“Because I thought Derrick was using my friend.She was smart, beautiful.He wanted her to help him through college, with sex on the side.”
“You didn’t believe he loved her?”
“No.”
“Did Derrick cheat on Bianca?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Did Bianca cheat on him?”
“Never.She was crazy in love with him.”
Tripp narrowed his eyes.“Did she want his money?”
