“When Marie Bennet came to you with her pregnancy news in 2000, and asked you to take the baby, was she… unstable?”
“Not at all.She knew exactly what she was doing.What she wanted.Giving up the fourth baby was the only way she knew how to protectallher children.”
“Protect her children from what?”
Jill inhaled.“Not what.Who.Benjamin Bennet.”Grandma pointed at Ben as if to emphasize Jill’s translation.
Ben’s face was twisted in a sneer.He was mottled red, vibrating with rage.But he didn’tsayanything.
Did the jury see it?Would they understand it?
Mr.Vanderbilt asked for a few more clarifications and details.Jill was holding her ground.Feeling less and less nervous.She just focused on Grandma.On her hands moving and what each sign meant.
But then it was Mr.Wheeler’s turn to cross-examine, and Jill felt shaky with nerves all over again.
Grandma looked exactly the same.Frail, but calm.Detached.
“Mrs.Harrington, if all of this is true, how come Marie Bennet never took any of this to the police?There are absolutely no police reportsorcalls in the years you’ve mentioned.”
“Because she knew no one would believe her.She was isolated, manipulated, and terrified.”
“Why didn’tyougo to the authorities then?If you had evidence.”
“For the same reason.I helped her the only way I knew how to.”Jill could feel the gravity to those words even though Grandma had signed them.
She couldseethe guilt in her grandmother’s eyes.That she hadn’t done enough.Jill had to try to work through the lump in her throat as Mr.Wheeler continued.
“You said she was clear in what she wanted to do with the baby born in 2000 that absolutely no medical records substantiate.You say that she wasn’t unstable,” Mr.Wheeler said.“She wasn’t emotional when she told you she wanted to hide her newborn infant from his father?”
Grandma didn’t sign this time.She looked right at Benjamin Bennet and opened her mouth.“Terrified,” Grandma said, her voice a rough, shaky scrape against the silence in the room.“Of him.”
Later, they would all agree that it was something about Grandma actually speaking that broke Benjamin Bennet.Once and for all.
“You fucking psycho bitch.”
Jill startled as Ben lunged.His lawyer managed to grab him and try to restrain him from leaping over the table, but it wasn’t going well as Ben pushed him out of the way and the bailiffs shouted instructions.
“You put ideas in her head!”
Grandma looked right at Ben.She tried to speak again, but no sound came out.Still, Jill saw her mouth move.She was mouthing the same word over and over.
Liar.
“You turned her against me.”Ben managed to get past his lawyer.Like he was going right after Grandma.“You turned them all against me.”
Even with his prison pallor, Ben was bigger and more intimidating than Jill.Still she scurried in between him and his path to Grandma.He sneered at her, reaching back like he was going to… hit her?
But the bailiffs had him then.He fought them, too, screaming at Grandma.On shaky legs, Jill grabbed Grandma’s hand.Grandmawasn’t shaking.She was looking down at Ben in disgust.
He was being held down now.One bailiff had a knee to his back while the other one was talking into his radio.Jill held on to Grandma while the bailiffs grappled with him and then two police officers moved into the room and began to handcuff him.
The judge ordered a recess, and as the police took over with Ben, the bailiffs began to usher everyone out of the courtroom.
Cal seemed to take charge of the moment for their group, finding her and Grandma and pulling them along until they were all outside, huddled together.
No one said anything at first.It was the plan.Cal’s plan hadworked.But…
“He didn’t confess,” Jill said, looking at Cal.
