Chapter 6 - The Deposition
The main deposition room at the Fairfield County Family Courthouse was bright, sterile, and suffocatingly quiet.
It was Friday morning—five days after the foot-washing incident.
I sat on one side of a long mahogany conference table, flanked by Evelyn Sterling and two junior legal assistants. Across from us sat Daniel, his mother Margaret, his sister Vanessa, and their lead defense attorney, a sleek, overly-tanned man named Richard Vance.
Daniel looked terrible. His eyes were sunken with dark circles, his suit hung loosely on his shoulders, and he refused to look me in the eye. Margaret sat beside him, stripped of her silk robes and expensive jewelry, wearing a plain gray cardigan, her face twisted into a permanent, bitter scowl.
Richard Vance cleared his throat, opening a blue folder. “We are here today for the preliminary deposition regarding the dissolution of marriage between Daniel Bennett and Claire Bennett. My client is seeking an equitable distribution of marital assets, including fifty percent of the real property situated at 1422 Elmwood Drive, along with spousal support in the amount of fifteen thousand dollars per month.”
Evelyn didn't even bother to hide her scoff. She leaned back in her leather chair, tapping a gold pen against her notebook.
“Fifteen thousand a month?” Evelyn asked, raising an eyebrow. “For a thirty-four-year-old able-bodied man who voluntarily quit his job three months ago because he assumed he was going to live off my client’s equity?”
“Mr. Bennett contributed significantly to the home during the six years of marriage!” Richard Vance argued loudly, slamming his hand on the table. “He provided emotional support, managed the household affairs, and assisted Ms. Bennett in maintaining the property value!”
“He didn't manage the household, Richard,” I spoke up, my voice calm and icy. “He couldn't even remember to put the trash cans out on Tuesdays.”
“Claire!” Margaret snapped, leaning across the table, her finger trembling as she pointed it at me. “You listen to me, you ungrateful little girl! My son gave you the best years of his life! He stood by you while you built that silly little company! You owe him! You owe this family for the disrespect you showed me in that house!”
“Margaret,” Evelyn warned sharply. “Control yourself, or I will have the magistrate remove you from this room immediately.”
“Let her speak, Evelyn,” I said softly, looking at Margaret with pity. “Let her show the camera exactly who she is.”
I gestured to the small digital camera sitting on a tripod at the end of the table, recording every second of the deposition for the court record.
Margaret shut her mouth tightly, her face turning a mottled red.
“Let’s address the house first, Richard,” Evelyn said, pulling a crisp stack of documents from her leather briefcase. “We have submitted Exhibit A: the prenuptial agreement signed by both parties prior to their wedding six years ago. Article Four clearly states that 1422 Elmwood Drive is sole and separate property.”
Richard Vance smiled arrogantly. “A prenuptial agreement can be invalidated if marital funds were commingled to pay the mortgage or fund major renovations! My client transferred funds into the joint account that paid the property taxes for six years!”
“Ah, yes,” Evelyn said, her eyes gleaming with predatory delight. “The joint account. Let’s discuss Exhibit B.”
Evelyn slid a two-hundred-page financial audit across the table.
“This is the forensic analysis of the joint household account,” Evelyn explained smoothly. “Over six years, Claire Bennett deposited a total of one million, four hundred thousand dollars into that account. Daniel Bennett deposited a total of... forty-two thousand dollars.”
Daniel flinched as if he had been slapped.
“Furthermore,” Evelyn continued, turning the page, “over the last eighteen months, Daniel systematically withdrew one hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars from that same account and transferred it directly to Margaret Bennett’s personal bank account to pay her private debts.”
Richard Vance’s smug expression faltered. He turned his head slowly to look at Daniel. “Daniel... what is she talking about?”
“I... I was helping my mom...” Daniel stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
“He didn't commingle funds to help pay for my house, Richard,” I interjected firmly. “He used my money as a personal piggy bank for his mother. In legal terms, that is a massive dissipation of marital assets. Daniel owes my estate one hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars.”
“We... we can negotiate a set-off against alimony—” Vance started nervously.
“There will be no alimony,” Evelyn cut him off coldly. “And there will be no set-off. Because if you turn to page forty-five of that file, you will find Exhibit C.”
Evelyn opened a heavy black binder and laid out three high-resolution color printouts.
“Exhibit C is the complete text thread between Greg Miller and Daniel Bennett, detailing the planned forgery of my client’s signature to obtain a four-hundred-thousand-dollar HELOC against 1422 Elmwood Drive,” Evelyn announced.
Vanessa gasped loudly, her eyes wide with terror. “Where... where did you get those?”
“Your husband Greg gave them to me on Wednesday afternoon,” I told Vanessa smoothly, watching her face collapse in shock. “He traded Daniel’s head to save his own skin.”
“That bastard!” Vanessa shrieked, turning on her brother. “Daniel, you said Greg promised we were safe!”
“Silence!” Richard Vance shouted, standing up from his chair, his hands shaking as he looked at the documents. The attorney knew instantly that the case was completely lost.
“As of 8:00 AM this morning,” Evelyn declared, standing up to match Vance’s height, “the District Attorney’s Office has formally issued arrest warrants for Daniel Bennett for Grand Larceny, Criminal Forgery in the First Degree, and Identity Theft.”
The double doors at the back of the deposition room clicked open.
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Two uniformed police officers stepped inside, holding heavy steel handcuffs.
“Daniel Bennett?” the lead officer announced, his voice echoing loudly off the hard walls. “You are under arrest.”
