Chapter 17 - The Words She Used Before the Wedding
Pike's statement came through our attorney first. He said Maren had offered him twelve thousand dollars to remove my phone and destroy any video showing a confrontation. A week before the wedding, she'd told him Laurel might need to be kept away from the microphones if she tried to raise concerns during the reception.
"I didn't know she was going to shove her," Pike insisted. "I thought I was collecting a device."
His lawyer arranged to surrender the phone and the hotel's backup drive. The phone had been wiped, but the forensic team recovered records of when it had been accessed. The drive was undamaged. Video from three angles showed Maren following me, blocking my path, and pushing me.
The case no longer rested on a six-year-old's memory.
By then the independent directors had scheduled a meeting with donors and flood survivors. Maren arrived anyway, walking into the community center in a navy suit as if nobody had warned her she would not be leading it.
"I've dedicated my life to this town," she told the crowd. "Some people have chosen to turn a family tragedy into an attack on that work."
Mrs. Alvarez stood in the second row. She held a manila envelope filled with photographs of her damaged house.
"You promised to fix my kitchen," she said. "Where did the money go?"
Maren opened her mouth. Nothing came out.
Sam Whitfield stepped to the microphone. "We owe you an answer, Mrs. Alvarez. And we owe you more than an apology."
Naomi presented the court's order and the independent auditor's preliminary findings. No one showed the graphic hospital aftermath, but the meeting heard what had happened at the wedding. Celia confirmed the video had been preserved by her cousin.
The donors voted to establish independent oversight. Several pledged emergency money restricted directly to verified repairs while the disputed funds stayed frozen. It wasn't a solution yet. It was a start.
Maren turned to leave. Evelyn reached for her arm.
"Don't," Maren hissed.
May you like
Evelyn let go. Then she approached the microphone with a face I barely recognized.
"Before anyone leaves," she said, "there is something I have to admit about my daughter's access to that money."
