"Take the stand," Judge Whitmore repeated, "or I'll hold you in contempt."
As Richard Whitmore slowly walked to the witness stand, his expensive suit couldn't hide the fear in his eyes. He'd walked into that courtroom expecting to watch a janitor get railroaded. Instead, he faced a 13-year-old girl who'd unraveled years of corruption in a single morning.
Maya approached him like a hunter stalking prey. "Mr. Whitmore, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"This is ridiculous."
"Answer the question."
"I do," he snarled.
"Good. Let's talk about the Hartley files. You claim they were stolen on October 15th. Can you describe these files?"
"Confidential merger documents worth millions."
"Interesting. Because I have here a memo from Hartley Industries dated October 10th stating the merger was cancelled. There were no valuable documents to steal because the deal was already dead."
The color drained from Richard's face.
"So, what were you really doing that night? Why frame my father for stealing documents that had no value?"
"I don't have to answer."
"Actually, you do. You're under oath. Unless you want to invoke the Fifth Amendment like your security guard."
Richard looked desperately at his aunt. Judge Whitmore stared back with disgust.
"The truth, Mr. Whitmore," Maya pressed. "Why my father? Why that night?"