Chapter 14
The next few weeks were a whirlwind.
Harrison, Celestine, and Captain Reeves were denied bail. The evidence against them was overwhelming.
The trial was set for six months later.
Margaret was released from the hospital. She moved into a small apartment near the courthouse. She was determined to testify. To make amends.
Elodie and I stayed in a safe house arranged by Detective Chen. It was small. Simple. But it was ours.
Elodie started therapy. Twice a week. She was scared at first. But her therapist was kind. Patient.
Slowly, Elodie started talking.
She told us about the yelling. The fear. The way she had to be perfect all the time.
She told us about Celestine locking her in her room when she was "bad."
She told us about Harrison hitting her when she cried too loud.
Every story broke my heart. But every story was also a step toward healing.
I started therapy too. I had my own trauma to work through. Three years of being called crazy. Three years of losing my daughter.
Detective Chen became a regular visitor. She brought Elodie toys. She brought me coffee. She became our friend.
One evening, about a month after the gala, we were sitting in the safe house's small living room. Elodie was coloring. Detective Chen was going over trial preparations with me.
"The prosecution has a strong case," she said. "With Margaret's testimony, the physical evidence, and Elodie's statements to the therapist... they don't stand a chance."
"Will Elodie have to testify?" I asked.
Detective Chen shook her head.
"Her therapist will testify on her behalf," she said. "And the judge has agreed to let Elodie give a pre-recorded statement. She won't have to be in the same room as Harrison or Celestine."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," I said.
Detective Chen smiled.
"You've both been through enough," she said.
Elodie looked up from her coloring.
"Detective Sarah?" she said.
"Yes, sweetie?" Detective Chen said.
"Can we go get ice cream tomorrow?" Elodie asked.
Detective Chen laughed.
"Of course we can," she said. "Whatever flavor you want."
Elodie beamed. She went back to coloring.
I watched her. She was changing. Slowly but surely.
She still flinched sometimes when someone moved too fast. She still apologized for small things. She still had nightmares.
But she was also starting to laugh. To run. To be a kid.
She'd started calling me Mommy. It still made my heart skip a beat every time.
Margaret came to visit that weekend. She brought Elodie a doll.
Elodie hugged her tight.
"Grandma Margaret!" she said.
Grandma.
Margaret's eyes filled with tears. She looked at me.
"Is that okay?" she whispered.
I nodded.
"She's your granddaughter," I said.
Margaret spent the day with us. She watched Elodie play. She helped me make dinner.
For the first time, it felt like we were a real family.
That night, after Elodie was asleep, Margaret and I sat on the porch.
"I've been thinking," Margaret said. "About the trial. About what comes after."
She looked at me.
"I want to make sure Elodie is taken care of," she said. "Financially. I've set up a trust fund for her. And I'm changing my will. Everything goes to her. And to you, to take care of her."
"Margaret, you don't have to—"
"I want to," she said. "It's the least I can do. For everything I took from you."
She took my hand.
"I know I can never make up for those three years," she said. "But I want to spend the rest of my life being the best grandmother I can be."
I squeezed her hand.
"I'd like that," I said.
We sat in silence for a while. Watching the stars.
"Do you think she'll ever be normal?" Margaret whispered.
I thought about Elodie. Her laughter. Her courage. Her capacity to love despite everything she'd been through.
"She won't be normal," I said. "She'll be extraordinary."
Margaret smiled.
"Yes," she said. "She will."
Six months.
That's how long we had to wait for the trial.
May you like
Six months of healing. Of building a life. Of becoming a family.
And when the trial came, we'd be ready.
