Chapter 7 - The Witness Stand
"The prosecution calls Mrs. Rebecca Vance to the stand," the lead prosecutor announced.
The courtroom fell into dead silence as a bailiff helped wheel Rebecca into the witness box. She placed her right hand on the Bible, took the oath, and looked directly at the jury panel—six high-ranking naval officers who sat in stoic silence.
"Mrs. Vance," the prosecutor began gently. "Please tell the court what happened on the evening of October 14th on the coastal highway bridge."
Rebecca took a slow breath, her voice carrying through the quiet room without a single tremor.
"Caleb told me we were going to a romantic dinner," Rebecca testified, her gaze occasionally sweeping past Caleb, who refused to meet her eyes. "As soon as we reached the highest point of the bridge, he locked the automatic doors. He turned to me and said, 'You should have kept your mouth shut about my accounts, Rebecca.' Then he unbuckled my seatbelt, pulled his own belt tight, and slammed his foot onto the accelerator, steering straight into the concrete barrier."
Gasps echoed through the gallery.
"Objection! Hearsay and uncorroborated testimony!" Caleb’s defense attorney shouted, standing up aggressively.
"Overruled," Judge Ross stated firmly. "The witness will continue."
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Rebecca reached into her purse, pulling out a small black micro-SD card, and handed it directly to the bailiff. "This is the memory card from my personal smartwatch, Your Honor. I activated the emergency voice recorder three seconds before the impact. It caught his exact words, the sound of the engine accelerating, and the impact against the guardrail."
Caleb’s defense attorney froze in mid-air, his face turning bright red as Caleb dropped his head onto the defense table in complete, utter defeat.
