Chapter 13 - Christopher Finally Admitted Why He Needed The Evidence Gone
The deposition lasted almost seven hours.
I did not attend.
I read the transcript afterward.
Near the end, Christopher’s story finally cracked.
The attorney asked:
“Did you know Bertha had copied the invoices?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know she intended to present them to the board?”
“Yes.”
“Did you search for those copies after she died?”
A long pause.
“Yes.”
“Did you find them?”
“No.”
“Did you believe they might be on her person or among the clothing selected for burial?”
Another pause.
“I thought it was possible.”
“Is that why you pushed for immediate cremation?”
Christopher tried to retreat.
Then the attorney showed him messages he sent Melissa.
One sent at 1:14 a.m., hours after Bertha died:
If it’s with her things, it disappears with her. We need Thursday.
Another:
No autopsy. No delays.
Christopher finally said:
“Yes.”
One word.
Months of denial collapsed into it.
The attorney asked the most important question.
“Did you cause your wife’s death?”
“No.”
“Did you know she had a potentially fatal medical condition?”
“No.”
“Then why conceal evidence unrelated to her death?”
Christopher answered:
“Because I had lost everything already.”
The attorney corrected him.
“No. Your wife had died. That is not the same thing as you losing everything.”
Christopher did not answer.
That distinction captured him perfectly.
Bertha’s death became about what it meant for Christopher.
Exposure.
Financial loss.
Reputation.
Marriage secrets made public.
May you like
He responded to grief by protecting himself.
That was the decision Veronica and I would spend years recovering from.
