Chapter 10: The Testimony of the Maid
The trial opened to a packed courtroom. After the prosecution laid down the foundation of physical evidence and medical records, District Attorney Chen called her key witness to the stand: Rosa Perez.
Rosa walked up to the witness box with her head held high, wearing a simple navy dress. She took the oath, sat down, and adjusted the microphone.
"Ms. Perez," Chen began, standing near the jury box. "Can you tell the jury what happened on the morning of October 14th at the St. Jude Funeral Chapel?"
Rosa looked directly at the twelve jurors. "I was working the early shift, cleaning the main altar and the surrounding rooms before the private viewing. As I was sweeping near the casket, the room was completely silent. But then I heard a sound. It was soft, like a dog scratching at a wooden door."
"What did you do?"
"I stopped and leaned against the white casket," Rosa continued, her voice clear and resonance filling the hall. "I put my ear right against the wood. I heard a muffled gasp. I heard someone crying inside the dark. I realized then that Mrs. Vance was trapped in there, suffocating."
"Did you try to find help first?"
"There was no time," Rosa said fiercely. "The lid was bolted shut. The service was set to start in fifteen minutes, and they were going to lower her into the mausoleum vault right after. I ran to the janitor's closet, grabbed the steel crowbar, and went back into the chapel."
Sterling stood up from the defense table during cross-examination, attempting to undermine her credibility. "Ms. Perez, isn't it true you were fired from the Vance estate two days prior for trespassing in private areas of the house? Weren't you seeking revenge against Mr. Vance?"
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Rosa looked at the high-priced defense attorney without a trace of intimidation. "I was fired because I heard Mrs. Vance struggling behind the cellar door and Mr. Vance caught me listening. I didn't return to that chapel for revenge, Mr. Sterling. I returned because a human being was dying in the dark, and I was the only person who heard her call."
A quiet ripple of applause broke out in the gallery before the bailiffs restored order. In the front row, Emily smiled softly, her hand squeezing Detective Marcus's arm as the trap around Victor Vance began to snap closed forever.
