Chapter 8: The Trial Begins
The courtroom was packed. Clara wore a simple grey suit, her posture rigid. Beatrice entered looking like royalty, flanked by men in thousand-dollar suits. The prosecution—representing the state on child endangerment charges—opened the case. They didn't focus on the slap; they focused on the five hours. They detailed the temperature in the garage (45 degrees), the lack of cell service, and the psychological terror inflicted on a child. Beatrice's defense tried to argue it was an ""accidental lock-out,"" a tragic oversight by an elderly woman. But Clara sat calmly, knowing the truth was a freight train they couldn't stop.
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