Chapter 3 - The Deposition
The deposition took place on a rainy Tuesday morning on the fourteenth floor of the county legal building.
Unlike a public trial, a deposition is a cold, sterile environment—a long mahogany table, fluorescent lighting overhead, a court reporter tapping rhythmically at a stenography machine, and a video camera mounted on a tripod at the end of the table to record every blink, every hesitation, every twitch of the witness.
Marcus sat across from me, flanked by Richard Vance. He wore a mid-grey suit and a subtle silver tie, looking relaxed, as if he were attending a routine quarterly board meeting.
Juliette Harrow sat to my left, her legal pad neatly arranged, three thick manila binders stacked before her.
“State your name for the record,” Vance began, looking at his client with a practiced, warm smile.
“Marcus Aurelius Ashbourne.”
“Mr. Ashbourne,” Vance said, leaning back in his leather chair. “Please describe the events of the evening of October twenty-fourth at Le Jardin restaurant.”
Marcus paused, letting out a soft, regretful sigh that was masterfully calibrated for the camera.
“It was supposed to be a peaceful family dinner to celebrate my mother’s sixty-fifth birthday,” Marcus said, his voice smooth as silk. “My wife, Evelyn, had been visibly anxious all day. She has... history with social anxiety and emotional regulation. Throughout the meal, she became increasingly agitated, accusing my mother and me of making passive-aggressive remarks about her dress.”
“Did you make any such remarks, Mr. Ashbourne?” Vance asked softly.
“Never,” Marcus said smoothly, looking straight into the camera lens. “We did everything we could to reassure her. But around eight-forty p.m., Evelyn suddenly stood up, grabbed her salad bowl, and knocked it off the table in a fit of rage. She spilled dressing over herself, knocked her chair over, and ran out of the restaurant screaming that we were trying to ruin her life. My mother and I were entirely heartbroken and humiliated.”
Juliette didn't interrupt. She let him complete the lie, line by line, word by word, as the stenographer typed every syllable into the permanent record.
“Did you at any point kick your wife beneath the table?” Vance asked smoothly, setting up the lie.
Marcus shook his head with a look of profound sorrow. “Absolutely not. I have never lifted a hand or a foot against my wife in the three years of our marriage. I love Evelyn. I only ever wanted to help her.”
“Did you lean forward and say the words, ‘Without me, you’re nothing’?”
“Never,” Marcus swore, raising his chin slightly. “I told her, ‘Evelyn, please sit down, we love you.’ She completely misconstrued my words in her state of psychosis.”
Vance smiled, turning toward Juliette. “Your witness, Counsel.”
Juliette Harrow adjusted her glasses. She did not reach for her binders. She reached for her laptop, turning the screen slightly so that only Marcus and his attorney could see the initial loading screen.
“Mr. Ashbourne,” Juliette began, her voice cool and measured. “You understand that you are under oath today, correct? And that committing perjury in a court deposition carries felony penalties including up to five years in state prison?”
Vance scoffed. “Objection. Counsel is attempting to intimidate the witness.”
“It’s a foundational question, Richard,” Juliette said calmly. “Let him answer.”
Marcus gave a tight, condescending smile. “I understand the oath, Mrs. Harrow. I am telling the absolute truth.”
“Very well,” Juliette said. She pressed a key on her laptop. “Let the record reflect that plaintiff’s counsel is playing Exhibit 14-A, a certified file retrieved via federal subpoena from the cloud servers of Aegis Security Systems, capturing the high-definition audio and video feed from Camera 3 of Le Jardin restaurant on October twenty-fourth, timestamped eight-thirty-five p.m.”
The color began to drain from Marcus’s face in a slow, terrifying wave.
May you like
Vance snapped upright in his chair. “Wait—what is this? Le Jardin’s system was corrupted!”
“Le Jardin’s local drive was corrupted,” Juliette corrected with terrifying sweetness. “The cloud backup was pristine. Let’s watch together, shall we?”
