Page 51 of The Guilty Trial

Allie let the words sit. She had learned from watching Jason successfully conduct interviews that waiting was often more effective than the next question. Eventually, Maria’s shoulders began to shake, and the tears came faster, dropping onto the table in small circles.

Allie offered a small pack of tissues and waited.

It took several minutes before Maria lowered her hands and pulled a tissue from the pack, pressing it against her eyes. “Sarah Park prepared me,” she said in a hollow voice. “Before the trial. She was assigned to work with the witnesses, to get us ready for what it would be like on the stand.”

“That’s standard procedure,” Allie said carefully. She kept her tone neutral and conversational. Maria was on the edge of something, and the wrong word could draw her back from it.

“At first, that’s what it was. She told me what to expect and how the defense would try to trip me up. She helped me know how to stay calm and how to answer questions clearly.”

“And did you?”

Maria swallowed hard. “Things started to change. She started suggesting that I use certain phrases and mention specific details. She told me I needed to emphasize certain things and leave other things out.”

“What kind of details?”

Maria spoke softly, as though someone might overhear them even in this empty room. “The financial transactions. I did a part of the Torrino’s bookkeeping, so they wanted me to talk about the money. But I wasn’t sure about all of it. Some of the records I saw didn’t make sense to me, and I told her that. She said I had to be sure. She said if I sounded uncertain on the stand, the whole case would fall apart and Mr. Torrino would walk free.”

Allie kept her expression neutral as her pulse quickened. “What specifically were you uncertain about?”

Maria pressed the tissue against her lips before answering. “I testified that I saw Mr. Torrino at the office, giving orders about moving money through different accounts.” She pinched her eyes shut. “But I never did see him at the office, and I never personally witnessed him giving those orders. Sarah Park told me I had to say I did. She said the jury needed to hear it from someone who was in the room.”

“What about the dollar amounts?” Allie asked. “You testified to specific figures.”

Misery was now clearly etched into every line of Maria’s face. “I didn’t know those numbers. I knew money was moving because that was my job, keeping some of the books. But the specific amounts they wanted me to testify to, those came from the prosecution. They gave them to me, and I memorized them.”

Allie absorbed this. Maria’s testimony had become the foundation for Exhibit 22, the financial ledgers that Bob Halloway had introduced at trial, the same exhibit number that had been branded into Halloway’s body.

“Maria, are you aware that your testimony was used to support the financial ledgers that were entered as evidence?” Allie asked. “Exhibit 22.”

Maria’s face crumpled. “But that’s what she coached me to say.” She pressed both palms flat against the table again. “I’ve been living with this for so long, knowing I stood in front of a judge, a jury, and God, and I lied. It’s why I quit bookkeeping and started cleaning. This seemed simpler, with no guilt.”

“Why didn’t you come forward?”

“Because I was terrified. Ms. Park made it very clear what was at stake. She didn’t threaten me exactly, but she made me understand that the case might fall apart because of me. She said that the Torrinos had hurt enough people and this was their one chance to put him away.” Maria’s voice hardened around the edges. “I was a single mother with two kids in school. I couldn’t afford a lawyer, and I didn’t have anyone to turn to. I told myself Torrino was a bad man and he deserved to go to prison. Maybe he did. But that doesn’t change what I did to put him there.”

Allie nodded, struck by the magnitude of what she was hearing. Now she was dealing with an actual conspiracy of fabricated testimony and fabricated evidence. “Maria, what Park did to you was coercion. She manipulated your testimony and put you in an impossible position. You are a victim in this.”

Maria looked at Allie directly for the first time since the interview began. Her eyes were swollen and red. “Am I…am I going to prison?”

“I can’t make promises about legal outcomes, but you were coerced by someone in a position of power. That matters, and it will be taken into account.” Allie leaned forward slightly. “What I need from you is a formal statement. Everything you just told me, on the record. Can you do that?”

Maria looked longingly at the crucifix on the wall. The silence lasted long enough that Allie began to wonder if she would refuse. Then Maria drew a breath that seemed to pull from somewhere deep inside her.

“Okay,” she said quietly. “I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” Allie pulled a digital recorder from her bag. “I’ll walk you through it. Take your time.”

They spent the next forty minutes going through Maria’s account in careful detail. Maria’s tone steadied as she spoke. She cried twice more, both times when describing the moment she took the stand and placed her hand on the Bible.

When they finished, Allie turned off the recorder and gave Maria her card. “I want you to know we’re going to take steps regarding your safety. If you’re concerned about anyone targeting you, call me immediately.”

Maria picked up the card and held it with both hands. “Thank you,” she said, but her voice was barely audible.

Allie stood and gathered her things. At the door, she paused. Maria was still sitting at the table, her shoulders curved inward. She looked smaller than she had when Allie arrived, yet also lighter.

“You did the right thing today, Maria.”

The woman didn’t respond, but her chin dipped in a small nod of acknowledgment.