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“Just Jared,” he says, placing his hand on top of her head, offering a kind smile to help her through this.
Who would set up a child to go through this? It’s clear how deranged Lara and Corbin are, but to put Madden through all of this is unthinkable.
“Let me know when you’re ready to go back inside so I can approach the judge and request that he take testimony from Haley.” Madden looks back and forth between Jared and me, seeming confused. I would be.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
As we return to the courtroom, there is a ripple of growing volume from Lara and Corbin’s side. I can only imagine their disdain to see me involved and up at the front table with Madden and Jared.
“Your Honor, may I approach the bench?” Jared asks.
“Yes,” he replies.
“Haley,” Madden whispers. “What about?—”
“Shh, shh. Not now. We can’t say anything more in the courtroom, okay?” I’m not sure what she was about to ask, but I’m aware that everything she says out loud can be held against her in some way, especially after all the legal jargon I’ve learned in the past week.
“Yes, I’ll allow that,” the judge says to Jared.
Silence returns without the need of the judge’s drumming gavel. “Haley Vaughn, you may approach the bench to offer a testimony in reference to Madden’s charge and plea,” Judge Evans says. I remain standing as I reach the bench and face acourt clerk who steps in front of me with a Bible. “Please raise your right hand. Do you swear the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”
“I do.”
Jared approaches the bench and waits until I’m seated on the other side of a partition separating Judge Evans and me. “Haley, when you arrived to babysit for the Smith children on June 9th, was there any mention of Fallon, or Fallon going missing?” Jared asks.
“No. I have yet to even see a photograph of Fallon. Her name was never mentioned to me until the Smiths arrived home that night and blamed me for her disappearance.”
“Objection. No relevance!” Lara and Corbin’s attorney calls out.
“Admissible,” the judge replies. “Please continue.”
I avoid peering over in Lara and Corbin’s direction, knowing they will make me trip over my words. My heart thunders in my chest as I try to take in a deep breath to finish my statement. “I was under the impression that I was hired to watch their set of twins, Blakely and Madden. There was no sign of Fallon anywhere in the house when they showed me around before leaving for their event.”
“Thank you,” Jared says. “And what would you say about Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s moods when you arrived? Were they upset in any way?”
“Objection. Leading!” the other attorney objects again.
“I’ll allow it,” Judge Evan says.
“They seemed rushed and eager to get out of the house, but not upset in any way.”
The judge removes his glasses and places them down on the podium. “Wait a minute, was the child already missing before Ms. Vaughn arrived to watch the children that night?”
No one answers. I’m not sure anyone knows who is supposed to answer his question. “There is no report on file of a missing child until eleven thirty p.m. on the night of June 9th. Ms. Vaughn is stating she didn’t know anything about the child and didn’t meet her, and in the same breath saying Mr. and Mrs. Smith didn’t seem upset before leaving home for their outing.” The judge grumbles and drops his papers. “I am temporarily pausing this arraignment to allow further questioning of both Mr. and Mrs. Smith by their legal representation to provide further evidence for this case. We will reconvene once these matters have been addressed.” Judge Evans stands from his seat and everyone in the courtroom follows his motion.
I step down from the bench as Lara and Corbin are being escorted out of the courtroom, away from Madden’s direction. I approach the table where Madden is seated in time to hear Jared’s plea to Madden: “Are you able to tell me who told you to keep Fallon safe? And how were you told to do so?”
Madden glances over at me with sad eyes. “The truth is always best,” I say, trying to help persuade her to tell Jared what she knows.
Madden swallows what must be a lump in her throat. “I’ll try,” she says.
“Okay, let’s go find somewhere private for us to talk,” Jared says, waving over the psychologist and social worker.
“Haley, you’re free to go. We’re going to see if we can get Madden to focus on her answers with the psychologist at this time, but if we need anything more from you, I’ll let you know. Again, I appreciate your cooperation with all of this,” Jared says, reaching his hand to shake mine.
Like last time, I thought he might ask me to stay, but I will gladly leave and hope they don’t need another testimony from me.
With my heart in my throat, I make my way out of the courtroom, rushing through the corridors, and exit the building, needing the silence and containment of my car. She’s just a little girl. How could anyone convince her to do something like this? There must be a reason, another part of this no one knows about yet. Until Madden divulges the who and why of this story, the blind search for Fallon will continue, and accusations against everyone involved will just spread like wildfire.
