“No.”

She looked toward the jury.

“I blame myself for that.”

Then she looked directly at Patricia.

“But being ashamed of my part does not make hers disappear.”

Ethan Takes the Stand

Ethan testified in an ordinary dark suit.

No government badge.

No dramatic title.

He described the property history.

The pool.

The spring.

The notices.

Daniel's visits.

The demand for the keys.

The recordings.

The fake boundary map.

The county permit.

The prosecutor asked him one question.

“When did you decide Patricia Voss was committing crimes?”

Ethan answered immediately.

“I didn't.”

The prosecutor paused.

“You were documenting her.”

“I documented what happened to me.”

“What is the difference?”

“A large one.”

Ethan looked toward the jury.

“My job as a homeowner was to preserve what I received.”

He paused.

“My former job taught me not to decide the conclusion before the evidence supported it.”

The prosecutor nodded.

“Did you conduct your own criminal investigation?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was involved.”

Ethan glanced toward Patricia.

“I had every reason to be biased.”

That answer mattered.

The defense attorney later attacked his background.

“You knew exactly how to create a paper trail.”

“Yes.”

“You knew how to record people.”

“Yes.”

“You knew how to make innocent conduct look suspicious.”

“No.”

“You baited Sergeant Voss into saying things.”

Ethan looked at him.

“I asked him whether he was acting as a police officer.”

“And recorded the answer.”

“Yes.”

“You wanted revenge.”

“No.”

“Not even when he came to your home in uniform?”

“I wanted him to stop.”

“When Patricia fined you?”

“I wanted that to stop.”

“When they called your father's pool community property?”

Ethan's jaw tightened.

“Yes.”

“So you were angry.”

“Absolutely.”

The attorney leaned forward.

“Yet you want this jury to believe your evidence is objective.”

Ethan shook his head.

“No.”

The attorney hesitated.

Ethan continued.

“I want the jury to believe the bank records are objective.”

He folded his hands.

“The invoices.”

“The emails.”

“The vehicle logs.”

“The corporate filings.”