Page 56 of Shadow of Justice
“Well, now you’re not being forthright, are you? You testified another member of the forum produced photographs of your aunt you’d never seen, isn’t that right?”
“That’s true. How is that inside information though?”
“You learned about what had been found at the murder scene through this forum, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Cutler pulled up screenshots of the thread where the members discussed the crime scene and what had been publicly disseminated about it. One by one, he had Hayden tick off what she learned.
“You learned where your aunt had been found on November 18th last year, correct?”
“I learned that from reading a newspaper article. I don’t know what date I read the article.”
“You learned she’d been found partially clothed on December 2nd in the forum, correct?”
“Yes. I think that’s right.”
“But you had seen a photograph of your aunt wearing her gold hoop earrings, correct? That’s the one you identified as hanging in the hallway at your grandparents’ house?”
“Correct.”
“So you knew what earrings your aunt was allegedly wearing the night she disappeared?”
“I didn’t know she was wearing them the night she disappeared. I only knew she owned a pair that looked like that because I’d seen that picture.”
“You didn’t tell your parents you were frequenting this forum, did you?”
“No.”
“You kept it a secret from them, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t tell them. That’s not the same thing as keeping it a secret.”
“Hayden, where was your mother when you allege you found your dad looking at this box you claim he kept in his workshop?”
“What? I don’t know.”
“She wasn’t there, isn’t that right?”
“Not right there, no.”
“So nobody but you saw your father with this box, isn’t that right?”
“I don’t have any idea who else knew about the box. I only know he didn’t want me in that room. I only know he didn’t want my mother in that room and as far as I know, she never went down there. She respected his wishes because my mother always does whatever my dad says.”
Cutler threw up his hands. “That’s not what I asked you. I asked you if anyone besides you saw your father with this so-called box that day. Yes or no.”
“I don’t know.”
“But nobody was there whenyouclaim you saw him with it, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And you never asked your father or your mother about it, did you?”
“No.”
“No. You just magically appeared in front of Sheriff Cruz with the thing.”
