Chapter 21 - Rachel’s case
Rachel’s legal outcome was different.
She did not steal my property.
She did not sell Laura’s necklace.
She did, however, participate in unlawful confinement and knowingly place Emily in danger while trying to conceal what had happened.
Her cooperation mattered.
Her lack of criminal record mattered.
Her eventual truthful statement mattered.
Her role as the adult who initially closed the kennel door mattered too.
She accepted a plea involving child-endangerment and unlawful-restraint-related conduct, with probation after a shorter custodial component, mandatory counseling, and a no-contact condition unless later modified through appropriate therapeutic channels.
Some relatives called that lenient.
Others thought jail was excessive because Emily had not been physically devastated.
I stopped using injury severity as the only measure.
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The door had been locked.
That was enough to matter.
