Chapter 13 - MY MISTAKEI ruined an interview.
Not completely.
Enough to matter.
The afternoon after Eli came home, he said:
“Aunt Denise knew the plan.”
I asked:
“Did she help Mark lock you in?”
He said:
“Yes.”
Later, during a formal interview:
“Did Denise touch the basement door?”
Eli hesitated.
“I don’t remember.”
The investigator asked why he previously said she helped lock him in.
Eli answered:
“Dad asked.”
There.
I had supplied an action.
Lock.
Help.
Mark.
Denise.
My son had been concussed.
I wanted certainty.
I contaminated one detail.
I told Detective Vega myself.
She documented it.
Defense attorneys later used the inconsistency to challenge broader parts of Eli’s account.
That was deserved.
Parents should not become unofficial interrogators because we want answers quickly.
May you like
Independent evidence had to carry the case.
Fortunately, much of it did.
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