CHAPTER 5 – THE WITNESSES
Following the incident at the restaurant, Margaret worked tirelessly out of her private home study, contacting every individual who had been present in the private dining wing of L’Orangerie that night.
Building a domestic violence case against a wealthy, influential man was notoriously difficult; defense attorneys routinely shredded victim credibility by claiming domestic disputes were private, exaggerated, or motivated by divorce settlements. Margaret needed third-party, independent witnesses who had seen Victor’s behavior firsthand.
Her first interview was with Sarah Jenkins, a twenty-two-year-old junior waitress who had served the Vance table during the first three courses.
When Margaret met Sarah at a quiet diner on the South Side, the young woman was visibly shaking, clutching her coffee cup with pale fingers.
"I can't testify, Mrs. Carter," Sarah whispered, her eyes darting nervously toward the window. "Mr. Vance’s legal team already called the restaurant owner. They hinted that if any employee speaks to the press or the district attorney, the restaurant will face immediate commercial lease lawsuits. I need this job to pay for my nursing school. If I testify... he'll use his power to destroy my career before it even starts."
Margaret reached across the table, setting her official prosecutor credentials flat beside Sarah's cup. She looked into the young woman's eyes with a combination of maternal warmth and unyielding legal authority.
"Sarah, men like Victor Vance rely entirely on one thing: the belief that their wealth makes everyone around them small," Margaret said softly, her voice carrying a steady, reassuring weight. "If nobody speaks up today, he doesn't just walk away free—he goes home and destroys my daughter's life. And tomorrow, he does it to someone else. You are not alone. I will personally guarantee your legal protection."
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By Friday evening, through sheer persistence and bulletproof legal guarantees, Margaret secured signed, notarized deposition statements from three key witnesses: Sarah, the head sommelier who had observed Victor grabbing Rachel’s arm in the hallway, and a patron at an adjacent table who had overheard Victor's threats.
The wall of silence around Victor Vance was officially beginning to crumble.
