Page 84 of Saving Her Heart
But the damage is done. Morrison looks exactly like what he is—a desperate man trying to save himself.
Valerie's testimony is more compelling. She enters looking genuinely broken, with none of her usual hauteur remaining.
"Ms. Thornfield, what was your relationship to the defendant?" Patricia asks.
"He's my husband," Valerie says quietly. "We've been married thirty-one years."
"Are you testifying against him for revenge?"
"No," Valerie says, tears starting. "I'm testifying because what he did was evil. I took part, God help me, but I never agreed to murder."
She describes William's escalation, his obsession with the development project, his willingness to kill for it. She producestext messages, recordings she made secretly, and evidence of his planning.
"He said the elderly residents were going to die soon anyway," Valerie testifies, her voice shaking. "He said we were just... speeding up the inevitable. That's when I knew he'd lost his mind."
"Why didn't you go to the police then?" Patricia asks.
"He said he'd kill me," Valerie says simply. "He showed me how he'd do it. Make it look like suicide. He had it all planned out."
Even Brennan seems affected by her testimony. His cross-examination is gentler, focusing on her affair with Morrison, suggesting she's a woman scorned. But Valerie holds steady.
"I had an affair," she admits. "I was lonely; my husband was obsessed with money and power. But that doesn't change what he did. What he planned to do."
Brad Hutchins is the least effective witness, clearly just trying to save his own skin. But he provides crucial details about the vandalism, confirming that William ordered and paid for everything.
Then it's Kendall's turn.
"The prosecution calls Kendall Greene," Patricia announces.
I squeeze Kendall's hand as she stands. "You've got this," I whisper.
She walks to the witness stand with her head high, even though I can see her hands trembling slightly. After she's sworn in, Patricia begins gently.
"Ms. Greene, how long have you been a property manager?"
"Six years," Kendall answers, her voice steady. "Three of those managing the Hibiscus Harbor properties."
"Can you describe what happened on the morning the first fire was set?"
Kendall describes the morning in detail—the smell of gasoline, Morrison's strange behavior, my arrival with the Walking Ladies. A few jurors smile at the mention of the FBI costumes.
"How did these events affect you personally?" Patricia asks.
"I lost everything," Kendall says quietly. "My reputation was damaged, my residents were terrorized, one building was completely destroyed. But worse than that..." She pauses, looking at the jury. "I watched elderly residents cry because they lost their homes. I saw children afraid to sleep because someone might burn down their building. This wasn't just property damage. It was terrorism against the most vulnerable people in our community."
"Objection," Brennan calls out. "The witness is not qualified to define terrorism."
"Sustained," the judge says. "The jury will disregard the characterization of terrorism."
But the point is made. Several jurors look sympathetic.
Brennan stands for cross-examination, and I tense. This is what I've been dreading.
"Ms. Greene, isn't it true you had a personal conflict with Valerie Thornfield?"
"She didn't like me, no," Kendall admits.
"In fact, she'd filed multiple complaints about your performance, hadn't she?"
