Chapter 29
Today’s mediation session is already better than the last one, because it doesn’t start with me witnessing Jeremy and Veronica kissing in the parking lot.
Once again, Ezra is waiting for me in the hallway outside when I reach the top of the stairs. He flashes me that confident smile I’ve come to really love, and I feel my shoulders relax.
“The goal,” he tells me, “is to work out the custody arrangement without having to go to the courtroom. I don’t think either of you wants an expensive trial.”
“I definitely don’t want that.”
“Good. Because you can see from my office that I’ve got too much money already.”
Despite how anxious I’m still feeling, I let out a laugh. “Are we going to bring up the stuff about Veronica’s drug problem?”
He hesitates. “Only if we have to. Let’s see how things play out.”
We walk together into the conference room, and like before, the mediator, Alana Ocasio, is at the head of the table, and Jeremy and his lawyer are on one side, almost as if nobody has moved since the last time we were here.
Once again, I sit down across from Jeremy, and Ezra takes the seat next to mine.
“So we’d like to spend some time hashing out the custody arrangement today,” Ezra begins. “I think we can agree that what Mr. Roth asked for last time is very extreme and not necessarily in Theodore’s best interest.”
“Actually,” Hardwick says, “we have reconsidered our request from last time, and we would like to make some changes.”
My heart slows a bit. Good, they are being reasonable.
“Mr. Roth would like to have full custody of Theodore,” Hardwick continues. “Over the last few weeks, he has come to feel that Mrs. Roth is not only irresponsible, but her behavior has proven to be increasingly erratic. We feel that visitation only would be more appropriate.”
“What?” I almost shout, nearly leaping across the table. “How could you say that?”
Ezra touches my shoulder to quiet me down. “This is highly unexpected. Mrs. Roth has not done anything that should make us concerned about her abilities as a parent.”
“Oh yeah?” Jeremy retorts. “You want to see the photo?”
My stomach sinks as Leonard Hardwick opens a folder in front of him and pulls out a giant full color print of Ellie the Elephant with the knife sticking out of her.
It’s quite dramatic, and the red material oozing out of her belly wound appears very vivid.
He slides the photo across the table to Ezra, who picks it up and studies it.
He seems unimpressed. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”
“This toy was a gift from my client’s significant other to Theodore,” Hardwick says. “Theodore brought the toy to Mrs. Roth’s apartment, and this is what she did to it.”
“I did not do that!” I insist. I turn to Ezra. “I did not stab a stuffed elephant!”
Ezra tosses the photo back on the table. “I don’t know what this photo proves. This could have been taken anywhere and been done by anyone. I don’t think Mrs. Roth would do something like this.”
“She did,” Jeremy says through his teeth. “And that’s not all.”
Ezra arches an eyebrow. “Okay, what else do you have?”
“Theodore has told Mr. Roth that his mother locks herself in her bedroom for hours, and he can hear her crying through the door,” Hardwick says. “During this time, he is left to fend for himself all alone.”
“What?” I shake my head. “That’s ridiculous! I wouldn’t leave Teddy alone for hours!”
Ezra’s expression doesn’t change. “And this is what a five-year-old is saying?”
“He’s almost six!” Jeremy says. “And she’s also threatening my girlfriend! She’s called her multiple times and said awful things! Naomi told her she’s going to kill her!”
I gasp out loud. How dare he say that when Veronica is the one who might have tried to poison me in my own home? I look over at Ezra, expecting him to have an equally horrified expression on his face, but he is admirably calm.
“So these phone calls…” he says. “Do you have your girlfriend’s phone, and can you show us the record of the calls from my client?”
Jeremy flashes his lawyer a pained look. “Actually,” Hardwick says, “the calls were from a blocked number—possibly a burner phone—so we are unable to show you that record.”
“So how do you know the calls came from my client?” Ezra retorts.
“It was obviously her,” Jeremy says. “Who else would do something that crazy?”
“You heard the calls yourself?” Ezra presses him.
Jeremy falters for a moment. “Well, no. The calls came when I wasn’t home. But Veronica recognized her voice.”
“So all we’ve got is the word of a woman who has only talked to Mrs. Roth a few times.” Ezra reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a folder of his own. He flips it open to the first page. “And this is…Veronica Chesson? Who was arrested for heroin possession?”
It’s clear from the look on Hardwick’s face that he was not privy to this particular nugget of information. He looks like he wants to reach out and throttle my husband. It’s so gratifying that I even allow myself a tiny victorious smile in Ezra’s direction, which he returns.
“Really, Jeremy?” Hardwick says in a low voice close to Jeremy’s ear but still loud enough that we can all hear him. “Your girlfriend is a heroin addict? And you didn’t think to mention that?”
He squirms in his chair. “She’s not anymore. She’s completely clean.”
Ocasio clears her throat loudly. “Mr. Hardwick? Do you have anything to say to Mr. Fletcher’s allegations?”
“Ah.…” Hardwick shuffles through his papers. “I think…”
“Veronica is irrelevant,” Jeremy says sharply. “Yes, she’s my girlfriend. But my concern is completely for Teddy.” He jerks a thumb in the direction of the folder in front of his lawyer. “I’m not making this stuff up. Teddy isn’t safe with Naomi. She’s unhinged!”
“You’re gaslighting me,” I say, remembering Cora’s words from last night.
“Gaslighting? You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“And Veronica poisoned my homemade kombucha!” I add.
I hadn’t meant to say that last part in the mediation, but I got caught up in the moment. Now everyone in the room is staring at me.
“It made me throw up,” I clarify. “I’m pretty sure she came into my apartment and spiked it with Tylenol.”
“Of course it made you throw up,” Jeremy shoots back. “It’s fermented tea. It’s disgusting. And anyway, you…”
I don’t know what Jeremy was going to say, but Hardwick shoots him a look so harsh that it’s clear if he doesn’t shut up, his lawyer is going to walk out of the room.
“Given this new piece of information about Ms. Chesson,” Hardwick says slowly, “I’d like to ask that we take some time and then regroup.”
“Yes,” Ezra says, “and maybe next time, you won’t insult us by saying that my client is unstable when yours is the one dating an addict.”
I sort of want to applaud.
It’s only after Ezra and I have exited the room that he murmurs to me, “I shouldn’t have said that last part. But I couldn’t resist.”
“It was great,” I say, giddy. “You were great. Thank you so much.”
“I’m living for the look on Lenny Hardwick’s face.” He raises his hand in the air. “I think this calls for a high five.”
Of course, I give him the high five, because you can never leave anyone hanging, but I am not ready to start celebrating quite yet. We haven’t won the custody battle, and I know Jeremy is going to fight like hell. And those accusations against me…
“I need you to know,” I say, “that I didn’t do any of those things he said I did.”
“I think we have already established that your ex likes to play dirty.” He shrugs. “We are not going to stoop to his level. We are always going to be honest. And at the end of this, you’re going to be able to take your little boy home.”
I can’t help myself. I reach out and throw my arms around Ezra. I am just so grateful to him that I almost want to burst into tears. But a second later, I get embarrassed and pull away.
“Sorry.” I wipe a few strands of hair off my face. “I’m not supposed to hug you, am I?”
He grins. “You can hug me. I’m not supposed to hug you. The New York Bar wouldn’t approve.”
“Gotcha.”
He frowns at me. “What was all that about the kombucha? You don’t really think Jeremy’s girlfriend tried to poison you, do you?”
He looks concerned, but there’s something else in his face that strikes me.
A story about poisoned homemade kombucha is pretty out there, as are my suspicions that Veronica wants to harm me or Teddy.
Jeremy is already doing his damnedest to make everyone think I’m delusional, and I worry sharing my concerns might push it over the edge.
Especially since I don’t have a shred of proof.
Yet.
“It did make me throw up,” I admit, “but…I may have just let it ferment too long.”
“Okay.” Ezra nods slowly. “But if you’re not entirely sure it’s true, you shouldn’t say it. We don’t want to give them any ammunition to make you seem unstable. At the end of this, we want to have a resounding victory.”
There was a moment in the conference room when I really thought things were going south for me.
Ezra has somehow managed to turn it around.
But the biggest victory of all is the way that Leonard Hardwick responded when he found out about Veronica’s past. I have a feeling that he’s going to advise Jeremy to break up with her so he can win the custody battle.
And once that happens, the spell will be broken.