Zara sat beside her grandmother, listening. "Did I do something illegal by asking him to sing?" she asked.
Diana turned her chair toward the child. "Asking a question is not the same thing as knowingly telling a harmful falsehood," she explained. "We will examine every statement carefully, including what you could reasonably know. You don't have to pretend to understand the whole recording business, but you should continue being truthful about what you saw and heard."
"I was trying to make him tell the truth," Zara said. "Then he got angry, and I got angry, too."
"Being upset doesn't automatically make your observations false," Diana answered. "And you are allowed to say you were frightened."
The conversation was interrupted by another visitor: Ms. Johnson, accompanied by Marcus Webb. Marcus had spent the night reviewing old session paperwork in his own files and contacting people who could identify Sophia's contribution without relying solely on his memory. He looked more tired than he had under the stage lights. When he sat opposite Zara, he folded his hands and apologized for not speaking earlier.
"I made a career out of believing I could stay neutral when powerful people treated other musicians unfairly," he told her. "That was convenient for me. It wasn't fair to the people whose work we used."
Zara did not know how to answer an apology of that size. She finally asked whether he thought Sophia was a good singer. Marcus laughed, surprised by the simplicity of the question. "One of the best I've ever recorded," he said. "That's why this happened."
By the afternoon, a journalist named Rachel Goldstein had called Diana's office. Rachel worked for a long-form television news program, and she was investigating the use of uncredited vocal performances in commercially successful music. She wanted to speak to Zara and Denise, but Diana insisted on child-appropriate conditions, limited filming time, and advance agreement about which areas of the home would remain private. Rachel accepted the boundaries, which did more to earn Denise's trust than any promise of positive coverage could have done.
Rachel came to the apartment with a small crew instead of an intimidating procession of trucks. She left the camera outside during her first conversation and sat at the kitchen table to explain the questions she hoped to ask. She wanted to understand why Zara had noticed the recording, what Chase said before she sang, and how the family had been treated afterward. She was also investigating the contracts and money trail behind the albums, because she had no intention of making an eleven-year-old responsible for proving what an entire industry had ignored.
"Will you show where we live?" Zara asked.
"Only what you and your mother approve," Rachel replied. "And I won't show the route to your school or anything that identifies your brothers."
Zara watched her carefully. "Then I can talk," she said. "But I don't want people to think we're asking for money because our apartment is small."
Rachel nodded. "That's a fair concern. Your home is where your life happens, not evidence that your honesty has a price."