The answer caught Marcus unprepared. He looked down and thought of Eleanor, who would have understood why the boy's honesty mattered more than any demonstration of physical strength. She had always believed the most important way to protect a child was to give him permission to ask for help.
Morrison called Derek back to address the recordings. For a moment Derek appeared ready to abandon the practiced sadness that had carried him through his first testimony. He argued that the words came from private discussions about difficult investments, not instructions to commit crimes. He said that references to Tommy were figurative and that pressure on suppliers was normal commercial negotiation.
Sarah approached with a copy of the authenticated transcript. "When you said, 'Make him worry about the kid,' what figurative meaning did you intend?"
Derek looked toward Morrison. "I was frustrated. People say things."
"Did you tell your associates to leave Mr. Washington alone?"
"I never ordered anybody to hurt him."
"That wasn't my question."
"I don't recall the exact conversation."
Sarah paused, then asked why his company had paid a contractor linked to the forged violation documents after Marcus refused the lease offer. Derek said he relied on staff to manage expenses. She asked whether the new development needed the service lane behind Soul Food Sanctuary. He admitted that it did, though he described the detail as an ordinary planning matter.
"So Mr. Thompson's refusal cost your project money?"
"It complicated things."
"And making him leave would remove that complication?"
Derek stared at her. "If you insist on putting it that way."
Sarah nodded and returned to the table. She had obtained what she needed: a motive, a documented pressure campaign, and a witness who could no longer pretend that the visit was an innocent offer of help. The jury had also watched Derek stand without apparent difficulty during a heated exchange with counsel. That did not prove he had never experienced pain, and Sarah did not ask anyone to make that leap. It did make his broad claims about complete incapacity harder to accept without independent medical support.
The final defense witness was retired Sergeant Calvin Reed, a former military trainee of Marcus's who now taught safety courses to civilian employees. He testified about the older man's emphasis on restraint and the difference between stopping an immediate threat and punishing a person after the danger had ended. He had reviewed the footage and explained his observations within the limits of his expertise. He told the jury that Marcus retreated, warned his assailant, reacted when struck at, and stopped using force once the men were no longer attacking.
Hayes challenged him about the seriousness of the injuries. Reed acknowledged them and refused to minimize the harm. Then he added that harm alone could not settle the question of who acted unlawfully, any more than a broken arm could establish who began a struggle without knowing what happened before it. The prosecutor moved on, and the judge thanked the witness.