"Then we do it together," Eleanor answered.
Before the criminal trial, the prosecution arranged for the affected families to meet with an advocate who explained what testifying would involve. They might be questioned sharply. They might hear their motives challenged and their memories compared against documents. Their experiences would not necessarily fit the clean shape of a story told in chronological order. The advocate told them that being upset did not make their testimony less truthful, and that taking time to answer was allowed.
Eleanor attended the session with James. Across the room she recognized Maria Rodriguez, who smiled uncertainly and moved to sit beside her. The two women talked during the break about their children rather than the landlord. Maria's daughter had started at a new school and found a friend who liked the same books. Eleanor told her that Thomas still forgot to eat when working, despite being old enough to preside over an appellate panel. For a few minutes they were simply mothers, relieved to discuss lives that were bigger than the case.
When trial began months later, Richard arrived without the swagger that had once filled the brownstone doorway. His suit was still expensive, but it hung more loosely across his shoulders. The courthouse was crowded with tenants, journalists, and lawyers, all subject to the same rules of entry and the same slow lines at security. Thomas attended one morning as a family member and stayed away from any official role. The case was assigned to a federal judge without a connection to the Washington family, while related state matters followed their own proceedings.
The prosecution opened with the history of Richard's portfolio, then worked from general patterns to specific acts. Rent ledgers appeared on the screen beside photographs of nearly identical apartments. Calvin Reese explained how he controlled for legitimate differences in lease dates, amenities, and contract terms. In the records that remained unexplained, tenants of color bore higher charges or experienced more aggressive enforcement even when the underlying circumstances were comparable.
Caroline Price challenged the sample size and asked whether the accountant could know Richard's intentions. Calvin agreed that numbers alone could not reveal every motive. Then he explained that his analysis did not rest on numbers alone: correspondence, testimony, and the timing of Richard's decisions offered additional context. His willingness to distinguish statistics from intent strengthened his testimony rather than weakening it.