The door at the back of the courtroom opened, and heels sounded on the tile. I braced myself and glanced over my shoulder. There was Janet. She wore heels that were better suited for a night out at a club, and a skirt that was about four inches too short for any sort of professional engagement. Her gaze met mine, and she grinned. It was ugly, malicious, and I knew in that moment that she would do whatever she could to make my life hell.

Mr. Hotchkiss held open the little wooden gate so she could enter and make her way up to the witness stand. She was sworn in, and then took a seat.

“Ms. Morgan. How do you know Harriet Abbot?”

Janet did her best to fight her grimace but was only partly successful. “She took custody of my daughter when I wasn’t in a place to care for her.”

“And why couldn’t you care for her?”

“Kenna was always a troubled child. She created problems around the home. Got in trouble in school.”

Crosby leaned forward at his table. “Objection. Relevance? This has nothing to do with our case, and the witness is stating her opinion, one that has no basis in fact. The witness has a strained relationship with her daughter, and just yesterday threatened to make trouble for her.”

“Sustained. I’ll note that, and you will have your chance to question Ms. Morgan as a hostile witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.”

Judge Moore motioned at Hotchkiss. “Proceed with a new question, Counselor.”

A muscle in Mr. Hotchkiss’s cheek ticked. “Yes, Your Honor. Ms. Morgan, when did you return to Anchor Island?”

Janet pursed her lips. “I’m not exactly sure. Maybe a week or two ago.”

“And when you did, what did your daughter share with you?”

My stomach roiled. I hadn’t shared a damn thing with Janet other than my wish for her to leave and my refusal to give her any money. But my mother could lie with the best of them.

Janet arranged her features in concern. “She said that Harriet had left her The Gables, and as soon as the paperwork went through, she was going to sell the property to a developer. I asked her how she could do that since I knew how much it meant to the old lady, but Kenna said she didn’t care. She just wanted the money.”

My fingernails dug into my palms so hard I could feel the skin break. But I needed the pain to stay silent. To stop me from jumping up from my seat and screaming “liar” at the woman who was supposed to care for me but had seemed to hate me from the day I was born. Why? I had no idea. The only thing I’d ever wanted was her love and care. But even that desire seemed to breed her hate.