Chapter 10: Sutton's Offer
Vaughn called back within the hour.
"Do not respond to her directly," he said.
"But I want you to read me the exact wording again."
I read it to him.
"All right," he said.
"This is actually useful.
She reached out without counsel.
Either her attorneys don't know, or she ignored their advice.
Either way, this is a person who believes she can still talk her way out of this."
"She's done it before," I said.
"Every time something happened with Merritt.
She talked Thatcher into silence.
She talked Greer into protecting her.
She's been talking her way out of things for years."
"She can't talk her way out of a kitchen recording," Vaughn said.
"She doesn't know I have it.
She doesn't know what Thatcher's phone uploaded."
A pause.
"You're right.
She may think this is still the first video.
The one Thatcher took in the living room." His tone sharpened slightly.
"If she believes that's all you have, she may think a direct conversation gives her a chance to reframe the narrative."
"What do I do?"
"Nothing yet.
Let me think about whether there's any legal value in allowing a controlled response.
But do not contact her without me present in some capacity."
Three days passed.
Then Sutton sent a second message.
*I know you're not going to respond.
I understand.
But I want you to know I've been thinking about Merritt every day since it happened.
I never meant for it to go that far.
I need you to know that.*
I read it twice.
Then I called Vaughn.
"She's shifting to sympathy," I said.
"I see it," he said.
He had asked me to forward everything immediately.
"She's setting up a remorse narrative.
Either for you, or for a future courtroom."
"Or for her channel," I said.
Silence on the line.
"You think she'd post about this again?" he said.
"I think that's all she knows how to do."
He was quiet for a moment.
"If she posts an apology video before charges are filed, her attorneys may argue it demonstrates remorse and reduces culpability.
I want you to let me contact her attorneys directly."
"Do it."
The call with Sutton's attorneys happened the next afternoon.
Vaughn didn't give me a full account, but he called afterward with the key points.
"They know about the preservation order.
They know about the criminal complaint.
They did not know about the second video."
"How do you know they didn't know?"
"Because the lead attorney asked me twice to confirm we had additional recorded evidence and then ended the call nine minutes earlier than expected." A pause.
"Winslow, I want you to be ready.
When they review that video with their client, things may move quickly."
"Quickly how?"
"A person who planned this might decide that cooperation with prosecution is more valuable than loyalty to a brother."
I understood what he meant.
Sutton would give them Thatcher.
"Will that reduce her charges?"
"That's between her and the DA.
But yes — it could."
I sat with that for a moment.
"What about Merritt?" I asked.
"If this becomes a trial — testimony — what does that mean for her?"
"If it goes to trial, we protect Merritt as much as the law allows.
Written statements instead of live testimony if possible.
But Winslow — if Sutton cooperates, there may not be a trial."
May you like
I looked down the hallway toward Merritt's room.
"Then let her cooperate," I said.
