Chapter 19
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The Leaning Tower
Steve moves into a sinking building and goes to the police. The building absorbs its lean internally. So does the investigation.
Pontius Pilate
8 chapters
All chapters tagged with Pontius Pilate
Act III
Act V
Chapter 25
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A Special Relationship
The court appoints a supervisor who promises integrity and transparency. She meets privately with Tara before the first visit, invites her to attend in violation of the court order, dismisses Steve's concerns about being poisoned, and tells him she has a special relationship with the judge. She charges $250 an hour. The judge who appointed her later says on the record that she never wanted Tara at the visits and wanted Steve to die on his own sword, so the court would know.
Chapter 27
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The Bruises
During Visit 15, Steve and two other adults discover bruises on Evie consistent with deliberate injury. Both parents report the bruises as concerning. Tara tells the Attorney for the Child. Steve tells his attorneys, and then the police. Within ten days, the story migrates three times — from concerning to normal to "utterly untrue" — and the court accepts the final version. Months later, Tara's own attorney recuses from the case.
Chapter 29
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The Memo
Steve files a detailed memorandum describing the ambush, the supervision manipulation, and the historical abuse inside the Walsh household. The court destabilizes. The judge recuses. The case is reassigned.
Act VII
Chapter 32
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Five O'Clock
Aunt K undergoes surgery days before the hearing. Steve's attorneys request remote appearance at a visitation conference. At the last minute — the afternoon before — the court denies the request. Steve books the next available flight, 6:20 the next morning. When he arrives, Judge Horowitz has already entered a default — granting permanent custody and a two-year order of protection at what was scheduled as a status conference. Fourteen months later, his motion to vacate is still pending when the third judge recuses.
Chapter 33
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Two Defaults
Steve seeks recognition in New York of the protection he won against Tara after a San Francisco hearing. Humphrey warns Steve about nonappearance, but gives him no ruling after Tara misses two hearings. Humphrey then recuses. Aunt K investigates the court's evaluator.
Chapter 38
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Bora Bora
His attorney was in the courtroom. He was not. The phone rang after. The voice on the other end sounded beaten. 'Well, that didn't go well.' The orders were final.
Act IX
Chapter 50
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The Demand
After the verdict and the appeal, Tara communicates a new condition — drop the judgment, put money in escrow, stop filing court actions. Contact with Evie becomes conditional on surrendering the legal outcome. When Steve declines, the scheme adapts: forged filings, frozen accounts, threats, displacement.