Chapter 19: A Confession Is Not a Repair
Ortiz met Valerie and her attorney the following morning.
I was not present.
I gave the police the envelope and documented what Valerie had told me.
An investigator later asked me to describe the conversation in my own words.
I resisted the urge to make it sound more dramatic.
Valerie had admitted to interfering with my plumbing because she wanted to divert me from evidence of Graham’s prohibited contact with Noah.
That was terrible enough without embellishment.
The police examined the property damage, the witness account, and material Valerie provided voluntarily.
Owen submitted his repair records and explained why the failures appeared inconsistent with ordinary wear.
I learned that an admission did not mean every allegation would be resolved immediately.
The investigators still had to establish which actions occurred, who participated, and what could be proved.
My insurer also needed independent confirmation before it would settle the claim.
The practical bills continued arriving while the legal process moved at its own pace.
I took on extra restoration work to cover emergency expenses.
Hannah helped me photograph pieces for clients and organized invoices on a borrowed laptop.
One evening, she asked whether I felt sorry for Valerie.
I thought before answering.
“I understand she’s afraid,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean I excuse what she did.”
Hannah nodded.
Then she asked the harder question.
“Would you ever forgive her?”
I said I didn’t know.
Forgiveness was not an invoice I could mark paid when someone said the right words.
For the moment, I wanted her to tell the truth, accept the consequences, and leave us alone.
