Chapter 29 - The Woman Who Would Not KneelLenora received a letter from Sterling's attorney two days before her scheduled deposition.
It contained a request to limit public discussion of several old financial arrangements.
The language was polished.
The implication was not.
Sterling's representatives suggested that Lenora's earlier administrative signatures might expose her to additional scrutiny if she continued cooperating with the new investigation.
For a moment, the familiar fear returned.
Her hands trembled.
She stared at the yellow kitchen wall.
Then she called her own attorney.
"I want you to examine this."
"Of course."
"And I want any improper attempt to influence my testimony documented."
Later, Kalista arrived to find Lenora working in the garden.
"Are you all right?"
Lenora set down her gardening gloves.
"No. I'm frightened."
Kalista moved closer.
"Do you want me to handle it?"
Lenora shook her head.
"No."
Kalista stopped.
The answer surprised her.
Lenora took a breath.
"For thirty years, Sterling decided what I was allowed to say. Then, after the wedding, you helped me find my voice."
Her expression softened.
"But now I need to use it myself."
Kalista felt tears gathering.
"You're right."
At the deposition, Lenora sat across from a team of attorneys.
They questioned her about the old housing fund.
Her responsibilities.
Her signatures.
Her relationship with Sterling.
They asked why she had remained silent for so long.
Lenora answered carefully.
"I was afraid of my husband."
One attorney leaned forward.
"Are you saying you had no responsibility for the fund's administration?"
"No."
The room went quiet.
"I had responsibilities. I missed opportunities to ask questions. I stayed silent when I should have sought help."
She lifted her head.
"But I did not authorize the transfers being investigated. And I will not accept responsibility for decisions someone else made."
The attorney studied her.
Lenora continued.
"I cannot change the years I was afraid."
Then she placed both hands flat on the table.
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"But I can decide what I do today."
For the first time in her life, Lenora finished a difficult meeting without apologizing for telling the truth.
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