“You knew all of it.”

“I didn’t force her to beg,” he spat.

“No,” I said.

“You only took her house, her truck, her savings, her phone, and her legal documents, and then threatened to take her child if she didn’t obey.

You didn’t force her onto the street.

You just removed every other place she could stand.” He pointed at Sam and began to threaten that his mother would make a phone call to her contacts, and Sam interrupted mildly, “Please, a little louder, for the microphone,” and Derek looked at the red light, and the full reality of his position finally arrived on his face.

“We can settle this,” he said, his voice dropping to a desperate whisper.