Her words did not absolve the failures in Mia’s care or establish every allegation against Derek.

They identified a habit that had shaped the earlier account.

She wrote down the sentences she remembered him saying.

She marked the parts she was uncertain about instead of choosing a neater version.

I returned to the liaison to complete my own supplementary statement.

I had work to record too, and I could not remain beside her simply because leaving felt uncomfortable.

Before I went, she asked whether Mia’s first call would be kept exactly as it was.