The audio of my mother’s threat did the legal work; the few seconds of coercion did the human work of turning the room; and then I switched it off, and what remained unplayed stayed unplayed, belonging to Ingrid and to the sealed forensic binder and to no one else in that room.

Even in the moment of winning, I had learned, you can still choose what kind of man you are going to be while you do it.

Chapter 19 — You Built It

Torsten lunged for the AV panel, and a marshal stepped into his path without hurry.

“You recorded us in our own house?” he spat.

“No,” I said.