Chapter 16 - The Other Relatives Remember
Once the case became known, fragments surfaced.
A cousin remembered Ambrose saying:
“Sometimes you have to let fear burn itself out.”
An uncle saw the garage run locked once and assumed Baxter inside.
A teenage relative remembered hearing Callum crying at lake house but was told:
“He’s having a tantrum.”
Nobody had complete picture.
That mattered.
Families often imagine a conspiracy after truth emerges.
Why didn’t everyone stop him?
Because everyone saw different five percent.
The danger came from Ambrose’s authority filling the unknown space.
If Ambrose said:
therapy exercise,
people accepted.
If Callum was crying:
discipline.
If Lysandra looked uneasy:
marital disagreement.
The same facts would have looked different if Ambrose had been a stranger.
Authority changes interpretation.
That was one reason we stopped using:
He would never
as evidence.
People can do things inconsistent with your image of them.
Evidence first.
May you like
Image second.
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