The Judge Asked Who Had Been Trusted With The Original

Esteban testified on a Thursday morning in September.

He said he loved Ines. He said the observatory had become a burden, and he wanted to turn it into something that could support itself.

His lawyer asked about our childhood.

"Tomas was always the helper," he said. "If something broke, he fixed it. Ines depended on that."

"Was she able to manage her affairs near the end?"

"Not like before."

He looked toward the judge when he said it. He knew how to make a listener feel included.

Lena waited until her turn.

"When did you last speak with her before May 6?"

"I don't remember the exact date."

She showed him the call records he had produced. His last call before the signing had been in March.

"You weren't present at the signing?"

"No."

"You didn't see her that day?"

"No."

"But you offered an opinion about her condition that day?"

His lawyer objected. The judge allowed a narrower question. Esteban admitted he had no firsthand knowledge of what happened at the kitchen table.

Quinn did.

She wore a plain blue shirt and brought no star charts. Ruth sat behind her. When asked her occupation, she said she was a retired astronomy instructor.

"Still teaching?" Lena asked.

"For free, when I can."

Quinn described Ines reading the document aloud, stopping to explain the public-night duty, and correcting a spelling error before anyone signed.

On cross-examination, the lawyer asked whether her rental dispute had made her angry with Voss.

"Yes," she said.

"Could that affect your memory?"

"I was angry in June. I watched Ines sign in May. The bill didn't change what happened at that table."

The judge asked her to describe the sequence again. Quinn did, without looking at me for help.

"Why did she change the gift?"

Esteban's lawyer objected again. Lena asked what Ines had said during the signing.

"She said Esteban would sell it," Quinn answered. "She said Tomas would keep the telescope working, but might need a written push to accept the responsibility."

I stared at the grain in the wooden rail.

Dina appeared by an approved video connection. She confirmed the signing. She also said Ines had asked both witnesses whether either stood to receive anything from the change.

Neither did.

The judge asked questions about the pages and where the document had been kept. Lena presented my photographs, the office receipt, and the record of its filing.

Then I took the stand.

"Why didn't you open the envelope earlier?" Esteban's lawyer asked.

"She told me not to."

"Yet she allowed you to keep it somewhere only you could reach."

"She could reach it. She owned the telescope. I had the service key."

"Was that your hiding place?"

"It was her choice."

He asked how much I expected to earn from the observatory.

"I don't expect a wage from public nights. I earn money making mirrors."

"And you want this court to believe you never asked for the property?"

"I asked her to get the roof fixed. I asked her to stop climbing the ladder alone. I never asked her for the land."

My throat tightened. I breathed in the lullaby's slow count without making a sound.

Lena asked one final question.

"What did you understand when Esteban told you to stop work?"

"That he thought being paid for my hands meant I couldn't be trusted with anything else."

I looked toward my cousin.

"She had trusted me with the original. I just didn't know yet what it was."

After closing arguments, the judge took a recess. We ate sandwiches outside. Quinn complained that hers had too much mustard. I was grateful to discuss something so small.

Back inside, the judge gave her ruling.

She found the codicil valid. She found no persuasive evidence that I had forced or tricked Ines into making it. The testimony, documents, and timeline supported a choice Ines had made herself.

The old will remained in effect where the codicil had not changed it.

Esteban would not regain control of the estate. The neutral administrator would complete the accounts and distribution. The improper payment and requests for costs would be handled through the remaining proceedings.

Lena squeezed my arm once.

I had no key ceremony. No deed fell from the ceiling. But the court had recognized the paper Esteban wanted me to hand over at the dome.

The hill was going to me, with its duty attached.

Outside, Esteban stood beside the steps. He opened his mouth, then watched Quinn help Dina disconnect from a tablet instead.

He walked away without speaking.

That evening, I was washing a test screen when Lena called.

"Voss has made a settlement offer," she said. "This one includes your cousin's signature."