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—They kept the evidence.
—How kind.
Social worker Denise Harper photographed the box, necklace, table and the place where Margaret had been standing. Personalized necklaces
Mayor Reeves placed a tape recorder on the table.
—With the consent of the party who requested the meeting, this conversation will be documented.
Margaret let out a dry laugh.
—This is my house.
—And that’s my daughter —my father said.
—My granddaughter.
—And a senior Army officer whom you and your guests treated as if she had no voice, rank or protection.
Margaret looked me up and down.
—Nobody knew what she was…
I went ahead.
—That phrase doesn’t help.
The room was silent.
—They didn’t need to know my rank to respect my daughter.
Eleanor Vance sat down slowly, crossed her hands on her cane, and looked at Margaret with old disappointment.
—Margaret, you were always a snob.
—But this was vulgar.
The word vulgar hits harder than any legal threat.
For a woman like Margaret Pembroke, vulgar was a social condemnation.
Her husband, Charles Pembroke, then appeared from the hallway.