The unknown number in the messages belonged to a prepaid phone found in Barbara’s kitchen drawer.
At first, Barbara insisted Andrew had used the phone without her knowledge.
Then investigators recovered her fingerprints from the device and located messages she had sent from her regular phone telling him when Katie left for practice.
Her attorney later claimed she believed Andrew only intended to frighten Katie into keeping quiet about the insurance policy.
No one believed that explanation.
The most damaging evidence came from Andrew himself.
During questioning, he attempted to portray me as unstable and Katie as confused.
He said I had invented the accusations because I wanted a divorce.
He claimed the insurance policy was a responsible financial decision and that the Miami condo listings were for a client.
Then detectives showed him the video of Katie walking toward the crosswalk.
He asked whether the camera had captured the actual push.
They had never told him there was a push.
After that, his attorney stopped the interview.
Katie remained in the hospital for nine days.
The swelling around her brain decreased, and doctors determined that she would recover without permanent neurological damage.
Her ribs would heal.
The bruises would fade.
Returning to gymnastics would take longer, not because her body was incapable, but because the sound of approaching cars made her freeze.
Recovery was not a triumphant straight line.
Some nights she woke screaming.
Some mornings she refused to walk near a road.
We found a therapist who specialized in childhood trauma, and I stopped measuring progress by how quickly she looked like the child she had been before.
The house became part of the criminal investigation because of the forged documents.
A handwriting expert confirmed that my signature on the power of attorney had been copied from an old refinancing form.
