Chapter 13 - SHANE’S COUNTERSTORYThrough counsel, Shane changed from complete denial to partial admission.
He admitted the Friday confrontation.
Admitted shoving Ben.
Admitted Ben struck the hearth.
Then claimed Ben became violent.
According to Shane:
Ben grabbed him.
Threatened to kill him.
Shane pushed away in self-defense.
Ben fell.
When Ben regained consciousness, he was “confused and aggressive.”
Then comes the impossible part.
Shane claimed Ben asked to be hidden.
Why?
“He said he needed time away from everybody.”
Under the floor?
Shane said the crawlspace had been used as a work access area and Ben wanted to stay there temporarily while they decided how to handle the company dispute.
The chain?
“Safety.”
That word was almost offensive.
Shane claimed Ben was intoxicated and trying to crawl out while injured.
He chained Ben’s ankle to stop him harming himself.
Then:
Ben told him to stage the truck so Judith and Lila would think he had gone away.
The suicide text?
Shane said Ben dictated it.
Why leave him five days?
“Ben kept changing his mind.”
Why not get medical care?
“He refused.”
Why was the access screwed shut?
“To keep Lila from falling in.”
Madsen did not say the story was elegant.
Only that it created reasonable questions.
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Ben’s toxicology at rescue showed no alcohol consistent with ongoing intoxication, but five days later that did not tell us what Friday looked like.
We needed objective evidence.
