Chapter 8 - The Arraignment
At noon, Thomas and I sat in the back row of the county courthouse.
My mother and Chloe were led into the courtroom wearing bright orange county jumpsuits, chained at the wrists and ankles. The arrogant, wealthy socialites from the night before were completely gone, replaced by two disheveled, humiliated women staring at the floor.
The prosecutor, a sharp young woman who had already reviewed the security footage, stood before the judge.
“Your Honor, the state requests that bail be denied, or set at a minimum of five hundred thousand dollars. The defendants intentionally locked the victim outside in sub-zero temperatures and ignored her pleas for help for nearly an hour. We have high-definition video and audio evidence. This was a calculated, cruel act of attempted manslaughter.”
My mother’s public defender—because she couldn't afford a private attorney with her cards frozen—tried to argue. “Your Honor, my clients have deep ties to the community. This was merely a family dispute that got out of hand.”
The judge adjusted his glasses, looking at the police report on his desk. “Locking a woman in freezing temperatures without winter clothing is not a family dispute. It is torture.”
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The judge slammed his gavel. “Bail is set at five hundred thousand dollars each. Remanded to county lockup until trial.”
Chloe burst into hysterical sobs, her knees buckling. My mother stared at me from across the courtroom, her eyes filled with pure, venomous hatred. I didn't blink. I just stared back, letting her see that her reign of terror was permanently finished.
