Chapter 14 - Julian’s Plea Deal
Federal prosecutors are notoriously ruthless, and they love when criminals turn on each other. Julian, having never faced a day of real hardship in his pampered life, lasted exactly three weeks in county lockup before he completely shattered.
Marcus called me while I was driving Sarah and our newly discharged baby, Lily, back to a beautiful, secure new home we had purchased in the hills. “Julian flipped,” Marcus said, sounding amused. “He accepted a plea deal this morning. He’s agreeing to testify in open court that your mother masterminded the entire embezzlement scheme. In exchange, the prosecutors are dropping the maximum sentence down to five years in a minimum-security facility.”
May you like
“And my mother?” I asked, looking in the rearview mirror at Sarah, who was smiling down at a sleeping Lily in her car seat. “She’s furious. Her own golden child just sold her out to save his own skin. With Julian’s testimony and the digital paper trail, she’s looking at twenty years minimum. She’s going to die in prison, Arthur.”
I felt a profound sense of closure. “Let her. Make sure Julian knows I’m not lifting a finger to help him when he gets out.” They had turned on each other, just as rats do when the ship finally sinks.
