Chapter 15 - The Verdict
The jury deliberated for less than four hours.
When the bailiff announced that a verdict had been reached, the tension in Courtroom 4B was suffocating. I stood beside my mother, holding her hand. Across the aisle, Arthur stood on shaky legs, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the defense table.
The jury forewoman, a retired school principal with a stern, intelligent face, stood up and handed the verdict forms to the clerk.
"In the matter of the United States versus Arthur Sterling," the clerk read aloud, his voice steady. "On Count One: Interstate Stalking with Intent to Kill or Injure—we find the defendant, Guilty."
Arthur closed his eyes, his chest heaving.
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"On Count Two: Possession of an Unregistered Firearm by a Prohibited Person—we find the defendant, Guilty. On Count Three: Conspiracy to Commit Witness Tampering—we find the defendant, Guilty. On Count Four: Bank Fraud and Wire Fraud—we find the defendant, Guilty."
Guilty on all eighteen counts. The word echoed like a bell tolling the end of Arthur Sterling’s life as a free man. He collapsed back into his chair, burying his face in his hands, finally stripped of every illusion of power and control he had ever possessed.
