Chapter 14 - Twelve Years of Silence
The sentencing hearing was a brief, somber affair.
The federal judge showed absolutely no mercy to criminals who stole from charities and their own children.
My father was sentenced to twelve years in a federal penitentiary.
My mother received ten years in a minimum-security facility.
They would be well into their late seventies by the time they ever saw freedom again.
As the judge read the sentence, I felt a deep, enduring sense of closure.
Leo was not present at the courthouse for the final sentencing.
Vance informed me that Leo had fled the state in the middle of the night.
He was trying to outrun the criminal syndicate that wanted his head.
He was living off the grid, constantly looking over his shoulder in sheer terror.
His golden boy status had bought him nothing but a life of miserable paranoia.
I walked out of the courthouse and into the bright, crisp afternoon air.
The press was waiting on the steps, flashing cameras and shouting questions.
I stopped at the microphones and gave a brief, perfectly calculated statement.
I thanked the justice system for uncovering the truth and protecting the innocent.
I stated that I would be focusing entirely on the future of my technology firm.
I answered zero questions about my personal feelings regarding my family.
They were no longer relevant enough to warrant my emotional energy.
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I got into the back of my waiting town car and told the driver to take me home.
The chapter of the Hayes family drama was officially closed forever.
