Chapter 8 - The Verdict
Deliberation took less than four hours.
The foreperson stood up, a severe-looking woman who didn't glance at the defense table once.
"On the charge of attempted murder in the second degree... Guilty." "On the charge of federal wire fraud... Guilty." "On the charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering... Guilty."
Derek collapsed back into his chair, putting his head in his hands.
Elena stood up, hysterical. "No! No, I'm a victim! He manipulated me! Julianne, please!" She looked at me, screaming across the courtroom. "I'm your sister!"
"I don't have a sister," I said quietly, though my voice carried across the silent room.
May you like
The judge banged his gavel. "Order in the court. Derek Vance, I sentence you to thirty-five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Elena Vance, for your active participation in the fraud and accessory to attempted murder, I sentence you to twenty years."
As the bailiffs cuffed them, Elena's screams faded into the hallway. The heavy wooden doors closed, and the nightmare was finally over.
