Chapter 17 - The Verdict
The jury deliberations lasted less than three hours. It was a mere formality.
When the jury filed back into the courtroom, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Marcus was trembling so violently that his handcuffs rattled against the heavy wooden defense table. Sylvia stared straight ahead, a frozen mask of denial on her face.
The judge, a stern man with zero tolerance for elder abuse, asked the foreperson to read the verdict.
“On the charge of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree against Eleanor Hale, we find the defendant Sylvia Hale… Guilty. And the defendant Marcus Hale… Guilty.”
A gasp echoed through the gallery.
“On the charge of attempted murder in the first degree against Clara Hale, we find the defendant Marcus Hale… Guilty.”
“On the charges of grand larceny, wire fraud, and elder abuse, we find both defendants… Guilty.”
The gavel slammed down. The sound was deafening, a final, absolute period on the end of a nightmare.
Marcus collapsed into his chair, burying his face in his hands, letting out a loud, pathetic sob. He looked at me, his eyes pleading for a mercy he never showed his grandmother. I gave him nothing.
Sylvia stood up, her face pale, and began screaming at her lawyer. “This is a miscarriage of justice! You failed me! I am a respectable woman!”
May you like
The bailiffs stepped forward, grabbing her roughly by the arms. “Quiet down, ma’am. You’re going to lockup.”
I turned to look at Victor, who offered a satisfied nod. Then I looked at Eleanor, sitting in the front row. She wasn't smiling, but the heavy burden she had carried for six months was completely gone from her shoulders. She was free.
