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“Are you sure, Mom? Don’t you even want to ask Vernon the questions you can’t ask Dad? Aren’t you curious?”
There was a brief silence, and then Nikki heard her mother sigh. “I can’t change the past, Nikki. Go if you want to. I know you’re worried about Jake.”
“I’m not positive he’ll be there. He was pretty insistent about leaving right after the wedding.”
“Things have changed in the last two days. It’s hard for me to believe he would simply walk away. I’ll keep Emma. If it will make you feel better, go. Go see Vernon. Go speak to him. Ask what you want to ask.”
“Maybe I will.”
“When you sign up with the judge, you can always drop out if you change your mind.”
“True.”
“Do you want to speak to Vernon?”
“Maybe. Mostly, I just want to be in the room and see what happens.”
“Then do it. There’s not a downside. Judges are leaning more and more toward giving victims the right to face their abusers. Vernon hurt a lot of people and abused their trust. That pain runs deep. You’ve seen it in dear Jake. Go, Nikki. Be there to support the Lowell boys if nothing else. It will make you feel better, and maybe you’ll get a few of the answers you’ve wanted for fifteen years.”
Nikki slipped into the courtroom at twenty minutes before the hour. It had taken longer than she anticipated to get through security. The chamber was crowded, but she found a seat in the back corner. Many of the faces she recognized. Some she didn’t.
The Lowell men were sitting in the front row with their mother, Eve. Sophie was there, too. And Samantha. Just looking at the back of Jake’s head made Nikki tense and weepy. What was he thinking? How was he holding up?
The bailiff instructed everyone to stand. The judge entered. Then came Vernon Lowell in handcuffs, his gaze downcast. He was wearing a standard-issue orange jumpsuit. His scruffy beard and longish hair were a mix of gray and white. With his stooped shoulders and weary air, it was almost impossible to reconcile this version of the man with his past self.
At one time, Vernon had been one of the richest men in the tristate area. The boutique hedge fund he created from scratch had been wildly successful. It was rumored years ago that there was a waiting list of would-be clients hoping for a chance to “get in.”
Nikki didn’t know if that was true or not, but it made sense. The very elite reputation of Black Crescent had made it all the more attractive to the high-profile citizens of Falling Brook. Those lucky enough to have their millions in Vernon’s care had seen those millions multiply.
But then everything went south. The fiscal dreams rotted on the vine.
Vernon and Everett absconded with money that wasn’t theirs.
The judge banged a gavel and made opening remarks, explaining why he had allowed this somewhat unprecedented hearing. Still, Vernon stared at the floor.
Nikki’s stomach tightened as the first name on the list was read aloud. The judge instructed Vernon to lift his head and face his accusers. Nikki wondered if there was any particular order. The first person to stand and walk toward the front of the room was Zane Patterson. There was a small podium for the Falling Brook visitors. Zane’s words were calm but held an underlying bitterness as he laid out for Vernon a litany of what had happened when the Pattersons lost everything.
Each person on the judge’s list was allotted ten minutes. Some took the entire time. Some ended abruptly. Though the wounds were fifteen years old, the stories sounded fresh. Raw.
It was painful to hear. Jessie Acosta was on the list. Like Zane, her father had been a client of Black Crescent.
Nikki was shocked when Chase Hargrove stood. As far as she knew, his family hadn’t entrusted their money to Black Crescent. But, apparently, Vernon had involved Chase’s father with some scheme that ended with Chase’s dad going to prison for fraud.
One after another, the people spoke. Many of them had been in their teens and twenties when the tragedy happened. Their lives had been shaped, broken, damaged by Vernon’s actions.
Nikki held her breath, feeling waves of guilt for something that hadn’t been her fault at all. But her father had been deeply involved.
Evidently, the judge was saving Vernon’s immediate family for last.
Suddenly, the name read aloud was Nicole Reardon. She flinched. Why had she signed up? Why hadn’t she had them strike her name when she first arrived?
“Ms. Reardon?” The judge repeated her name.
Nikki stood slowly, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Dozens of people stared at her. Not Jake. He still faced straight ahead. Nikki swallowed, her mouth dry. “You can skip me, sir.”
The judge frowned. “This is your moment, Ms. Reardon. I assume it’s been a long fifteen years. I’m giving you a chance to speak your piece.”
There was no backing out now. Nikki walked on shaky legs to the front of the courtroom. Not once did she cast her gaze sideways to see Jake. She stood at the podium and faced Vernon.
