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“On count two of the indictments—embezzlement—we, the jury, find the defendant guilty.” The foreperson’s voice grows more forceful. Taking another breath, she reads the next charge. “On count three of the indictment—solicitation for murder for hire—we, the jury, find the defendant guilty.”
Christopher sways at the guilty verdict. His attorney places a hand on his back to steady him. He should let the son of bitch hit the floor. Christopher should be thankful he’s alive to stand in front of this jury.
“On count four of the indictments—attempted murder—we, the jury, find the defendant guilty. On count five of the indictments—murder in the first degree—we, the jury, find the defendant guilty. On count six of the indictment—improper disposal of a body—we, the jury, find the defendant guilty.” The foreperson folds the paper back and hands it to the bailiff, who then hands it to the judge.
“Thank you, Madam Foreperson.” The judge glances over the document and places it down beside his hand.
With the final verdict read for Christopher, I glance over at Andrea to see her knuckles are white where she squeezes Jack’s hand. He releases her grip and wraps his arm around her, pulling her close. He whispers something to her, and her eyes flutter closed momentarily as she takes a deep, steadying breath. When her eyes open again, she catches my gaze. She gives me a tight smile, letting me know she’s okay.
They lead the jury out of the room.
“Christopher Gates, you’ve been found guilty of embezzlement, solicitation for murder for hire and attempted murder. Your sentencing will be held one week from today at nine a.m. You’ll remain in state custody until then.” The judge leaves no room for argument before banging his gavel.
The bailiff walks over, takes Christopher by the arm, and leads him out of the courtroom.
Addy sighs heavily as the door clicks behind Christopher and the bailiff. I lean forward and reach over to gently squeeze her leg. She briefly places her hand over mine to give it a squeeze back.
Before either of us can speak, the courtroom door opens again. The bailiff walks Malcom into the courtroom. His eyes lock on mine instantly. I knew he would seek me out. He’ll never pass up an opportunity to try to intimidate me, but those days are long gone. With all the evidence Colin was able to gather, there’s no way he’ll get away with anything, not this time.
The real surprise twist in the case was when the hitman, Gary Lynchman, rolled over on Malcom and Christopher. He testified against both of them in exchange for being housed in a lower security prison. I guess the idea of being locked down twenty-three hours a day in maximum security didn’t sound that great to him.
“Malcom Shaw, I must say that your case is one of the most bizarre cases I’ve ever presided over. I can’t remember ever having a case where a father is accused of trying to have all three of his own children killed. I’ve seen some doozies, some that may even compare in the most basic sense, but this is one for the record books for me.”
Judge Peirce’s tone is different with Malcom than it was with Christopher. There is disdain in his voice for Malcom and for what he’s done. It’s clear the judge knows he’s guilty.
Malcom doesn’t appear to make eye contact or offer any words to the judge. He stands there, silent, but his head isn’t held high like usual. He isn’t acting at all as I thought he would. The tough guy act is gone. I assume because an act is exactly what it was. I’ll be surprised if he lasts a month in prison. I can’t say that I care much about what happens to him after today.
I glance around the courtroom, a small part of me hoping our mother would have shown up here today. For us, her only children. She isn’t here though, which unfortunately, isn’t a shocker.
A week or so after I came home after my accident, she sent a text to the three of us. It wasn’t much, just a short half-assed apology for our upbringing and not being a better mother to us. Of course, she blamed Malcom mostly, but that’s who she is.
She met some guy already and couldn’t hold back mentioning how well he treats her. She promised to be in touch once they've settled into their new life together. We haven’t heard from her since that day. I can’t imagine we will. She’s selfish. Always has been.
The bailiff leads a different jury into the courtroom, each of them taking their seats except the foreperson. Malcom and Christopher were tried and charged separately, so there were separate juries.
“Sir Foreperson, has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?” The judge turns his chair to face the jury, many of them nodding as they look at Malcom.
“We have, Your Honor,” he says, only glancing at Malcom briefly. For a moment, my stomach drops.
“Read your verdicts,” the judge directs. The judge shifts his chair forward again as he watches Malcom while the foreperson read from his paper.
Malcom remains standing as the foreperson reads the verdicts. My heart pounds in my ears, and I fight to control my breathing. This judgement feels heavier, more ominous. I want to hear every guilty verdict and see the despair on Malcom’s face when he realizes this is over. That this is the end of his reign of terror in our lives.
Charlie reaches over and rests her hand on my bouncing leg to slow its movement. Her large but delicate two-carat antique wedding set catches the courtroom’s lights.
My eyes dart to hers, and she mouths the words, “It’s okay,” with an understanding in her eyes that only she has for me.
“On all three counts of solicitation for murder for hire, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty.”
I regain my focus by taking a deep breath as I hear those words. My eyes are locked on Malcom. I see his profile from where I sit. His jaw locks as the word guilty leaves the foreperson’s lips.
I glance over at my sisters to make sure they’re okay. Each of them has tears streaming down their faces. As angry as all of us have been and still are, their tears are from relief. This is finally over.
When we leave here today, our lives can be normal. We can go home with our spouses and start our lives without Malcom and Christopher haunting our daytime thoughts or visiting our nightmares.
“…attempted murder—we, the jury, find the defendant guilty.”
That charge is for Malcom trying to smother me with a pillow while I was comatose in the hospital. It’s the only time we know of that he took matters into his own hands and tried to kill someone himself, his own son. He also got nailed for assault on Charlie, which was great. Even she gets a bit of justice.
