Chapter 10 - Justice and Closure
Six months later, the courtroom was silent as the judge handed down the sentences.
Brooke received fifteen years in state prison for aggravated assault and perjury.
Captain Landry received twenty years in federal prison for corruption, obstruction of justice, and racketeering.
The corrupt officers who aided them were stripped of their badges and sentenced to minor terms.
Arthur avoided jail time by testifying against his wife, but he lost everything else.
He was ostracized by the community, divorced by Brooke from prison, and dead to his family.
I sat in the front row of the gallery, holding my mother’s hand.
Her shoulder had healed, and the bruising was long gone, though the emotional scars would take longer to fade.
When the judge brought the gavel down for the final time, my mother let out a long, shuddering breath.
"It's over," she whispered, tears of relief shining in her eyes.
"It's over, Mom," I agreed, squeezing her hand tightly.
We walked out of the courthouse together, stepping into the warm spring sunshine.
The air felt clean, free of the toxic corruption that had plagued the town for so long.
I had done my job.
I had protected the innocent, punished the guilty, and burned a broken system to the ground.
My phone rang in my pocket.
It was the FBI Director, calling with my next assignment.
May you like
I smiled, answering the call as I helped my mother to the car.
There was always more work to do.
