Chapter 57 - The Echo in the Courtroom
The hearing room in Rockingham County was quiet save for the rhythmic clatter of the court reporter's stenotype machine.
Tori sat at the defense table in a navy blue blazer she had purchased for her supposed trip to Tokyo—a trip that had ended twenty minutes after it began when the credit cards were frozen at Narita airport. Her makeup was meticulously applied, but it could not hide the dark hollows under her eyes or the frantic way she scanned the double doors at the back of the courtroom.
Her seat was empty on either side. Henderson had not appeared. Julian Vance’s promised legal defense team had vanished like smoke on the wind.
Instead, a young, exhausted public defender sat down beside her, dumping a thick sheaf of paper onto the mahogany surface.
"Where is Henderson?" Tori hissed, her nails digging into the edge of the legal pad. "Julian said his personal firm would handle this preliminary appearance. What is happening?"
The public defender didn't look at her. "Mr. Henderson was arrested three hours ago in Coos County on charges of kidnapping and witness tampering. The Vance family trusts issued a press release twenty minutes ago formally disavowing any connection to him—or to you."
Tori’s face drained of color. "Disavowing? That’s impossible. Julian promised—"
"Julian Vance is currently the subject of an international red notice issued by Interpol," the lawyer cut in, opening the docket folder. "The state attorney general has just filed an amended indictment against you, Mrs. Miller. Conspiracy to commit grand larceny, falsifying bank instruments, and two counts of accessory to interstate extortion."
Across the aisle, the assistant district attorney stood up to address the judge.
May you like
Tori turned her head toward the gallery, desperate for a familiar face. But Caleb was not there. The four children she had dumped on my porch like unwanted luggage were safely housed with Caleb’s sister in Vermont, their laughter returning in the quiet space of a home without screaming.
There was no one in the gallery to watch her fall. She was entirely, utterly alone with the consequences of her own arrogance.
