Chapter 18 - THE VERDICT
The trial lasted six weeks.
Marcus testified for three days.
He explained how Matthew used false approvals to move foundation money.
He admitted the transactions he had knowingly authorized.
He did not ask the jury to excuse him.
“I was afraid of losing my career.”
The prosecutor looked at him.
“And what did your silence cost?”
“Other people lost their names.”
Lauren testified next.
She described the affair.
The shell companies.
The forged signatures.
The threats against Daniel.
Matthew’s attorney dismantled her character for nine hours.
She remained composed until he asked why anyone should believe a woman who slept with a married man for eight years.
Lauren looked toward me.
“They should not believe me because I am good.”
“I am not.”
“They should believe the recordings because the truth does not become false when a guilty person tells it.”
My father testified about the first Project Janus operation.
He accepted responsibility for financing technology he failed to monitor.
His honesty damaged Sterling Capital.
It also prevented Matthew’s attorneys from using the secret as blackmail.
When it was my turn, I described the company’s beginning.
The cracked kitchen floor.
The first investor presentation.
The notes beneath Matthew’s water glass.
Then the prosecutor placed the cane before me.
“Do you recognize this?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“It was a wedding gift.”
“And later?”
I looked at Matthew.
“A weapon.”
The audio from my watch played through the courtroom.
Several jurors cried.
One looked away.
I did not.
For the first time, I listened without collapsing.
The woman on the recording sounded frightened.
But she also kept counting.
She survived every number.
Matthew testified against his attorney’s advice.
For two hours, he blamed everyone.
Lauren seduced him.
Marcus deceived him.
The board pressured him.
My father manipulated markets.
I provoked the attack.
The prosecutor waited until he finished.
Then she approached slowly.
“Mr. Hayes, did Clare force you to lift the cane?”
“No.”
“Did she force you to swing it?”
“No.”
“Did she force you to strike her twenty times?”
Matthew looked toward the jury.
“She knew how to push me.”
“That was not the question.”
His jaw tightened.
“No.”
The prosecutor placed the wedding-night message on the screen.
ONE DAY, I WILL MAKE HER KNEEL WITH THE SAME CANE.
“You wrote this seven years before the attack?”
“Yes.”
“But you expect the jury to believe the violence was spontaneous?”
Matthew said nothing.
The jury deliberated for eleven hours.
We waited in a private room.
My mother held my hand.
My father paced.
Henderson stood near the door.
When the court reconvened, Matthew entered without looking at me.
The forewoman rose.
Guilty of attempted murder.
Guilty of aggravated assault.
Guilty of kidnapping.
Guilty of wire fraud.
Guilty of identity theft.
Guilty of conspiracy.
The verdicts continued.
One after another.
By the final count, Matthew had been convicted on forty-three charges.
Rebecca pleaded guilty to nine.
Richard Hayes was convicted on twelve.
Marcus received a reduced sentence because of his cooperation.
Lauren pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy.
She would serve prison time.
The judge sentenced Matthew to forty-eight years.
Before deputies removed him, he asked to speak.
The judge allowed it.
Matthew turned toward me.
“You think you won.”
I stood.
“No.”
His smile returned.
“You lost seven years.”
“Yes.”
“You lost your marriage.”
“Yes.”
“You lost the company.”
“Yes.”
The courtroom waited.
I looked at him without fear.
“But I found myself.”
His smile disappeared.
The deputies led him away.
The doors closed behind him.
My mother embraced me.
My father placed one hand against my shoulder.
Reporters shouted beyond the courtroom.
For the first time since 11:17 p.m. that night, the world felt quiet.
Then Detective Ortiz approached with a sealed envelope.
“This was recovered from Matthew’s cell.”
My name was written across the front.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
May you like
At the top, Matthew had written one sentence.
YOU STILL DO NOT KNOW WHO CANCELED THE EMERGENCY CALL FROM YOUR PHONE.
