Chapter 5 - The ArraignmentThe courtroom of Judge Thomas Sterling (no relation, thankfully, though cut from the exact same stern, unyielding cloth) was packed to capacity by 9:30 AM.
Eleanor and Paige sat at the defendant's table clad in standard-issue orange jumpsuits, their hair disheveled, makeup smudged from a sleepless night in holding. Gone were the arrogant smirks and designer clothes. Eleanor looked shrunken, her eyes darting frantically around the room until they locked onto me sitting in the gallery.
She mouthed Lucas, her expression a desperate mix of maternal plea and sheer terror.
I didn't blink. I didn't move a muscle. I sat straight, my arms crossed over my chest, radiating absolute, glacial detachment.
"All rise for the Honorable Judge Thomas Vance," the bailiff boomed.
We all stood. The judge entered, adjusted his glasses, and scanned the case files before him with a heavy frown.
"Be seated," Judge Vance ordered.
He looked down from the bench, his gaze fixing directly on the two women. "Case number 8841-A: The State versus Eleanor Sterling and Paige Sterling. Charges include felony domestic assault, reckless endangerment, criminal conspiracy, and financial fraud regarding fraudulent property liens. How do the defendants plead?"
Before their court-appointed public defender could even open his mouth, Eleanor surged to her feet, tears streaming down her hollow cheeks.
"Your Honor! This is an outrage! My son—my own son—has been manipulated by a gold-digging interloper who wants to steal our family estate! We were just trying to discipline an insubordinate guest in our own home!"
"Sit down, Mrs. Sterling!" the judge banged his gavel, the sharp crack echoing off the oak-paneled walls. "You are in a court of law, not a family dinner party. Your public defender entered a preliminary plea of not guilty, but let's look at the evidence submitted by the prosecution and the estate trustee."
Judge Vance motioned to Mason Ward, who stepped forward and placed a heavy stack of documents and a secure digital drive onto the clerk's desk.
"Your Honor," Mason began, his voice ringing with crisp authority. "We have submitted medical reports confirming severe hypothermia and defensive bruising inflicted upon Hannah Sterling. Furthermore, we have submitted security camera footage from the property's perimeter cameras, capturing the defendants laughing while the victim lay unconscious in the snow."
A collective murmur rippled through the gallery.
"And that," Mason continued, sliding a second folder forward, "is compounded by felony financial fraud—forged power-of-attorney documents used to take illegal loans against an irrevocable trust belonging legally to Captain Lucas Sterling and his wife."
The public defender looked over at Eleanor and Paige with sheer disbelief, realizing mid-hearing that his clients had lied to him about every single detail of the case.
"Your Honor," the public defender stammered, standing up. "My clients wish to... to reconsider their statements."
"Too late for theatrics, counsel," Judge Vance said coldly. "Given the severity of the charges, the overwhelming physical and digital evidence, and the clear flight risk, bail is denied. Defendants are remanded to county custody without the option of bond until trial."
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Paige let out a loud, hysterical sob, burying her face in her orange-clad hands. Eleanor stared at me with pure, unadulterated hatred, her lips moving in silent curses.
I stood up slowly, adjusted my uniform cap, and walked out of the courtroom without looking back once.
