Chapter 9 - The Final ReckoningTwo weeks later, the federal courtroom in lower Manhattan was packed to the gills. Flashbulbs blinded the defendants as Eleanor Bennett and Marcus Vance were led into the oak-paneled courtroom in handcuffs and orange jumpsuits.
Eleanor didn't look down. Her posture remained rigid, her silver hair unbothered, until her eyes locked on the front row of the gallery.
There sat Harrison Bennett.
And beside him sat Olivia, wearing a brand-new yellow coat, her dark curls brushed, holding a small sketchbook in her lap.
When Eleanor’s eyes met her granddaughter's, something in the old woman’s iron facade finally cracked. She stopped walking for a fraction of a second, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, before federal marshals gently nudged her forward toward the defense table.
The judge’s gavel struck three times.
"All rise for the United States District Court..."
As the verdict was read—guilty on all counts of conspiracy, financial fraud, endangerment, and systemic poisoning—Harrison felt a tiny hand slide into his.
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He looked down. Olivia wasn't watching the judge. She was holding up her sketchbook to show him a new drawing.
It was a picture of two figures standing on top of a very tall tower, looking up at a bright, clear sky, with no storms in sight.
