Cruel Trust

Fifty

And wait we did.

The jury took over two hours to come to an agreement. When I mentioned how long it took to DA Murphy, she just smiled and told me she was impressed we'd gotten this all done in one day.

When the door behind the judge's bench opened and the jury filed in, my heart sped up. I was feeling bad for my heart; I had taken it on a roller coaster ride today. Andrew squeezed my knee, and we turned toward the jury, awaiting the words of the foreman.

He stood up, a wiry, intelligent-looking man of about forty. He pulled a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and looked everywhere but at Liam. My breath caught in my chest as I remembered a line from my favorite novel, To Kill a Mockingbird: "A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted..."

I squeezed Andrew's hand hard, and he looked down at me. I kept my eyes on the foreman.

"Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?" Judge Bradley inquired.

"Yes, Your Honor."

The judge nodded as if to say, "Go on, we're listening." The foreman unfolded the paper, and I could tell his hands were shaking.

"We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty of the charge of first-degree murder."

There was a collective gasp in the courtroom, and I felt myself getting lightheaded, my heart falling to my stomach. This could not be happening...not guilty?

The foreman held up his hand, and the judge banged the gavel. "Silence, please. Continue, Mr. Foreman."

"However," he said pointedly, "we have found the defendant guilty of murder in the second degree."

My head snapped up, my heart hopping back into my chest. "He's guilty. It's over," I whispered as Andrew swept me up into his arms. I felt Uncle Jeff, Aunt Rose, and even Julia's parents join in our embrace, and in that moment, I felt at peace. I shook DA Murphy's hand, and she was grinning from ear to ear.

Judge Bradley banged his gavel once, just to get our attention, and we all sat down. Liam's head hung low, and his lawyer looked defeated.

"Thank you, jury, for your time and deliberation. The bailiff will see you out." The jury members got up one by one and filed out. I took a deep breath and waited to hear Judge Bradley's next words. "Liam Covington, you will return to jail and await extradition." Liam's head popped up. Mr. Robbins leaned over and whispered in his ear. Liam's head dropped again.

I leaned over to Andrew. "Extradition?"

Judge Bradley continued. "Liam Covington, you face four more charges in Tennessee, most of which are felonies. You will remain in the Bay County Jail until which time Tennessee is ready to try you for your crimes. After your trial there, sentencing will be given for all charges at once." He banged his gavel once, and it rang with a tone of finality. "Court adjourned."

Liam stood up as the bailiff handcuffed him once more, and he turned to look at me. Andrew was standing behind me, his arm around the front of my chest.

"Keep walking, asshole," Andrew snarled under his breath.

I looked at my feet, and when I glanced up again, he was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God," I said, collapsing onto the bench behind me.

Andrew shook DA Murphy's hand. "Thank you, Ms. Murphy. This means everything to us," he said, and she smiled.

"You all are very welcome. If you'll join me in about ten minutes in Conference Room A, I'll be able to fill you in on why the conviction was lowered from first degree to second degree."