Chapter 6 - The Trial Inside the Vale Estate
Three months later, the courtroom was full.
Nathan Cross sat beside his attorneys in a dark suit. Claire Bennett occupied a separate table after agreeing to testify for the prosecution.
Dominic sat behind Mia and Harper.
The government had charged Nathan with kidnapping, attempted murder, conspiracy, illegal surveillance, financial crimes, and involvement in Isabella Vale’s death.
Claire had accepted responsibility for kidnapping and conspiracy in exchange for her testimony. She still faced years in prison.
Mia had not spoken to her since the night of the rescue.
Until that morning.
Claire approached during a recess, escorted by two officers.
Mia rose.
Dominic moved beside her.
Claire stopped several feet away.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” she said.
“Good,” Mia replied.
Claire looked toward Harper, who sat beside Daniel coloring in a book.
“I never wanted her hurt.”
“You left her alone for three days.”
“I know.”
“You heard her crying outside the cellar door.”
Claire’s face collapsed.
“Yes.”
“You could have opened it.”
“Nathan said he would kill all of us.”
“And you believed him.”
“I was afraid.”
“So was I.”
Claire lowered her eyes.
Mia stepped closer.
“The difference is that I was tied to a wall. You had the key.”
Claire began crying.
“I am sorry.”
Mia’s voice remained controlled.
“Say it to Harper when she is old enough to decide whether she wants to hear it.”
The officers led Claire away.
Dominic looked at Mia.
“Are you all right?”
“No.”
He waited.
“But I will be.”
In the courtroom, Claire described the plan in detail.
Nathan had recruited her, paid her debts, and arranged her first meeting with Dominic. He coached her on Dominic’s preferences and instructed her to earn the trust of estate employees.
“He told me Dominic was dangerous,” Claire testified.
The prosecutor asked, “Did you believe him?”
“At first.”
“And later?”
Claire looked toward Dominic.
“I realized Dominic could be ruthless, but he was not cruel without reason.”
Nathan’s attorney rose.
“Objection.”
“Sustained.”
The prosecutor continued.
“What did Nathan tell you would happen after Mr. Vale became ill?”
“I would receive medical authority. Then I would sign control of the companies to Nathan.”
“Did you understand that Mr. Vale might die?”
Claire hesitated.
“Yes.”
Mia took Harper outside before the forensic photographs were displayed.
Dominic remained.
The images showed the cellar, the ropes, and Mia’s injuries.
Then the prosecution played the pendant recording.
Nathan’s voice filled the courtroom.
“Dominic will never know.”
For the first time, Nathan looked afraid.
The trial lasted four weeks.
Former employees testified.
Financial experts traced stolen money.
A bomb specialist explained the device hidden beneath the Vale Foundation.
Finally, Dominic took the stand.
Nathan’s attorney approached him.
“Mr. Vale, is it true that you operated businesses associated with organized crime?”
“Yes.”
A murmur spread through the courtroom.
“Is it true that Nathan Cross worked under your direction for seventeen years?”
“Yes.”
“Is it possible that the surveillance room belonged to you?”
“No.”
“But you admit to participating in illegal activities.”
“I admitted every offense documented in the recovered records.”
The attorney paused.
Dominic’s willingness to accept responsibility made him difficult to attack.
“You expect this jury to believe you knew nothing about Nathan’s actions?”
“I expect them to examine the evidence.”
“You benefited from Mr. Cross for years.”
“I trusted him for years.”
“You want the jury to see you as another victim.”
Dominic looked toward Mia.
“No.”
“Then what are you?”
“A man who ignored warning signs because loyalty was convenient.”
The courtroom became quiet.
Dominic continued.
“Mia Carter paid the price for that mistake. Her daughter paid the price. Isabella Vale paid the price years earlier.”
Nathan stared at him.
Dominic looked directly back.
“I am not asking anyone to believe I am innocent of everything. I am asking them not to let my crimes hide his.”
The jury deliberated for two days.
Nathan was found guilty on every major charge.
He received multiple life sentences.
Claire received twelve years after the judge acknowledged her cooperation but condemned her role in Mia’s imprisonment.
Several estate employees and business associates were also convicted.
Dominic pleaded guilty to financial crimes connected to his former organization. Because he cooperated, surrendered assets, and provided evidence against several violent networks, he received a reduced sentence.
Eighteen months in federal custody.
When the judge announced it, Harper began crying.
Dominic crouched beside her outside the courtroom.
“You said the bad people would go away.”
“I did.”
“But you’re going away too.”
“For a while.”
“You helped Mommy.”
“I also made choices before you met me. I have to answer for them.”
Harper wiped her face.
“Are you bad?”
Dominic looked at Mia.
She did not answer for him.
“No,” he finally said. “But I have done bad things.”
“Will you do them again?”
“No.”
“Promise?”
He held out his hand.
“I promise.”
She placed her fingers in his.
“Then I’ll wait.”
Mia stepped closer.
“You don’t have to ask us to.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You were thinking it.”
Dominic smiled faintly.
“I have been told I always look angry, not transparent.”
“You are both.”
He looked at her.
“I sold the estate.”
Mia blinked.
“When?”
“Last week.”
“Why?”
“Because you were right. Harper should never have to walk past that corridor again.”
“What will happen to it?”
“The buyer is converting the property into a rehabilitation center for women and children escaping violence.”
Mia stared at him.
“You did that?”
“The foundation did.”
“The foundation is you.”
“Not anymore. It has an independent board.”
“What happens when you are released?”
“I start over.”
“With what?”
“A small legal investment company. No private army. No underground rooms.”
“That sounds difficult for you.”
“It sounds quiet.”
Harper tugged his sleeve.
“Can we visit?”
Dominic looked at Mia.
“That is your mother’s decision.”
Mia held his gaze.
“Yes,” she said. “We’ll visit.”
Dominic said nothing for a moment.
Then Harper wrapped her arms around him.
For the first time since entering the courtroom, he allowed himself to breathe.
He would lose eighteen months.
May you like
But he had spent seventeen years living beside a lie.
Eighteen months beside the truth felt like freedom.
