Chapter 6 - The Trial
In October, the trial of State of Illinois v. Sloane Whitmore & Dr. Richard Whitmore began at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse.
The trial was a national sensation. The media dubbed it the "Stealers of Innocence" case.
Emma sat in the front row of the gallery every day, flanked by Marcus Vance and Grant. She wore simple, professional dresses, maintaining absolute composure even when Sloane’s high-priced defense lawyers tried to claim Sloane suffered from severe mental distress at the time of the offense.
On the fifth day of the trial, Sloane took the witness stand.
She wore a plain gray prison jumpsuit, her hair limp, her expensive jewelry replaced by plastic identification bands. But her eyes still held that arrogant, spiteful glint.
“I didn't steal those babies!” Sloane cried out under cross-examination by the prosecutor. “Emma Calloway was a nobody! She was a low-level grant writer! She couldn't provide those children with the life the Mercer family could offer!”
The prosecutor stepped closer to the stand. “So you stole two of her newborn triplets and placed them in an unregistered house to keep Grant from knowing he had three children with her?”
“Grant was mine!” Sloane shrieked, breaking down into hysterical, ugly sobs. “He belonged to the Whitmore family empire! She was ruining everything with her pathetic little pregnancy! I did what had to be done!”
The courtroom gasped. Sloane’s own defense lawyers buried their faces in their hands.
Grant stood up from his seat beside Emma. He walked toward the bar partition, looking at Sloane with utter disgust.
“You didn't do it for me, Sloane,” Grant said, his deep voice carrying clearly across the silent courtroom. “You did it because you’re a monster who thinks people are objects to be bought, sold, and traded.”
“Order in the court!” the judge slammed his gavel hard.
Two hours later, the jury returned with a verdict.
Guilty on all counts.
Sloane Whitmore was sentenced to thirty-five years in state prison without the possibility of parole for twenty years. Her uncle, Dr. Richard Whitmore, received twenty-five years. The Whitmore family fortune was seized by federal authorities to pay restitution to the victims of their corporate fraud schemes.
As Sloane was led out of the courtroom in heavy chains, she turned her head to look at Emma one last time.
May you like
Emma didn't glare at her. She didn't smile in triumph. She simply raised her chin, holding her head high, and turned away to kiss her husband and children who were waiting outside in the private lounge.
The shadows of the past were finally, completely burned away.
