Chapter 7
Chapter 7 – The Shadow Master
The day of the parole hearing arrived.
The state correctional facility in upstate New York was a grim fortress of concrete and barbed wire. Inside the small, sterile hearing room, I sat next to Henry and Oliver.
When the side door opened, Emily walked in.
She no longer looked like the glamorous, boutique-shopping woman who had ruled my son’s house. She wore a plain green jumpsuit, her hair pulled back tightly. But her eyes—sharp, calculating, and victorious—hadn't changed.
She looked at me and offered a tiny, theatrical smile.
The hearing commenced. Her lawyer spoke beautifully about her exemplary behavior, her participation in prison programs, and her profound remorse.
Then, it was my turn to speak.
I stood up, pulling a single piece of paper from my purse. I didn't look at the parole board. I looked directly at Emily.
"Four months ago, this woman apologized to me in a courtroom," I said, my voice echoing clearly in the small room. "She said she was sorry. But true remorse lives in change, not in shadows. Since her incarceration, my grandchildren have been harassed. I have been threatened. My late husband’s life's work is being attacked by anonymous entities."
Emily’s lawyer jumped up. "Objection, Your Honor! These are unsubstantiated allegations—"
"Let her speak," the head of the board commanded.
"Emily didn't just steal my money," I continued, keeping my eyes locked on hers. "She tried to erase my existence. She treats people like property to be liquidated. If she is released, she will not rehabilitate. She will finish what she started. I ask this board to deny her parole. Not for revenge. For public safety."
Emily’s jaw tightened. A vein throdden in her neck.
The board adjourned for thirty minutes. When they returned, the verdict was swift.
"Parole denied. Next review in twenty-four months."
Henry let out a breath he had been holding.
As the guards stepped forward to escort Emily back to her cell, she suddenly broke away from them. She lunged toward the wooden barrier separating us, her face contorted in fury.
"You think you won, Catherine?!" she screamed, her fingernails clawing at the wood. "You think you’re safe?! I’m not the mastermind here! You think David was the one who came up with the fraud? You think I did?"
The guards grabbed her arms, pulling her back.
"Who is it, Emily?!" I demanded, stepping closer.
"Ask your precious Henry!" Emily shrieked as she was dragged through the steel door. "Ask him about the shares Albert allegedly left him! Ask him who really signed the Vanguard papers!"
The heavy steel door slammed shut.
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
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I slowly turned around.
Henry was standing frozen, his face completely pale, refusing to meet my eyes.
