Chapter 12 - The Arraignment
Seventy-two hours later, the Buncombe County Superior Court was packed to the back row.
Reporters from every major news outlet in North Carolina lined the wooden benches. Marcus sat at the defense table, clad in an orange inmate jumpsuit, his wrists shackled to a chain around his waist. The cut on his cheekbone had darkened into a deep purple bruise. He wouldn't look at me, nor would he look at the gallery where Rachel’s entire family sat in silent, unified defiance.
Judge Evelyn Thornton adjusted her glasses, reading through the thirty-four-count federal and state indictment.
"Marcus Miller," Judge Thornton’s voice boomed across the courtroom, "you are charged with first-degree murder, evidence tampering, racketeering, and conspiracy to commit capital murder. In light of the digital evidence, corroborated eyewitness testimony, and flight risk, bail is denied."
Marcus’s high-priced attorney leaned in to whisper in his ear, but Marcus pushed him away.
Marcus slowly turned his head toward the front row where I sat with Leo. His eyes were hollow, stripped of every ounce of arrogance that had carried him through the wake.
"Sarah," he mouthed through cracked lips. "Please."
I looked directly into his eyes, feeling neither pity nor rage—only the cold, unyielding weight of justice Rachel had earned with her life.
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I didn't say a word. I simply placed my hand over Leo’s shoulder and held his gaze until the bailiffs hauled Marcus through the heavy iron door leading to the holding cells.
The heavy steel latch clicked shut. It was the last time Leo would ever see his father’s face.
