Chapter 15 - The Trial
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Three months later, the trial began.
It was a circus. Media. Cameras. Protesters. Every day, a new headline.
"DE LUCA CRIME FAMILY EXPOSED"
"MATRIARCH FACES LIFE IN PRISON"
"WITNESSES TESTIFY TO YEARS OF CORRUPTION"
I sat in the gallery every day. Karen beside me. Sophie behind us.
Mom sat at the defendant's table. Shackles on her wrists. Orange jumpsuit. She didn't look at me. Not once.
Danny testified first. He broke down three times. Told everything. The money. The laundering. The murder.
Patricia testified next. Then Ray's wife. Then a dozen others. Low-level players. People who'd been caught in the web.
Then Sophie.
She walked to the stand. Sworn in. Sat down.
"Do you know the defendant?" the prosecutor asked.
"She's my aunt."
"And do you have knowledge of her criminal activities?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell us about those activities?"
Sophie talked. For hours. The money. The threats. The murder of my father. The attempted murder of Karen.
When she was done, the defense attorney stood up.
"You're testifying against your own family. Why?"
"Because it's the right thing to do."
"Is it? Or are you just trying to save yourself?"
"I'm not on trial here."
"You're not. But you could be. You were part of this family. Part of the business. Why should we believe you?"
Sophie looked at Mom. Mom stared back. Cold.
"Because I was wrong. I knew what was happening and I did nothing. I'm not doing nothing anymore."
The defense attorney smiled. "No further questions."
Then it was my turn.
I walked to the stand. Sworn in. Sat down.
"Mr. DeLuca, can you tell us what happened on the night of October 15th?"
I told them. Everything. The freezer. The note. The flash drive. The video.
When I described my sister's blue lips, her frosted hair, her weak pounding against the glass, I heard someone in the gallery sob.
When I described my father's video—his fear, his love, his final words—the courtroom was silent.
"So you're saying your mother murdered your father?"
"Yes."
"And tried to murder your sister?"
"Yes."
"And you're willing to testify against her?"
"I am."
"Why?"
I looked at Mom. She was looking at me now. Eyes hard.
"Because she's not my mother. Not anymore."
The prosecutor nodded. "No further questions."
The defense attorney stood up. "Mr. DeLuca, you claim your mother murdered your father. But isn't it true that you have no proof? No witnesses? No evidence?"
"The ledger."
"A ledger you obtained illegally. From a man who was working for your mother. A man who lied to you. How do we know the ledger is real?"
"It's real."
"How do we know you're not lying? That you're not just trying to get revenge on your family?"
"Because I don't want revenge. I want justice."
"For your father?"
"For everyone. For Karen. For all the people my family hurt."
The defense attorney smiled. "No further questions."
The trial lasted three weeks. The jury deliberated for two days.
When they came back, the verdict was guilty on all counts.
Mom didn't react. Just sat there. Still. Cold.
The judge sentenced her to life without parole.
She looked at me as they led her away. For a moment, just a moment, I thought I saw something in her eyes. Regret? Sorrow? Love?
Then it was gone. The mask was back.
She disappeared through the door. And I never saw her again.
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