And the joy of my daughter’s release would outweigh all of this.
But I had to be cautious. It would still be a battle with Harlow to get her out. I knew that.
But I let myself feel it anyway.
Hope.
Optimism.
Relief.
This nightmare might finally be ending.
And my daughter would finally be free. Not just from jail but from the world’s judgment.
Chapter 34
Nicole
Brian and Dylan sat next to me in the public seating area. My broken leg lay stretched out in front of me, the cast cold and heavy.
Sean Holt sat by himself at the defense table, right in front of us.
He seemed to be in his mid-forties, thin, with gray hair at his temples. He had his papers lined up neatly in front of him.
Zach’s family sat across the courtroom. His parents and his sister. They dressed as if they were attending a president’s funeral. His mother and father sat perfectly still with their hands folded, while his sister stared straight ahead at Deputy Attorney General Kara Belmont at the prosecution table.
Belmont looked flawless in her cream-colored suit. Not a wrinkle in sight. Her red hair was pulled into a tight bun. Two male assistants sat next to her, both young and with cocky little smiles.
The courtroom was packed. Every seat was taken. Everybody was tense. Someone sneezed, followed by someone saying, “Excuse me.”
Today was a big day. Sean had filed an emergency motion to reconsider bail based on new evidence. Officer Ellison’s bodycam footage and the old gas station video of Myers were already all over social media, and public opinion was starting to support Lacey.
But that didn’t mean she was going free. Not yet.
My head was pounding. The stress of all this made me physically sick.
Suddenly, the side doors of the courtroom opened.
Everyone stood when the judge entered.
Judge Harold McKenna looked to be in his late sixties. He had big, round eyes and short silver hair.
He sat, adjusted his glasses, and looked out over the courtroom.
“Be seated.”
A moment later, the side door opened again, and two deputies brought Lacey in.
The orange jail uniform swallowed her. Her wrists were cuffed, and her eyes were empty like always. She looked terrible. Like a corpse with wild hair like an animal. And I had the horrible feeling that they made her look like this on purpose.
Sean rose. “Good morning, Your Honor. Sean Holt on behalf of the defendant.”
Belmont remained seated, smiling faintly. Like she held an Uno reverse card and was just waiting to play it.
“Your Honor,” Sean continued, “we are here because of an emergency motion to modify bail based on new evidence. Since Ms. Alderwyn’s detention, Nicole Alderwyn was violently attacked in her home by the individual the defense has long identified as the real murder suspect of Zach Nabb. This attack was to silence her when she found out the name of the murder suspect, John Myers.”
He let that sit.
