Chapter 7 - The Grand Jury
The Travis County Courthouse was a grey, imposing structure in the heart of downtown Austin.
On Tuesday morning, the air was cool and crisp as I walked up the wide stone steps beside my mother and Harrison Vance. My mother wore a dark navy dress, her silver hair neatly styled, holding my arm with steady confidence. She was no longer the trembling woman I had found on the patio seven days ago.
Assistant District Attorney Marcus Cole met us in the marble corridor outside the third-floor grand jury room. Cole was a sharp man in his late thirties, wearing a charcoal suit, carrying a thick leather trial binder.
"Good morning, Ms. Vance, Mrs. Vance," Cole greeted us warmly, shaking our hands. "Are you ready?"
"We're ready, Mr. Cole," my mother spoke up her voice clear and firm.
"The grand jury has been reviewing the financial records and bank surveillance tapes for the past two hours," Cole explained as we stood outside the heavy oak doors. "Mrs. Vance, when you step inside, I will ask you a series of direct questions about your living conditions, the bank accounts, and the pressure Julian Hayes applied to you. All you have to do is tell the truth."
"I will," she nodded.
Ten minutes later, the double doors opened, and my mother was escorted inside by the bailiff.
Harrison and I waited on the wooden benches in the quiet corridor. Through the frosted glass windows, I could hear the muffled sound of Cole presenting the state's evidence, followed by the quiet, steady tone of my mother’s voice answering questions.
Thirty minutes passed.
Then, down the long corridor, I heard the sound of heavy footsteps and loud, agitated voices.
I turned my head.
Julian and Khloe were walking down the hallway toward us, accompanied by their low-cost defense attorney, a thin man in a ill-fitting grey suit holding a flimsy accordion folder.
Julian stopped dead when he saw me sitting outside the grand jury room. His eyes were wild, dark circles bruised beneath them, his clothes looking cheap and unpressed.
"What is she doing in there?" Julian demanded, pointing an aggressive finger at the oak doors. "Is she testifying right now?!"
"Mr. Hayes, quiet down," his lawyer muttered nervously, pulling at Julian’s arm. "This is a active court corridor."
"I don't care!" Julian shouted, stepping toward Harrison and me. "Natalie! You are fabricating charges! You forced your mother to lie to the prosecutors!"
Harrison stood up smoothly, adjusting his jacket, stepping into Julian’s path with imposing presence.
"Mr. Hayes, if you raise your voice again in this corridor, I will have the bailiff arrest you immediately for contempt and witness intimidation," Harrison said in a low, dangerous voice.
Khloe stepped up beside Julian, her face pale, tears streaking her makeup. She looked at me with a desperate, frantic pleading.
"Natalie, please!" Khloe cried out, reaching past Harrison toward me. "Tell them to stop! Julian’s lawyer says he could go to prison for ten years! Ten years, Natalie! We have a future! We were trying to build a business!"
I stood up slowly from the wooden bench, crossing my arms over my chest, looking down at my sister.
"You didn't care about my mother’s future when you locked her in a windowless room, Khloe," I said, my voice echoing off the marble walls. "You didn't care about her health when you spent her medicine money on your luxury clothes. Why should I care about Julian’s future now?"
"She’s your sister!" Julian yelled out, his restraint completely snapping. "She’s your blood, you cold-hearted bitch!"
The oak doors of the grand jury room swung open violently.
Two armed court bailiffs stepped out into the corridor, followed immediately by Assistant District Attorney Marcus Cole.
"What is going on out here?" Cole demanded, his eyes sweeping over Julian’s enraged face.
"He’s intimidating the state’s primary witnesses, Mr. Cole," Harrison stated loudly and clearly.
Cole’s eyes narrowed into slits. He looked at the bailiffs. "Bailiffs, secure this man."
"Wait! No!" Julian gasped, backing away as the two large officers moved in swiftly. "I was just talking to my family! I didn't touch anyone!"
"Julian Hayes," the senior bailiff announced, grabbing Julian’s arm, twisting it behind his back, and snapping a heavy steel cuff over his wrist with a sharp clack. "You are being detained for court disruption and witness intimidation."
"Khloe! Call the lawyer! Call someone!" Julian screamed as he was slammed against the marble wall, the second handcuff clicking into place.
Khloe shrieked, covering her mouth with both hands, collapsing against her attorney as Julian was dragged down the corridor toward the holding cells, his boots dragging against the polished floor.
My mother stepped out of the grand jury room, looking at the scene with calm, unbothered eyes.
Cole turned to my mother, a professional smile appearing on his face.
"Mrs. Vance," Cole said smoothly. "The grand jury has reached a decision. They have returned a true bill on all seven felony counts against Julian Hayes, including First-Degree Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person."
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My mother took a slow, deep breath, looking at Khloe, who was weeping uncontrollably on the floor fifty feet away.
"Thank you, Mr. Cole," my mother said quietly. "Let justice be done."
