Chapter 25 - Richard’s Sentence
Richard received a reduced sentence because of his confession and cooperation.
It was still prison.
Linda cried at the hearing.
Jessica held her hand.
Rachel sat on the other side.
Before officers led him away, Richard looked at his daughters.
“I taught you that providing money meant protecting you.”
Rachel answered:
“You taught us what silence costs.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
Jessica asked whether he had ever considered reporting Vale.
“Every year.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because each year I had more to lose.”
That answer remained with her.
Wrongdoing did not become harder to stop because time passed.
It became harder because profit accumulated around it.
Rachel visited Richard months later.
He worked in the prison library and helped federal auditors understand old contracts.
He did not ask Rachel to forgive him.
That mattered.
Linda moved into a smaller home.
The large family house had been partly paid for with Meridian-linked money.
She sold it and placed the proceeds into the compensation fund.
Jessica moved in temporarily.
For the first time since childhood, mother and daughter lived without Richard’s business defining every conversation.
Rachel attended physical therapy three times a week.
Her ankle healed.
The rib pain lingered.
Some nights, the long monitor tone returned in dreams.
Jessica stayed with her during the worst nights.
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Neither sister spoke about the years they lost.
They concentrated on building years that had not happened yet.
