Against the Machine: A Single Mother's Desperate Fight for Justice and the Dashcam That Proved It All

Chapter 28: The Deliberation

The jury had been out for three days.

Elena sat on a bench in the hallway, her head in her hands. She had no fingernails left. Her bank account was overdrawn by three hundred dollars.

"They're deadlocked," she whispered. "That's what this means, right? Omni-Haul got to one of them."

Marcus handed her a lukewarm coffee. "Maybe. Or maybe they're fighting over how many zeros to write."

Down the hall, Silas Vane was on his phone, looking disheveled. His expensive suit was rumpled. He was arguing with his own insurance carriers, who were threatening to void his coverage due to the criminal acts revealed in court.

Suddenly, the buzzer sounded. A red light flashed above the courtroom doors.

"They're back," Marcus said, standing up.

They filed into the room. The jury looked exhausted. The foreman, a retired schoolteacher, held a folded piece of paper.

Judge Halloway unfolded the note. He read it silently. His eyebrows shot up. He looked at the jury, then at the defense table, and finally at the gallery.

"The jury has reached a verdict," the Judge announced. His voice wavered slightly. "Will the defendant please rise."

Elena stood, her legs feeling like jelly. Marcus gripped her elbow to hold her up.