Ch.61: The Final Evidence

I spoke for ten minutes. I told the city about the rigged autopsy. About the deep-faked video. About the blackmail and the murder.

And as I spoke, I watched the street below. The riot wasn't stopping. It was growing. People were flooding into the square, surrounding the courthouse, pushing back the police line.

The timer on Julian's tablet hit zero.

**VERDICT LOCKED.**

**FINAL TALLY:**
**GUILTY: 1%**
**INNOCENT: 99%**

A cheer rose from the street, loud enough to shake the glass in the windows.

"We did it," Julian said, taking off his headset.

"Not yet," I said. "We cleared your name. But we haven't convicted Sterling."

I looked at the door. Someone was pounding on it.

"Open up! This is the FBI!"

It was Miller.

Julian dragged the bookshelf away. Miller burst in, followed by a team of agents. But these weren't the ones who had raided the motel. These were his people.

"Secure the building!" Miller shouted. "Arrest anyone wearing a Sterling & Wolfe badge!"

He looked at us. He was grinning.

"You crazy kids," he said. "You actually did it."

"Where is he?" I asked. "Where is Sterling?"

"He's in the courtroom," Miller said. "He tried to run, but the Rats blocked the exits. He's trapped."

I looked at Julian.

"Let's go finish this."

We walked back into the courtroom. It was a wreck. Overturned chairs. Shattered glass. The smell of tear gas hung in the air.

Sterling was standing at the prosecution table, surrounded by his lawyers. He looked like a cornered animal.

But he wasn't alone.

Mia was there. She was sitting in the witness box, handcuffs on her wrists. The FBI had picked her up trying to sneak out the back.

I walked to the defense table. I picked up the microphone. It was working again.

"The People call Mia Vance to the stand," I said.

Sterling lunged forward. "You can't do this! The trial is over!"

"The trial for Julian Vane is over," I said. "The trial for Liam Vance is just beginning."

I looked at Mia. She looked small. Broken.

"Mia," I said softly. "Look at me."

She looked up. Her eyes were empty.

"They have the financial records," I said. "They have the emails. They know everything."

"I know," she whispered.

"But they don't have the whole story," I said. "They don't have the order."

I walked closer to the witness box.

"Sterling says you acted alone. He says you were a rogue employee who killed her brother for money. He's going to let you take the fall for everything."

Mia looked at Sterling. He was staring straight ahead, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Is that true, Marcus?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"You're a liability, Mia," Sterling said coldly. "I never told you to kill anyone."

Mia's face crumbled. The mask of the ambitious lawyer, the ruthless survivor... it all fell away.

"You liar!" she screamed. "You told me if I didn't do it, you'd kill Harper! You told me it was the only way to save her!"

"Objection!" Sterling shouted.

"Overruled!" Halloway yelled from under his desk, finally crawling out. He looked at the FBI agents surrounding the room. He knew which way the wind was blowing. " The witness will answer!"

"He gave the order!" Mia sobbed. "He told Kael to take the shot! He told me to close the door! He made me watch!"

She looked at me.

"I didn't want to do it, Harper. I swear. I loved him."

"Then prove it," I said. "Give us the final piece."

"What piece?"

"The video," I said. "The one you took on your phone. In the alley."

Mia froze.

"How did you know?"

"Because you're my sister," I said. "And you document everything."

Mia looked at Sterling. Then she looked at me.

"It's in the cloud," she whispered. "Folder: Insurance."

I looked at Julian. He was already typing on the tablet.

A moment later, the screen above the bench flickered.

A new video appeared. Shaky. Cell phone footage.

It showed the alley. It showed the van. It showed Kael.

And it showed Sterling.

He wasn't just giving orders. He was there. Standing over Liam's body.

*"Make sure he's dead,"* Sterling's voice came through the speakers, clear and undeniable. *"Then plant the evidence on Vane. And get the sister to sign the requisition."*

The video ended.

The courtroom was silent.

Sterling stared at the blank screen. He didn't scream. He didn't fight. He just slumped into his chair, a man whose empire had just turned to dust.

I looked at Mia. She was weeping, her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

I walked over to her. I wanted to hug her. I wanted to slap her.

Instead, I leaned close.

"It all ends with you, sister," I whispered.

And I walked away.