Chapter 9 - The Bail Hearing
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Forty-eight hours later, I attended Austin's bail hearing at the San Diego County Superior Court.
I sat in the front row of the gallery in a motorized wheelchair, my left leg extended straight out in a heavy black brace. Detective Vance sat right beside me.
My mother sat across the aisle, dressed in a sleek black suit, deliberately refusing to look in my direction.
Austin was led into the courtroom in handcuffs, wearing a bright orange jail jumpsuit. His hair was messy, but when he saw my mother, he offered her a confident, arrogant smile.
"Your Honor," Austin's public defense attorney began, "my client is a lifelong resident of San Diego with no prior criminal record. The incident in question was a tragic domestic dispute between siblings. We request bail be set at a reasonable fifty thousand dollars."
The judge frowned, reviewing the arrest report.
"The victim suffered a shattered knee requiring major reconstructive surgery," the judge noted sharply.
Before the prosecutor could speak, the doors at the back of the courtroom opened.
Naomi Millican walked in, accompanied by her father and a high-powered private attorney.
The gallery whispered as Naomi walked straight to the prosecution table and handed the prosecutor a thick manila folder.
The prosecutor skimmed the contents, then stood up immediately.
"Your Honor," the prosecutor announced loudly, "the state requests that bail be denied entirely. We have just been handed evidence provided by Ms. Naomi Millican."
Austin's smile vanished.
"The defendant," the prosecutor continued, "attempted to extort two hundred thousand dollars from Mr. Millican yesterday morning via text message from his holding cell, threatening to release fabricated financial records regarding Millican Real Estate if his bail was not paid."
The judge’s face turned stern as steel.
"Furthermore," the prosecutor added, "we have opened a joint investigation with federal healthcare fraud authorities regarding Mr. Wellman's involvement in a four-million-dollar billing embezzlement scheme."
The judge slammed his gavel down.
"Bail is denied. The defendant will remain in custody pending trial."
Austin’s eyes went wide with panic. As the guards grabbed his arms to lead him out, he whipped his head toward me, his face twisting into a terrifying snarl.
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"You rat!" he screamed, struggling against the guards. "You ruined everything, Monica! I should have broken your neck!"
My mother burst into tears, while I sat straight in my wheelchair, staring him down without blinking once.
