Chapter 14 - The Legal Avalanche
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Over the next week, while I recovered comfortably in the hospital, the legal machinery my father set in motion flattened Carter and his mother completely.
In a closed-door arraignment at the federal courthouse, Carter was formally charged with felony domestic assault, attempted reckless endangerment of an unborn child, unlawful restraint, and destruction of personal property.
Because of the severe nature of the injuries and the abuse of power involved, the judge set bail at a staggering five million dollars—cash only.
Carter sat at the defense table in a orange jumpsuit, his hair unkempt, looking around frantically for his high-priced attorney friends. None of them showed up. The law firm he worked for had fired him within two hours of his arrest, issuing a public statement condemning his actions.
“Your Honor,” Carter’s public defender pleaded weakly. “My client is an attorney with no prior criminal record. He poses no flight risk—”
“Your client actively prevented a heavily pregnant woman from seeking emergency medical care while she was bleeding,” the judge interrupted coldly, glaring over her glasses at Carter. “Bail is set at five million. Next case.”
Carter collapsed back into his chair, staring at his handcuffed wrists in utter horror.
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Across town, Eleanor was forced to move into a cheap, run-down motel on the outskirts of the city, her bank accounts frozen by federal prosecutors who were meticulously auditing every dime her late husband had left behind.
The woman who had bragged about her expensive china and high-society connections was now eating microwaved meals off paper plates.
