Chapter 12 - TRIAL PREPARATIONS IN MANHATTAN
Six months later, snowfall covered the steps of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in Manhattan.
Inside courtroom 302, Judge Harrison presided over the opening statements of the trial of the United States versus Eleanor Montgomery.
Eleanor sat at the defense table in a navy blue prison jumpsuit, her ginger hair streaked with silver and tied back tightly.
Her drop sapphire earrings were gone, replaced by simple plastic identification wristbands assigned by federal authorities.
Federal Prosecutor Miller presented the physical evidence to the jury, placing a sealed plastic bag onto the display table.
Inside the bag were the scattered pearl beads recovered from the grand ballroom floor on the night of the gala.
"These pearls were scattered when the defendant physically assaulted a young woman protecting a child," Prosecutor Miller stated clearly.
The jury turned to look at Eleanor, their eyes hardened with moral disapproval as the evidence mounted.
In the front row of the gallery, Ethan sat beside Hannah, holding her hand reassuringly as the trial began.
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Hannah was dressed in an elegant cream wool suit, her confidence fully restored under Ethan's unwavering protection.
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