Chapter 16 - THE SENTENCES
At sentencing, Charles spoke about the vineyard.
His father planted the first vines.
His children grew up among the fields.
The family employed hundreds of people.
He asked the judge not to destroy a legacy because of accounting mistakes.
Elena looked at me.
Accounting mistakes did not scream behind locked doors.
Eleanor claimed she had protected the family from outsiders who wanted its wealth.
Maya spoke after her.
“I was not an outsider when I gave birth to your grandchildren.”
“Claire was not an outsider when your son promised to love her.”
“Elena was not an outsider when she protected your company for eleven years.”
“You called us outsiders only when we owned something you wanted.”
Julian apologized to the children through his attorney.
The judge noted that he had used those same children during a hostage situation.
Adrian looked at me before speaking.
“I loved Claire.”
The words produced no feeling inside me.
He continued.
“I was under enormous pressure.”
“My father controlled the finances.”
“My mother controlled the family.”
The judge interrupted.
“Who controlled the plate?”
Adrian lowered his eyes.
“I did.”
I gave my statement last.
“You believed the worst thing you could do was hurt me in front of witnesses.”
“The worst thing was believing the witnesses belonged to you.”
“You believed family loyalty would erase sound, blood, records, and memory.”
“You were wrong.”
Charles and Eleanor received sentences that would likely keep them imprisoned for the rest of their lives.
Adrian received twenty-eight years.
Julian received twenty-two.
The court ordered hundreds of millions in restitution.
The Napa estate was seized.
The wine collection was sold.
The iron chandelier came down with the dining room.
The vineyard itself was transferred into an employee-owned company so workers would not lose their livelihoods because of the family’s crimes.
The hidden basement was preserved temporarily as evidence.
Then the steel door was removed.
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The rooms were converted into an archive for financial-abuse investigations.
The place once used to silence women became a place where their statements were stored permanently.
