Chapter 7 - The Trial of Whispers and Lies
The criminal trial of the State of Colorado vs. Andrew Whitfield, Rachel Adams, and Margaret Whitfield began in the autumn. The courtroom was packed to maximum capacity.
The prosecution called Thomas Wright, the disgraced lab technician, to the stand. Sweating and weeping, Wright confessed to everything. "Andrew Whitfield paid me fifty thousand dollars to swap the labels on the cryogenic vials. His mother, Margaret, personally delivered the cash to my apartment. I didn't know what they were going to do with it, I swear! I just needed the money!"
Next came Rachel Adams. Taking the stand in her prison uniform, she tried to play the victim, sobbing that she was misled by Andrew.
But Emily’s criminal prosecutor was relentless. "Mrs. Adams, you were Emily Parker’s best friend. You knew her medical history. You knew she had one remaining embryo left at that clinic. When you signed the paperwork that listed the embryo's exact serial number—the same number Emily had tattooed on her wrist after her miscarriages—you didn't ask a single question? You didn't find it odd that the donor's description matched Emily's physical traits perfectly?"
Rachel cracked under the pressure. "I didn't care!" she shrieked, glaring at Emily from the witness stand. "I wanted Andrew! I wanted the house, the name, the life! Emily was weak, she couldn't keep him happy, so why should she get to keep his legacy?"
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The courtroom gasped. The jury looked at Rachel with utter disgust.
Andrew sat with his head bowed, realizing that his wealth, his prestige, and his mother's influence could no longer save him from the monstrous reality of what they had done.
