50
After the truth broke, Juliet was exonerated of any wrongdoing.
Larimar Springs had been closed temporarily, pending the restructure with Montavan International, giving her a lot of time to consider how perilously close she’d come to taking her entire life over a cliff.
In the weeks since the closure, she’d often spent her evenings in front of the television, watching the episodes of the last months of her life unfold like an HBO drama.
First, there were the images of the arrests—of Alexa being led from her posh Mediterranean-style home in handcuffs, followed by a stricken-looking husband and son, no longer the smiling family shown in the photos in her office.
Both she and her plastic surgeon husband agreed to relinquish the company to Cyril without a legal fight, in exchange for his promise not to sue for damages.
Greer didn’t fold as easily.
Rumor had it that when Greer learned of the incriminating security tape, he’d come completely undone. He’d shouted at his attorneys, even shoving one to the ground after the guy had the nerve to tell his ruffled client that there was no viable way to keep the recording out of evidence.
In the end, Greer turned himself in to the authorities, and of course the media covered him leaving the arraignment, flanked by attorneys. While not a hair was out of place, no one but Juliet likely noticed that one of his cuff links was missing.
In one of many press conferences, Dr. Breslin stood in the parking lot of Children’s Hospital and read a written statement that included an eloquent recitation of how the outbreak had affected government resources, the community, and taxpayer dollars. He expressed that no amount of government oversight was effective if people in key management positions wantonly disregarded public safety.
He pulled his reading glasses from his face and looked into the camera. “On behalf of the City of San Antonio, the Texas Department of Health Services, the US Department of Agriculture, and the US Centers for Disease Control, I hope the court will send a clear message that these types of blatant criminal acts placing people in medical danger will not be tolerated. I urge the court to send a strong warning to corporate officers across this country by rendering the strongest punishment possible in this case.”
When Juliet learned that Alexa Carmichael and Greer Latham had later pled guilty to multiple counts of distribution of adulterated food product, as well as conspiracy and fraud related to the audits, she’d been relieved there would be no trial, yet saddened.
While no one could argue the former executives deserved to be brought to justice, she didn’t relish knowing they’d likely be incarcerated, at least for a period of time.
Over the course of the past weeks, a lesson had been learned. She no longer held a fervent desire for meting out justice on her own. She’d leave punishing wrongdoers, including Alexa and Greer, to God and the proper authorities.
The Scripture her mother had underlined was spot-on. Juliet now could so easily see how God had indeed been right by her side the entire time, protecting and guiding her through the deep waters.
Sitting on the sofa, she reached across the cushions and gently caressed the worn leather cover of her mother’s Bible. “Mom, you were right. The better way is to forgive and let go.”
She stood and headed into the kitchen, where she withdrew a pan from the cupboard, then moved to the refrigerator for the chicken she planned to fry for dinner. She’d worked hard to perfect her ability to make her mother’s cream gravy and couldn’t wait to show off her new skill to her father tonight when he came over for dinner, something that was a fairly frequent occurrence now that they were becoming friends.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice on the television.
“As recent as two months ago, forty people in Oklahoma were sickened with listeria linked to raw milk. And only weeks before that, in California, hundreds fell ill after eating romaine lettuce tainted with salmonella. I could name a dozen more such incidents, all in the last twelve months. No matter what happens within the justice system for the likes of Alexa Carmichael and Greer Latham, I hope health officials don’t let down their guard, believing we’ve done even near enough to protect the public.”
Smiling, she wiped her hands on a towel and quickly returned to the television.
Cameras flashed, and dozens of reporters scrambled to take notes, paying close attention to the man speaking, likely wondering who would be bold enough to make such assertions.
But Juliet knew.