Chapter 16 - The Empty Throne
The fallout was swift and absolute. A week after the trial, the Holloway organic brand was officially liquidated by the state to pay restitution to the defrauded grocery chains.
I was at the local hardware store buying new hinges for the diner’s kitchen door when I saw her.
Margaret Holloway was pushing a cart down the clearance aisle. Her hair, usually perfectly coiffed, was pulled back in a messy clip. She was wearing a faded trench coat, aggressively comparing the prices of two off-brand cans of soup.
She looked up and saw me.
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For a moment, time froze. She expected me to gloat. She expected me to walk over and laugh in her face.
But I didn't. I simply looked at her, feeling absolutely nothing but a dull, fleeting pity. I turned my back, walked to the register, paid for my hinges, and left her standing in the dust of her ruined life. She wasn't worth my breath.
