Impractically Inseparable

Impractically Inseparable (Epilogue)

"Were there any signs that Mr. Miller wasn't the same?" I looked towards Shane and then back at the judge. "There were always signs since the beginning, but I was too stupid to notice them. In freshmen year I apparently said something stupid and he got mad about it and started yelling at me. I don't remember exactly what I said, but it must've been serious to him." The judge nodded and then stood up from his chair. "Do you still have any bruises from Mr. Miller and if so, may I see them?" I nodded and the judge stepped down from his post and towards me. I took my blazer and top off and pulled my tank top down a little to show stab marks on my left shoulder. I then lifted it so it showed my right side and said to the judge, "This scar is the first time he shot me. All the other scars are on my upper thighs." The judge was silent and moved back to his chair. He sat down, grabbed his gavel, raised it, and said, "On the account of abuse on Haley Vulcano, Shane Miller is found guilty. Now for the charge of murder." I gulped and told Sal to sit with Bessy and Rose. He looked at me with concern but did as I told him. "Shane Miller is being sued for the murders of Jenna Vulcano, Dana Vulcano, and Allison Vulcano." (No Allison is not the name of Sal's third sister...I just made it up because she's the only one whose name is never mentioned.) I felt tense silence behind me and knew Sal was either crying or glaring at Shane and wanting to kill him. "Now Shane Miller has already been found guilty of murdering them, but we all want to know why you, Mrs. Vulcano are suing him and why Mr. Vulcano isn't." I heard a chair scoot back and Sal yell, "You fucking bastard! I'll kill you! You deserve to burn in fucking hell!" The judge glared at Sal, "Mr. Vulcano please take a seat." "To hell, I will!" I turned around and placed my hands on Sal's shoulders. "Sal, sit down. We are getting what you wanted. This should be closure for you," I harshly whispered. Sal was about to protest, but I glared at him and then he sat down. I then turned around and the judge said, "Thank you Mrs. Vulcano. Now please answer the question." I sighed and replied, "He isn't suing because his friend, my two friends, and I are the only ones that knew Shane did it. Joe came over to our house and told me what happened. Sal wasn't with us at the time. I didn't want to tell Sal because I knew he would react like he just did." The judge processed this and then questioned, "Where are these friends?" I looked at Bessy and Rose, then looked to the audience to find Joe standing up. They came to stand next to me and Joe smiled softly. I smiled back and the judge asked, "What are your names?" Joe went first, "I'm Joe Gatto." The judge nodded and then turned to look at the two brown-haired girls next to me. Bessy spoke up, "I'm Bessy Gatto." "I'm Rose Murray," Rose said. The judge looked between them and asked, "Are these the only three involved in witnessing your abuse, or do they have any relation to Mr. Vulcano?" Joe, Bessy, and Rose stared intensely at me and I stated, "My friend Kerri, who is dead was a witness, and Brian Quinn and James Murray were also witnesses." The judge looked taken aback and then asked another question, "Is Brian Quinn and James Murray here?" I nodded and turned around to already see Q and Murr standing behind me. The police officer standing next to the judge waved a hand to all of them and they stepped forward. "I want all of the stories from each one of you." They all nodded and I felt Sal's hand tighten on mine. Bessy stepped forward even more and started speaking, "Shane always showed signs of being a possible killer. He'd get mad quickly, abuse Haley every chance he got, choke her, shoot her. It's no surprise the bastard killed Sal's sisters. I'm not surprised that it was Shane. From what I was told, Shane was abused as a kid and I guess his father was a killer, so Shane must've thought it was okay for him to try to kill Haley and actually kill Sal's sisters. Shane was typically an angry guy most of the time and when we found him with Haley in his grasped at Central Park fifteen years ago, we knew he wouldn't leave her alone until he killed her, or she died some other way." Bessy then stepped back towards me and everyone else spoke, which were similar stories as to Bessy's. "On the account of murder, Shane Miller is found guilty. He is sentenced to life with no bail." Everyone cheered and I saw Shane glare at me and mouth, "I'll kill you." The police officer then took him away and I felt hands on my shoulders. I turned around and found Sal with watering, green eyes. I frowned and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that he did it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that he did it. I'm sorry for your sisters." Sal smiled a very small smile and tears fell from his eyes. He fell into my arms and I hugged him so tight that I could feel his heart beating. "It's over," I whispered, "We have justice."