Chapter 5 - The Legal War Begins
I hired Arthur Vance—no relation, but the most lethal corporate and family lawyer in the state. A man who charged $800 an hour and enjoyed ruining corrupt people.
In his glass office overlooking the harbor, I laid out the evidence: five years of Western Union and bank transfer receipts from Riyadh, the medical reports detailing Jamie’s malnourishment and Sarah’s chemical burns, and the secret weapon Sarah had hidden away.
"What is this?" Arthur asked, picking up a small, dusty digital voice recorder Sarah had slipped into his hand.
"Gertrude forgot she bought this for her book club years ago," Sarah explained, her voice steady. "I found it in the trash pile when they threw it out because the battery door was loose. I taped it up. For the last year, whenever Gertrude came into the back kitchen to threaten me or tell me how she was spending Michael's money, I kept it running in my apron pocket."
Arthur plugged the recorder into his laptop. A minute later, the room filled with Gertrude’s sharp, cruel voice:
"You're nothing but a stray Michael brought home, Sarah. That money belongs to the Vance family, not you. Look at this diamond bracelet Prudence bought today—Michael paid for that with his sweat, and you don't deserve to even breathe the same air as it. Now clean up those scraps and get back out to the shed before I call Child Services and tell them you're starving your boy."
Arthur stopped the recording. A slow, predatory smile crossed his face.
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"Mr. Vance, your mother and sister didn't just commit civil wrongs," Arthur said, leaning back in his leather chair. "This is grand larceny, human trafficking via forced labor, and criminal child abuse. They aren't going to get a dime from you. They are going to prison."
"Good," I said. "But don't file the criminal charges just yet. Let them build their civil case. Let them tell their lies to the media. I want them to climb as high as possible so the fall breaks every bone in their reputation."
