Chapter 6 - The Rat Trap
By Friday night, the dominoes were falling so fast the local news couldn't keep up.
The lead story on the six o’clock news featured a live broadcast from the front of Apex Development headquarters. Two state police cruisers were parked at the curb, and uniformed officers were seen carrying grey plastic bins filled with hard drives and filing folders out of the front doors.
“Breaking News,” the anchor announced, her voice serious against a backdrop of graphic logos. “Federal regulators have executed a search warrant on Apex Development Group following allegations of multi-million-dollar banking fraud and environmental reporting falsification. Company CEO Daniel Hale was seen being escorted from his home earlier today by federal marshals...”
I turned off the television in the living room and walked into the kitchen.
Claire was sitting at the island, chopping fresh vegetables for a stew. Barnaby, her golden retriever, was sleeping peacefully at her feet, his tail wagging twice whenever she dropped a piece of carrot.
The pale, terrified girl who had collapsed on my porch four days ago was vanishing. In her place was a woman who was slowly, carefully assembling the pieces of a life she thought had been stolen forever.
“How do you feel?” I asked, leaning against the counter.
“I feel... light,” Claire said, setting her knife down and looking at her hands. “For three years, Sarah, every time the phone rang, my stomach turned into a knot. Every time I heard his car pull into the driveway, I had to check my clothes in the mirror to make sure nothing was wrong. Now... the house is quiet.”
“It’s going to stay quiet,” I said.
The front door chimed. Marcus Vance stepped inside, taking off his wet hat. He walked into the kitchen, pulling a slim white tablet from his coat.
“The federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment an hour ago,” Marcus reported, setting the tablet on the counter. “Wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and two counts of filing false statements to a government agency.”
“Did he post bail?” I asked.
“His lawyer tried to put up his waterfront house as collateral,” Marcus grinned, a dry, satisfied expression. “The judge pointed out that the house is currently subject to a commercial foreclosure lien held by Hale Holdings LLC. Bail was denied. Daniel is spending the weekend in the federal holding facility downtown.”
Claire let out a long, quiet breath. She reached across the counter and took my hand, squeezing it tight.
May you like
“Thank you, Sarah,” she whispered.
“Don't thank me yet,” I smiled softly. “We still have to sell his car.”
