Chapter 2 - The Interrogation Room
In Interrogation Room B, Elena sat curled in a chair, her shoulders shaking with violent sobs. Across the table, federal prosecutors presented her with the raw data retrieved from Clara’s flash drive.
Julian’s grand plan had positioned Elena not as a cherished partner in crime, but as a convenient secondary scapegoat. The documents revealed that while Julian had promised her half of the embezzled fortune, her signature was affixed to the most blatant wire-transfer authorizations.
"He told me it was all legal," Elena wept, wiping mascara-streaked tears from her face. "He said Clara was suffering from early-onset memory loss and was ruining the family firm. He told me we were saving the company!"
"Miss Vance," the prosecutor said dryly. "The bank records show three shell companies registered under your maiden name. One of them paid for your luxury apartment in downtown Manhattan. You were not saving the company; you were receiving laundered assets."
Panic seized her. "He promised we would board the flight to Zurich today, deposit the physical bearer bonds in the locked case, and leave Clara behind to face the federal indictment! He showed me the plane tickets!"
"Showed you?" the agent pressed. "Did you ever verify those tickets?"
Elena froze. The realization struck her like a physical blow. The agents pulled up the flight manifest on a monitor. There were only two seats confirmed in first class: one for Julian Reid, and one for Clara Reid. Elena’s ticket was a non-refundable, unconfirmed standby pass that would have left her stranded at the terminal the moment federal authorities stepped in.
"He was going to leave me too," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"If you want any chance at a plea bargain, Miss Vance, you need to tell us everything about the secondary keys to the offshore accounts," the prosecutor stated firmly.
Within two hours, Elena signed a full confession. She provided access codes, personal text messages, and audio recordings of Julian instructing her on how to manipulate the board members of Reid Enterprises.
Meanwhile, Julian sat in an adjacent cell, maintaining a icy silence. He demanded to see his legal counsel, confident that his connections would insulate him from immediate arrest. What he didn't realize was that his primary defense attorney had already received a copy of Clara’s evidence bundle—and had promptly declined to represent him due to an irreconcilable conflict of interest.
When Agent Vance walked back into Julian's room, he placed a single document on the metal table: the signed affidavit from Elena.
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Julian glanced at the signature at the bottom, his arrogant facade cracking from the edges inward. "She's lying," he spat, his voice raspy. "Clara manipulated her. Clara orchestrated all of this!"
"Save it for the judge, Mr. Reid," Vance said, snapping the handcuffs onto Julian’s wrists to initiate his transfer to federal custody. "Your wife didn't just counter your move—she documented every step you took to set her up."
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