Chapter 3 - The Gathering of Shadows
The battle lines were drawn faster than the ink could dry on the police reports. Within forty-eight hours, Roland’s legal team had filed an emergency motion demanding that Sienna be evaluated by a court-appointed psychologist, claiming her statements were influenced by my "documented financial instability and history of family resentment."
Arthur Vance, a lethal, high-profile defense attorney hired by my father's estate, held a press conference on the steps of the courthouse.
"My client is an elderly man whose health is failing," Arthur announced to the wall of microphones. "The state’s case relies entirely on the uncorroborated testimony of an eight-year-old child who was allegedly found wandering the streets. We have serious questions about the mother's motives and her mental stability during this difficult period."
I sat on the sofa of the safe house, watching the screen, feeling the cold weight of isolation settling over me. They were going to turn the trial into an execution of my character.
A soft knock on the front door broke my trance. Officer Harmon stepped inside, followed by a tall woman with sharp gray eyes, wearing a tailored navy suit.
"Vera, this is Clara Sterling," Harmon said. "She’s the senior federal prosecutor assigned to the civil rights and human trafficking division. The state case is being absorbed into a federal indictment."
Clara Sterling didn't offer a theatrical greeting. She sat down, opened a thick leather binder, and looked straight at me. "Ms. Miller, your father's lawyers are going to try to turn this into a circus. They want to scare you, and they want to break your daughter on the stand. But what they don't know is that we just cracked Carl Fletcher’s encrypted server."
She pulled out a series of printed log sheets. "Carl didn't just take photos, Vera. He kept meticulous records of every financial transaction. For the past three years, over two million dollars moved through a shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands under your father's name. And three of the account numbers used to wire those funds belong to sitting judges in this district."
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My breath hitched. "Judges? The very people who are supposed to try this case?"
"Exactly," Clara said, a grim, predatory smile touching her lips. "That's why we brought in the FBI. We’re bypassing the local court system entirely. The arraignment will happen in a federal court on Friday morning. Your father thinks he owns the room, Vera. We’re about to change the building."
