Chapter 7 - The Trap Snares
The next morning, the legal net tightened completely.
I met with my head of legal counsel, Marcus Thorne, and federal investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission in my office. We presented a airtight dossier detailing David’s three-year scheme: forged documents, offshore accounts, and systematic tax evasion executed while he was acting as COO.
Meanwhile, David’s parents, Teresa and Arthur, were trying to check into a mid-tier hotel in New Jersey using an old joint checkbook. When the checks bounced, the hotel manager called the authorities.
When the police arrived, they discovered that Arthur had attempted to settle the bill using a corporate credit card registered under Vance Logistics—a card that had been officially reported stolen and canceled eighteen hours prior.
By noon, both David and his father were standing in the interrogation room of the Precinct, cuffed and waiting for arraignment. Teresa was left sitting on a wooden bench in the waiting area, her silk dress rumpled, her makeup smeared, weeping uncontrollably as passbyers ignored her cries.
When I entered the precinct accompanied by my legal team, Teresa leaped from the bench and threw herself at my feet, grabbing the hem of my trousers.
“Eleanor! Please!” she sobbed, her arrogance entirely shattered. “Have mercy! He’s your husband! We are your family! You can’t do this to us! Look at what you’re doing to poor David!”
I pulled my ankle back gently, looking down at her without a trace of anger or pity.
“Family, Teresa?” I asked quietly. “Family doesn't trap a person in her own house. Family doesn't use someone's grief over her father's death to steal her inheritance. And family certainly doesn't applaud when a son abandons his wife for a mistress.”
May you like
“I was wrong!” she wept, pressing her forehead against the polished floor. “I’ll apologize! I’ll clean your house! I’ll do whatever you want! Just drop the charges! Don't send my son to prison!”
“It’s out of my hands now, Teresa,” I said smoothly, stepping past her toward the prosecutor's office. “The federal government doesn't care about family drama. They only care about evidence. And I gave them everything.”
