Chapter 4 - The Rat in the Corner
The morning sun had barely crested the skyline when the front doorbell began to ring incessantly.
RING. RING. RING. RING.
I walked down the hallway wearing my robe, holding a steaming mug of black coffee. I didn't rush. I didn't panic.
Marcus, dressed in a sharp suit with his service weapon securely holstered under his arm, stood near the foyer, watching the security monitor beside the front door.
On the screen, Victor Vance was standing on my porch, his suit from the night before rumpled, his hair messy, his face pale with fury. Beside him stood his mother, Gloria, frantically slapping her hand against the doorbell.
"Open this door, Margaret!" Gloria shrieked through the intercom. "Open this door right now, you psychopathic woman! My son's business cards were declined at the gas station this morning! You have ruined his reputation!"
I pressed the talk button on the intercom wall panel.
"Good morning, Gloria," I said smoothly. "You are currently standing on private property in direct violation of an emergency Order of Protection served on your son six hours ago. You have roughly ninety seconds before the patrol unit I called three minutes ago arrives."
Victor leaned his face close to the camera, his eyes wide and bloodshot. "Margaret! Put Rachel on the phone! I know she's in there! Rachel, baby, listen to me! It was a misunderstanding last night! I was stressed about the business! I had too much to drink!"
"You didn't drink a drop last night, Victor," Rachel’s voice suddenly rang out.
She walked down the stairs, wearing an oversized sweater of mine, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. She looked rested. The fear that had paralyzed her for three years had begun to curdle into cold, sharp anger.
She stepped up to the intercom.
"I watched you order sparkling water all night, Victor," Rachel said into the microphone, her voice echoing out onto the porch. "You weren't drunk. You were arrogant. You thought you could grab my hair and humiliate me because you thought I was too broken to fight back."
"Rachel, please!" Victor pleaded, his voice cracking into panic. "They froze the company accounts! The bank is threatening to call in the primary mortgage on the Riverfront site! If I don't deposit two million dollars by noon, Vance Construction goes into receivership!"
"Then I suggest you ask your mother for a loan, Victor," Rachel replied coldly. "Since she thinks so highly of your business acumen."
"You arrogant little bitch!" Gloria screamed through the speaker. "We made you! Nobody in this city even knew who you were until my son put you on his arm! You owe us everything!"
WOOOO-WOOOO-WOOOO.
The sharp, wailing sirens of two Cook County Sheriff patrol vehicles echoed down the quiet suburban street, their red and blue lights flashing against the oak trees lining the driveway.
Victor’s face drained of all color as the two police cruisers pulled up behind his Audi, blocking him into the driveway. Four uniformed officers stepped out, their hands resting comfortably on their sidearms.
"Mr. Victor Vance?" the lead officer called out. "Step away from the door and place your hands behind your back."
"Wait! You don't understand!" Gloria yelled, waving her hands wildly. "My son is the CEO of Vance Construction! This is a domestic misunderstanding!"
"He is under arrest for violation of an active Order of Protection under Illinois Statute 720 ILCS 5/12-3.4," the officer stated calmly, forcing Victor's arms behind his back and clicking the steel cuffs over his wrists.
Victor thrashed against the officer's grip, glaring at the security camera mounted above the door. "This isn't over, Margaret! My lawyers will rip your case apart! You hear me?! You'll get nothing from the divorce! NOT A SINGLE CENT!"
I watched through the monitor as they shoved Victor into the back seat of the patrol car.
"He's right about one thing, Rachel," I said softly, turning to my daughter.
May you like
Rachel looked at me, puzzled. "What?"
"You won't get a single cent from the divorce," I said, a dark glint in my eyes. "Because by the time we finish with him, Victor Vance won't have a single cent left for us to take."
