Chapter 6 - The Freezing of the House
By Wednesday afternoon, the legal wall that Linda and Ryan had tried to build had completely disintegrated. The federal indictment allowed the Department of Justice to issue an emergency freeze on every asset tied to the Miller name.
I sat in the small garden behind the base commander's quarters, the cool breeze from Lake Michigan rustling the green leaves above my head. Captain Jenkins sat nearby, checking the digital charts on her tablet.
"The federal marshals locked the apartment door this morning, Emily," Captain Jenkins said softly. "Ryan and his mother were evicted from the property because the corporate subsidy was revoked following the indictment. They're currently staying in a low-rent motel near the airport, using a single credit card that hasn't been frozen yet because it's under a secondary business name."
"And the news?" I asked, looking toward the distant perimeter fence.
"The cameras are gone," she smiled. "Once Major Carter released the photographs of the bruises to the federal judge, the media realized they were being used by a corporate fixer to cover up a horrific case of abuse. The local stations ran an apology segment this morning."
Dad walked down the gravel path, wearing his fatigue uniform, his boots dusty from the base training grounds. He sat on the bench next to me, placing a small, familiar wooden box in my lap.
"What's this?" I asked, touching the carved oak lid.
"Your mother's jewelry box," Dad said, his eyes turning toward the lake. "The one Linda told you was lost during the move last year. Sergeant Major Vance found it hidden in the bottom drawer of Linda’s master bedroom in her suburban house. She hadn't even cleaned the initials off the silver clasp."
I opened the box. Inside sat my mother’s diamond engagement ring, her gold wedding band, and the small pearl necklace she had worn the day I was born. Linda had stolen them from my storage bins while I was too weak from the early stages of my pregnancy to stop her, telling me that I must have misplaced them because of my "pregnancy brain."
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"They wanted to erase her, Dad," I whispered, the hot tears returning to my eyes as I clutched the pearl necklace against my chest. "They wanted to make me believe I was crazy so I wouldn't remember who I was."
"You are a Bennett, Emily," Dad said, his voice firm, his large hand wrapping around my shoulder. "Your mother stood by my side through three deployments. She built hospitals in Europe and schools in Asia. You have her blood, and you have my armor. The Millers thought they were dealing with an isolated girl in a lonely apartment. They didn't realize they had drawn a line against an entire regiment."
