Chapter 5 - The Snake in the Cage
Two days later, I stood behind the thick, soundproof glass of the interrogation room at the County Jail.
Eleanor sat on the other side, wearing an orange jumpsuit, her wrists cuffed to a heavy steel loop mounted in the center of the metal table. Even stripped of her designer suits, pearls, and styled hair, her posture was imperious, her cold eyes glinting with unyielding arrogance.
I picked up the black telephone receiver on my side of the glass. She slowly picked up hers.
"You look tired, Elias," Eleanor said, her voice smooth and devoid of an ounce of remorse. "You always let your emotions cloud your judgment. Just like your father."
"Sarah is alive, Mom," I said, my voice deadpan. "She’s testifying before the grand jury on Thursday."
Eleanor sneered, a ugly twist of her mouth. "That ungrateful little brat should have died in that river. I gave her everything! I built a life for you two! After your father threatened to divorce me and leave us penniless, I did what was necessary to protect this family!"
"You didn't protect us. You protected your own greed," I replied. "Kristin is out of the hospital. The twins are healthy. And every single asset you ever touched—the estate, the offshore accounts, the family name—is being seized by the state."
Eleanor leaned forward, her face pressing close to the glass, her dark eyes flashing with pure malice. "You think you've won, Elias? You think you can live a happy little life with that white-trash girl you married? I have resources you don't even know about. My legal team will have these charges thrown out before the month is over. And when I get out..."
"Your legal team was arrested three hours ago, Eleanor," I interrupted quietly. "Marcus gave the FBI all your private ledgers in exchange for a plea bargain."
For the first time, Eleanor froze. The smug arrogance melted from her face, replaced by a hollow, desperate panic.
"No..." she whispered. "Marcus wouldn't..."
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"He did," I said. "You're seventy-two years old, Eleanor. You will die inside a federal prison cell. You will never touch my wife, you will never see my sister again, and my daughters will grow up never knowing your name."
I hung up the phone receiver, stepped back from the glass, and walked out of the room, leaving Eleanor screaming silent curses against the thick glass behind me.
