Chapter 9 - The Iron Cages
Vanessa raised the pistol, her finger trembling against the trigger guard.
"I will do it, Daniel! I swear to God I will!"
Before she could pull the trigger, the dark perimeter fence of the airfield erupted in a blinding storm of flashing red and blue lights.
Four Port Authority police cruisers, followed by two unmarked black SUVs, crashed through the gate onto the apron, their sirens screaming through the night. The vehicles formed a tactical semicircle around the nose of the Gulfstream, their high-powered spotlights pinning Vanessa and Pendelton in a crossfire of blinding white light.
Over a megaphone, a thunderous voice echoed across the tarmac:
"PORT AUTHORITY POLICE! DROP THE WEAPON! DROP THE WEAPON IMMEDIATELY AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!"
Arthur Pendelton didn't hesitate. He dropped his umbrella, raised both hands into the air, and threw himself flat onto the metal stairs, trembling violently. "Don't shoot! I'm unarmed! I surrender!"
Vanessa stood frozen in the glare of the spotlights. The rain soaked through her cashmere coat, plastering it against her body. She looked at Daniel, who stood three steps below her, completely still, unmoved by the chaos around them.
She looked at the pistol in her hand. Then she looked at the tactical officers advancing across the wet concrete with carbines raised.
Her fingers uncurled.
The small nickel pistol fell, bouncing down the metal steps before coming to rest at Daniel’s feet.
Two officers ran up the stairs, grabbed Vanessa by the arms, twisted her around, and slammed her against the fuselage of the aircraft. The cold metal cuffs clicked around her wrists with a sharp, final snap.
"Vanessa Mercer, you are under arrest for attempted murder, assault, and grand larceny," the arresting officer recited, pushing her down the stairs.
As she was led past Daniel, her face was twisted with hatred.
"You have nothing, Daniel!" she spat, rain running down her pale cheeks. "The offshore accounts are locked! The code is already uploaded to Switzerland! You will be bankrupt by Monday!"
Daniel didn't answer her. He didn't even look into her eyes as they pushed her into the back of the cruiser.
Detective Vance stepped out of the second unmarked SUV, walking toward Daniel with a heavy sigh. He looked at the Gulfstream, then at the Porsche blocking the runway.
"You're out of your mind, Mercer," Vance said, though there was a grudging respect in his tone. "You broke through two security barriers and obstructed an active airfield."
"Did you get the warrant?" Daniel asked.
Vance pulled a folded document from his leather jacket. "Signed by the superior court judge twenty minutes ago. We intercepted Pendelton’s phone records while we were en route. His firm has been laundering corporate espionage funds for three years. Your wife was their primary technical source."
Vance reached down and picked up the black leather briefcase Vanessa had dropped on the tarmac. He opened the latch beneath the rain shield. Inside were three high-density encrypted external drives, four Swiss bank bearer certificates, and Daniel’s stolen hardware authentication token.
"Is this your property?" Vance asked.
"It is," Daniel said.
"We’ll hold it for forensic processing, but your legal counsel can file for an emergency evidentiary copy tomorrow morning. Your intellectual property didn't leave the country."
Daniel turned toward the flashing lights. The adrenaline that had carried him across four thousand miles and three states was finally beginning to recede, leaving behind an overwhelming, bone-deep exhaustion.
"Where are they taking her?" Daniel asked.
"The county detention center in Hackensack for tonight," Vance said. "Extradition hearing to Connecticut on Thursday. For attempted murder on an elderly dependent, the bail will be set at ten million cash, if the judge even grants it. She isn't going anywhere, Mr. Mercer."
May you like
Daniel nodded once. "Thank you, Detective."
He walked back to his Porsche, stepped inside the quiet cabin, and sat in silence for a long time, watching the cruisers carry his wife away into the dark.
