Chapter 3 - The Wire and the Wiretap
Within an hour, our private residence had turned into an active crime scene. The paramedics transported Teresa to Northwestern Memorial Hospital under protective custody, while Vanessa was escorted into the back of a squad car in silver handcuffs, screaming profanities that stripped away whatever remained of her high-society affectation.
Detective Harris from the Special Investigations Division sat opposite me in my leather-paneled study. Outside, forensics teams were cataloging the contents of Vanessa’s vanity, seizing her computers, hard drives, and private luggage.
"Mr. Vance, this is no longer a standard aggravated battery or unlawful restraint case," Harris said, flipping open a manila folder. "Your corporate security contractor sent over the logs from your private exchange. We know why she panicked."
"My corporate attorney warned me three days ago," I explained, pouring two glasses of black coffee. "Someone had initiated a subpoena draft through a shell firm, trying to obtain an expedited copy of the Vance Aerospace Revocable Living Trust. Only two people knew the legal registry number: myself and my designated executor."
"Or someone who opened your locked wall safe," Harris said, tapping an evidence bag containing a miniature, fiber-optic camera no thicker than a needle. "We found this magnetic pinhole lens installed in the crown molding right above your desk keypad. She had your codes. She had your schedule down to the minute."
A cold tremor settled into my chest. "What was she planning with Julian?"
Harris slid an audio transcript across the desk. It had been recovered from the smart-hub interface in the kitchen, triggered when Vanessa’s shrill argument with her brother crossed the system’s decibel threshold the previous evening.
*Julian:* "The notarization has to happen Thursday afternoon. The notary is paid off. If David signs the supplementary appendix, the aerospace patent rights convert to community assets immediately upon solemnization."
*Vanessa:* "He suspects nothing. He thinks I’m picking out centerpieces. But the maid keeps lingering by the doorway. She saw the seal on the briefcase."
*Julian:* "Then deal with her. Fire her. Make her look dirty. If Teresa opens her mouth before the ink dries, we’re facing twenty years for systemic fraud."
I set my mug down, my hand steady despite the fury vibrating through my veins. "Julian Albright isn't her brother, is he?"
May you like
Detective Harris met my eyes with grim admiration. "You caught on fast. Julian Albright is her longtime partner. And Vanessa Cross isn't her real name."
***
