Chapter 6 - The Federal Hammer
Flashing red and blue lights illuminated the grand windows of Vance Manor.
Dozens of vehicles were ascending the hill, their sirens cutting through the night. But these were not the local Oakridge municipal cruisers that Tessa and Morgan had bought and paid for.
These were heavy, armored tactical vehicles bearing the insignia of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, flanked by US Marshals and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
Colonel Jack Sterling stepped through the shattered front entrance, flanked by four armed federal agents in tactical vests.
Sterling walked into the ballroom, his eyes scanning the cowering socialites, the broken furniture, and the two sisters pinned on the floor. He looked at Nia.
"Evidence secured, Commander Stone?" Sterling asked crisply.
"Evidence secured, Colonel," Nia replied, stepping off Morgan’s back.
Marcus handed a secure flash drive directly to the lead FBI Special Agent. "Unedited master recording. Digital timestamp matches the trauma intake at St. Jude. Furthermore, we’ve recovered six years of offshore financial transfers between Tessa Vance, Morgan Vance, and Detective Keith Miller, along with systematic trust-fund embezzlement records."
The FBI agent glanced at the drive, nodded, and signaled his team.
"Tessa Vance. Morgan Vance," the agent announced, drawing two pairs of heavy steel handcuffs. "You are under arrest for federal conspiracy, aggravated assault resulting in catastrophic bodily injury to a minor, witness tampering, and wire fraud."
"You can't arrest us!" Tessa shrieked, scrambling backward like a wounded animal. "Call our attorney! Call Judge Harrison! He plays golf at our club!"
"Judge Harrison was briefed twenty minutes ago by the federal magistrate," Sterling said with cold satisfaction. "He recused himself and signed your federal no-bail detention order. You aren't going to county lockup, ladies. You're going to a federal holding facility."
Agents moved in swiftly, wrenching Morgan up from the floor and twisting Tessa’s arms behind her back. The steel cuffs ratcheted tight with brutal finality.
As Tessa was dragged past Nia, her face twisted with a mixture of hatred and sheer terror. "You think you won? You're nothing! You’re just a soldier!"
Nia looked her dead in the eye.
"You thought I was an Army clerk," Nia said quietly. "You thought my daughter was defenseless. You were wrong about both."
May you like
The sisters were dragged out into the flashing lights, shoved into the back of armored prisoner transports, and hauled away into the darkness, their names, wealth, and status incinerated forever.
***
