Chapter 5 - Unraveling the Web
Z
The district attorney’s office was cold and sterile, smelling of stale coffee and old floor wax. I sat on one side of the glass panel in the visitation room, flanked by Sarah Vance. On the other side sat my mother, Evelyn.
In less than twenty-four hours in a holding cell, Evelyn looked like she had aged ten years. Her immaculate blonde hair was unkempt, her designer silk blouse was wrinkled, and her eyes darted around the room like a trapped animal. The arrogant, cruel woman who had stripped my wife of her dignity was gone, replaced by a desperate coward willing to crawl through mud to save herself.
"Andrew... thank God you came," Evelyn wept, pressing her trembling hands against the glass. "You have to help me! They put me in a cell with terrible people! I haven't slept a wink! The food is unpalatable!"
"You gave my pregnant wife cold scraps out of a pot, Mother," I said, my voice completely deadpan. "You made my son sleep on a concrete floor in a broom closet. I’d say a jail cell is far more luxurious than what you provided for your own grandson."
"It was Richard!" Evelyn blurted out instantly, her voice high and screeching. "It was all Richard and Natalie! I didn't want any of it, Andrew! I swear to you! Richard said we were broke... he said his investments failed and we were going to lose everything unless we got control of your company! He threatened to leave me if I didn't help him!"
"And Natalie?" I asked cold-bloodedly.
"Natalie planned the whole thing with that awful Marcus Thorne!" Evelyn spat, showing zero loyalty to her own daughter. "She was the one who came up with the idea to frame Clara! She said Clara was weak and wouldn't fight back! She said if we put enough pressure on her, she'd sign a confession and run away! I told her it was cruel, Andrew! I tried to stop them!"
Sarah Vance let out a dry, disdainful chuckle. "Mrs. Sterling, we have security footage of you personally slapping Clara's hand away when she reached for a glass of water, and we have audio of you calling your grandson a 'nameless bastard.' Do you really think a jury is going to believe you were an unwilling participant?"
Evelyn’s face paled even further. She pressed her face against the glass, her eyes wide with terror. "Andrew, please! I'm your mother! I gave birth to you! You can't let me go to prison! Tell the prosecutor I'm innocent! I'll tell them everything about Richard's secret offshore accounts! I know where he hid the rest of the stolen money!"
I leaned forward, looking into the eyes of the woman who had brought me into the world, searching for a single trace of maternal love or regret for what she had done to my wife and child. There was none. Only self-preservation.
"You want a deal, Evelyn?" I asked quietly.
"Yes! Anything! Please!" she begged.
"Here is the deal," I said slowly, emphasizing every word. "You write down every single account number, every password, every meeting, and every conversation you had with Richard, Natalie, and Marcus Thorne. You sign a full confession pleading guilty to felony child endangerment and conspiracy. You waive all rights to any family trust, any assets, and any future contact with me, my wife, or my children."
"And... and what do I get in return?" she gasped, hope flickering in her eyes.
"In return," I said coldly, "I won't ask the prosecutor to seek the maximum penalty of twenty years. I'll let them settle for ten."
"Ten years?!" Evelyn shrieked, slamming her fists on the desk. "I'm sixty-two years old! Ten years in prison will kill me!"
"Then I suggest you start writing quickly," I said, standing up and buttoning my suit jacket. "Because if you don't take this deal by five o'clock today, I’m calling the district attorney and asking for the full twenty without parole."
I turned my back on her and walked toward the exit. Behind me, Evelyn began to scream and sob hysterically, pounding on the glass, but I didn't look back once.
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When Sarah and I walked out into the corridor, she looked at me with a newfound sense of respect. "You didn't hesitate at all, Andrew."
"They showed no mercy to Clara and Toby," I replied, looking out at the city streets. "They don't get any from me. Now, let's go find out what Richard is hiding in his Cayman Islands accounts."
