Chapter 14 - The Deposition Trap
Z
The high-rise conference room on the forty-fifth floor of the Willis Tower offered a panoramic view of Lake Michigan, but the atmosphere inside was claustrophobic and deadly. A state court video reporter adjusted her camera tripod at the end of the long glass table, pointing the high-definition lens directly at the witness chair.
Eleanor sat in that chair, wearing a tailored navy suit and double-strand pearl necklace. Beside her was Arthur Vance, Victoria Vance-Cross’s senior litigation counsel—a belligerent, high-priced corporate defender known for bullying witnesses. Across the table sat Sarah Vance, Martin Hale, Madison, and myself.
"This deposition of Eleanor Montgomery is being taken pursuant to notice in Case Number 26-CH-8802," the court reporter announced smoothly. "Counsel, please state your appearances for the record."
After the formal introductions were completed, Sarah Vance stood up, adjusting her silver-rimmed glasses. She didn't begin with soft background questions. She went straight for the throat.
"Mrs. Montgomery," Sarah began, her voice dripping with lethal calm. "In your sworn affidavit filed in support of Vance-Cross Capital's summary judgment motion, you stated under penalty of perjury that you had no knowledge of Richard Montgomery’s offshore corporate entities prior to August 2023. Is that statement true?"
Arthur Vance slammed his hand on the table. "Objection! Assumes facts not in evidence and seeks to elicit testimony protected by spousal privilege!"
"Spousal privilege does not apply to joint criminal enterprises, Arthur," Sarah fired back without breaking eye contact with Eleanor. "The witness will answer the question."
Eleanor smoothed her skirt, offering a tight, practiced smile to the camera lens. "I was an abused spouse, Ms. Vance. Richard forced me to sign hundreds of papers over our thirty-year marriage. I never read them. I trusted my husband. I knew nothing about Cayman accounts."
"I see," Sarah said softly. She reached into her leather briefcase and pulled out a stack of glossy ten-by-eight photographs. She slid the top photograph across the glass table to Eleanor. "Can you identify the woman in this photo, Mrs. Montgomery?"
Eleanor looked down at the photograph. Her face instantly lost every drop of color. The picture showed Eleanor standing on the deck of a private yacht in Grand Cayman in July 2018, clinking champagne glasses with Victoria Vance-Cross. In front of them on a teak table lay a signed corporate resolution for Aegis Holdings Group.
"Where... where did you get this?" Eleanor whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the air conditioner.
"That photo was pulled from Victoria Vance-Cross’s cloud drive pursuant to a federal search warrant executed three hours ago by the FBI's Financial Crimes Task Force," Sarah announced flatly.
Arthur Vance stood up so fast his leather executive chair crashed backward into the wall. "What did you say?"
"I said the Department of Justice has executed search warrants on Vance-Cross Capital's headquarters," Sarah repeated, turning a page on her legal pad. "And as of nine-fifteen this morning, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois has returned a twelve-count indictment charging Eleanor Montgomery and Victoria Vance-Cross with wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit extortion."
Eleanor gasped, clutching her throat. Her eyes darted wildly around the room, landing on Madison and me. "Claire... Madison... tell her to stop this! You're my daughters! You can't let them do this to me!"
Madison stood up from her chair, leaning across the table until she was just inches from Eleanor's pale, trembling face. "We didn't do this to you, Mom. You did this to yourself the moment you decided that our lives, our trust, and our safety were acceptable losses to protect your offshore bank account."
"I did it for you!" Eleanor shrieked, tears smearing her mascara as she lost complete control of her composure. "I was building a reserve fund so you girls wouldn't be left penniless when your father inevitably crashed his real estate deals! Everything I took, I took to preserve this family!"
"You didn't take it for us," I said, my voice cold, steady, and resolute. "You took it because you loved the illusion of wealth more than you ever loved your children. You let Dad attack me with a crystal cake stand. You tried to ruin Madison’s credit. And today, your illusion is finally over."
Two federal agents in dark suits pushed through the conference room doors, accompanied by Deputy United States Marshal Miller. They stepped behind Eleanor’s chair, pulling her arms behind her back as the metallic click of handcuffs echoed off the glass walls.
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"Eleanor Montgomery," Agent Ross stated, reading from a laminated card. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. You have the right to remain silent..."
As they marched my mother toward the service elevators, screaming curses at us in front of the court reporter and high-priced corporate attorneys, Madison stood beside me, taking a deep, unhurried breath. For the first time in our lives, the shadow of our parents had completely dissolved into the crisp Chicago air.
