Chapter 6 - The Darkness Gathers
Z
My heart slammed against my ribs like a trapped bird. The black SUV sat idling in the heavy downpour, its bright LED headlights cutting through the sheets of rain, rendering the driver completely invisible.
I reached frantically into my jacket pocket for my phone, my rain-slicked fingers struggling to gain a grip. Before I could dial 911, the driver’s side door of the SUV opened.
A tall man stepped out into the storm, holding a large golf umbrella. He was wearing a dark trench coat. As he walked closer, the harsh beams of light illuminated his face.
It was Arthur Pendelton. My father’s accountant. My "trusted" financial advisor.
"Evelyn," Arthur called out over the pounding roar of the rain and highway traffic. His tone was smooth, devoid of any aggression, which made it infinitely more terrifying. "You really shouldn't be driving in conditions like this. The roads in the Pacific Northwest can be treacherous."
I backed up against the cold, wet metal of my sedan, holding my phone like a weapon. "Stay away from me, Arthur! Did you slash my tire?"
Arthur stopped ten feet away, tilting his umbrella slightly. He looked down at my flat tire with mild, artificial sympathy. "Slash? What a crude word. Let’s just say someone ensured you’d take a necessary pause. You're driving toward a disaster in Seattle, Evelyn. I came to offer you an exit ramp."
"An exit ramp?" I wiped rainwater from my eyes, my voice shaking with rage. "You forged financial documents! You submitted fake wire transfers to my employer to frame me for fraud!"
"I did what Richard asked me to do," Arthur corrected coldly. "As I have done for thirty years. Richard built my career, Evelyn. He built your lifestyle. Everything you have—your education, your house, your position—exists because of the ecosystem Richard Vance created. And now you’re trying to tear it down over a foolish sense of pride."
"He is trying to steal my daughter!" I screamed.
"He is trying to preserve his legacy!" Arthur shouted back, his composure finally slipping, exposing a glimpse of ugly desperation beneath. "Lily is a Vance! She carries the bloodline of one of the most powerful political and legal dynasties in Oregon. Richard will not allow her to be raised by a mid-level corporate manager who works eighty hours a week and spends her weekends sobbing in a therapist’s office!"
Arthur took two steps closer, lowering his voice into a conspiratorial whisper.
"Turn the car around, Evelyn. Sign the voluntary guardianship papers today. If you do, the HR audit in Seattle magically disappears. The evidence submitted to your board will be proven as a 'system glitch.' You keep your high-paying job. You keep your house. You get weekend visitation with Lily. Everything goes back to being peaceful."
"And if I refuse?" I asked, my blood running colder than the rain soaking through my clothes.
Arthur sighed deeply, looking at me with genuine pity. "If you continue to Seattle, David Chen won't be able to save you. The electronic paper trail I created is ironclad. By noon today, the King County Sheriff's Department will issue a warrant for your arrest for felony embezzlement. You will be placed in a holding cell. And while you are wearing an orange jumpsuit, Richard will take custody of Lily under an emergency order for abandoned minors. You will lose everything, Evelyn. Your job, your money, your child. Permanently."
I stood in the freezing rain, surrounded by the roaring noise of the highway, realizing the depth of the trap. They had covered every angle. It was an absolute checkmate.
Except for one thing Arthur didn't know.
I reached into my pocket, my thumb hitting the red button on my screen, stopping the active audio recording app I had opened the second I saw the black SUV pull up. The screen flashed: RECORDING SAVED - 04:12.
I looked up at Arthur, a slow, cold smile spreading across my face despite the trembling of my body.
"You really should have learned how to use modern technology before you agreed to do Richard's dirty work, Arthur," I said quietly.
Arthur froze, his eyes dropping to the glowing smartphone screen in my hand.
"I just recorded your entire extortion attempt," I said, holding the phone up. "Every word. The forged documents, the blackmail, the tire sabotage. It’s already uploading to a secure cloud server shared directly with Danielle Pierce and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's white-collar crime division."
Arthur’s face drained of all color. The suave, arrogant accountant vanished, replaced by a terrified old man. "Evelyn... don't do this. You don't know what Richard will do if—"
"Get out of my way, Arthur," I snarled, stepping around him and getting into the driver's seat of my car. I slammed the door, locked it, and immediately called tow services and the State Police.
Arthur stood in the rain for a full minute, staring at me through the wet windshield, his body visibly shaking. Then, realizing his monumental failure, he turned, ran back to his SUV, and sped off into the gray darkness.
May you like
I leaned my head against the steering wheel, my body convulsing with deep, violent sobs. I had won the battle on the highway. But as I waited for the tow truck, I received a frantic text message from Marissa back in Portland.
Marissa: Evelyn, call me right now. It's about the house. Something happened.
