Chapter 4 - The Paper Trail
Z
Forty-eight hours after the arrest in Santa Fe, Victoria and Arthur Vance were extradited back to Colorado. Dressed in orange county-jail jumpsuits, their hands and feet shackled, they were led into the Denver District Court for their arraignment hearing.
The courtroom was packed. Local media had picked up the story—"Prominent Local Family Arrested After Pregnant Woman Trapped in Backyard Sauna"—and the scandal was spreading across national news like wildfire.
Victoria sat at the defense table next to her high-priced criminal defense attorney, Julian Sterling. Her hair was unwashed, her makeup gone, but her posture remained defiantly upright. Arthur sat beside her, staring blankly at the polished mahogany table, looking like a man who had already been condemned to hell.
Judge Sarah Montgomery presided over the bench, her expression grim as she reviewed the initial police reports and medical summaries.
"State versus Victoria Vance and Arthur Vance," Judge Montgomery announced, her voice echoing in the solemn courtroom. "Charges: Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, First-Degree Kidnapping, Reckless Endangerment, and Child Abuse resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. Prosecutor, state your position on bail."
Assistant District Attorney Marcus Ruiz stood up. "Your Honor, the State requests that both defendants be held without bail. The evidence in this case is overwhelming and chilling. Defendant Victoria Vance deliberately locked a thirty-eight-week pregnant woman in a high-heat enclosure, leaving a handwritten note that demonstrates clear premeditation and cruel intent. Defendant Arthur Vance, a former emergency management official who fully understood the lethal dangers of heatstroke and confined spaces, actively aided in the abandonment."
Julian Sterling stood up immediately to object. "Your Honor! This is an egregious overreach by the prosecution! My clients are lifelong residents with no prior criminal record. This was a unfortunate domestic misunderstanding—a tragic accident resulting from a minor family dispute!"
"An accident?" Ruiz countered, pulling out a plastic evidence bag containing the handwritten sign. "Your Honor, is this an accident? 'LET’S SEE IF THIS TEACHES YOU TO RESPECT YOUR FAMILY.' Taped right beside the padlock. Furthermore, we have text messages sent by Victoria Vance to the victim’s husband immediately after the locking, actively lying about the victim's whereabouts to prevent anyone from searching for her."
Ruiz turned and looked directly at Victoria. "She didn't just leave her. She deliberately covered her tracks so the victim would cook to death in that room before anyone noticed she was missing."
A murmur ran through the gallery. Victoria shifted uncomfortably in her chair, whispering frantically to her attorney, "Tell them about her bad attitude! Tell them she was disrespecting me!"
"Mrs. Vance, quiet!" Sterling hissed under his breath, sweating under his collar.
Judge Montgomery slammed her gavel down. "Silence in the gallery! Mrs. Vance, another outburst and I will have you removed."
clear her throat, the judge looked down at the defendants with undisguised contempt. "The facts presented here are horrifying. The court finds that both defendants pose a significant threat to the victim and society, as well as a flight risk given their recent attempt to flee to New Mexico."
"Your Honor, Mr. Vance had no direct hand in locking the door—" Sterling pleaded.
"Mr. Vance stood by and watched," Judge Montgomery interjected sharply. "As a former emergency management official, his silence and inaction constitute reckless indifference to human life. Bail for Victoria Vance is set at two million dollars, cash only. Bail for Arthur Vance is set at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Should they make bail, they will be subject to full GPS ankle monitoring and a strict zero-contact order with Maya Vance and the minor child Mateo."
As the judge banged the gavel, Victoria’s composure finally shattered. "Two million dollars?! That's insane! You can't do this to me! Arthur, do something!"
Arthur didn't move. He didn't look at her. As the bailiffs pulled Victoria up by her arms, she began to scream and thrash.
"Ethan! Where is Ethan?! Call my son! He will fix this!" she shrieked as she was dragged toward the side door leading to the holding cells.
In the back row of the gallery, hidden under a baseball cap, Ethan sat watching his mother’s meltdown. For the first time in his life, the veil had been completely stripped away. He saw his mother not as the protective, matriarchal figure who only wanted what was best for the family, but as a narcissist whose cruel obsessions had destroyed everything he held dear.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from an unknown number:
This is Veronica Vance. Maya is being discharged tomorrow. If you attempt to contact her at her home, officers will be waiting. Read the attached document.
May you like
Ethan opened the attachment. It was a formal filing for dissolution of marriage, severe custody restrictions, and a civil lawsuit for intentional infliction of emotional distress and personal injury.
Ethan collapsed back into his seat, burying his face in his hands as the reality of his shattered life closed in on him.
