Chapter 3 - The Rat in the Gilded Cage-3
By eight o'clock the following morning, the financial world of Chicago woke up to an absolute earthquake.
The Wall Street Journal and The Chicago Tribune simultaneously broke an investigative report titled: The Paper Empire: How Vance Development Laundered Millions for Government Contractors.
Attached to the digital articles were verified bank statements, wire transfers, and high-resolution photographs of Daniel Vance handing leather briefcases to city inspectors outside high-end steakhouses.
Before Daniel could even step foot inside his corporate headquarters on Wacker Drive, federal agents from the IRS Criminal Investigation unit and the FBI were already wheeling out heavy metal filing cabinets and servers from his corner office.
I watched the live news broadcast from my monitor in Lake Forest.
Daniel stood on the sidewalk outside his building, surrounded by dozens of flashing cameras, news reporters shoving microphones into his face, and furious investors screaming threats from behind police barricades.
His navy suit was wrinkled. His hair was messy, and his eyes were wide with unadulterated panic.
"Mr. Vance! Did you bribe members of the city zoning board?!"
"Is it true your wife has turned over evidence of fraud to the Department of Justice?!"
"Where is Vanessa Cole?!"
Daniel shielded his face, stumbling backward into a waiting taxi, but as the rear door closed, two federal agents in dark suits stepped into the frame, blocking the vehicle from pulling away.
They opened the door, flashed their badges, and pulled Daniel out in handcuffs.
I smiled, taking a slow sip of black coffee.
"That's for the company, Daniel," I murmured to the screen. "Now comes the real bill."
My phone rang. It was an encrypted signal from Evelyn.
"Claire, Daniel's legal team just filed an emergency bail motion," Evelyn reported, her tone urgent. "Marcus Vale's high-priced defense lawyers have already stepped in to represent him. They're trying to push a plea deal where Daniel takes the full fall for financial fraud, while Vale and Vanessa remain completely untouched."
"They're trying to silence him," I said, leaning forward. "Vale knows Daniel is a weak link. If Daniel stays in federal holding for more than twenty-four hours, he'll crack to save his own skin."
"What do you want to do?"
"Send the second envelope directly to Vale's penthouse," I instructed coldly. "The one containing the autopsy report and the tea receipts from seven years ago. Let Marcus Vale know that if he pays Daniel's bail, I release the murder investigation files to the state prosecutor."
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"He'll know it's you, Claire," Evelyn warned. "He'll send his people after you."
"I know," I replied, looking out the window toward the thick pine trees surrounding the cottage. "That's why I hired them first."
