Chapter 4 - The Collapse Begins
The fallout began at eight o'clock the following morning.
Margaret stood in the kitchen trying to process an online grocery delivery order when her card was declined. Thinking it was a temporary glitch, she tried her primary credit card. Declined. She called the bank manager—a man she had bragged about knowing for years.
"I’m sorry, Mrs. Vance," the manager reported dryly over the speakerphone. "All accounts associated with your Social Security number have been frozen pursuant to a federal court order initiated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the District Attorney's Financial Crimes Division."
Margaret dropped her phone onto the marble counter. "What? That’s impossible!"
Before she could recover, three heavy knocks rattled the front door. Paige hurried downstairs in her robe, pulling the door open expecting another package delivery.
Instead, two uniformed county sheriff deputies and an investigator from the state prosecutor’s office stood on the porch. Behind them sat two flatbed tow trucks.
"Margaret Vance? Paige Vance?" the lead investigator asked, holding a clipboard.
"Who do you think you are?" Paige snapped, folding her arms. "This is private property!"
"We are executing a court-ordered seizure of assets tied to pending grand larceny, wire fraud, and criminal conspiracy charges," the officer announced calmly. "We have an injunction against the white truck in the driveway, the high-end furnishings inside this home, and an immediate lien placed on the property title."
Margaret ran to the door, her face pale, her gold jewelry clinking together. "There’s been a mistake! My son is a high-ranking military officer! He’s transferring four hundred thousand dollars into our accounts today!"
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The investigator looked at her with utter contempt. "Your son is the primary plaintiff who filed the criminal complaint against you, ma'am."
The color drained completely from Margaret’s face. She stumbled back against the entryway wall, clutching her chest as the tow truck driver hooked up the chains to the brand-new truck in the driveway.
