Part 13
The grip on my throat was tight, cutting off my breath.
I gasped, my hands instinctively reaching up to tear at the fingers around my neck.
"Did you really think I'd let you ruin this, Eleanor?"
The voice was familiar.
It wasn't Thomas.
It was Richard Vance.
He had followed us.
Or rather, he had been here the entire time, waiting in the shadows of the outer office.
Through my blurred vision, I saw the progress bar on the laptop screen hit 89%.
On the floor, Derek was struggling with Thomas, unaware that I was being choked.
"Richard..." I choked out, trying to find leverage.
"My nephew is an idiot," Richard hissed in my ear.
"He thought he was stealing from me."
"But I am the one who directed him to your son."
"I needed a scapegoat for a much larger embezzlement scheme in my firm."
"Your house was just a bonus."
"Once Derek was framed for the bank fraud, my company's missing millions would be pinned on him too."
The room began to spin. The edges of my vision turned black.
93% Complete.
I couldn't breathe.
But I remembered what my husband always said about desperate men.
They always talk too much because they think they've already won.
I reached back with my right foot, using all my remaining strength, and slammed my heel down onto Richard's instep.
He roared in pain, his grip loosening just enough for me to draw a frantic breath.
I didn't try to run away from him.
Instead, I threw my entire body weight forward, crashing directly into the desk.
The desk shifted.
The main laptop fell off the edge, tumbling to the floor.
The battery pack popped out.
The screen went completely black.
"No!" Thomas screamed from the floor. He kicked Derek away and scrambled toward the broken computer.
"The connection dropped! The transfer failed!"
Richard Vance grabbed my hair, his face distorted with rage.
"You old bitch!" he screamed.
He raised his fist to strike me.
Suddenly, the door to the office was kicked off its hinges with a thunderous crash.
"Police! Don't move! Put your hands in the air!"
Four officers poured into the room, weapons drawn.
Detective Harris was right behind them.
Richard Vance froze, his fist still in the air.
"Drop it, Vance," Harris ordered, his gun pointed directly at Richard's chest.
Richard slowly lowered his hand and raised them above his head.
On the floor, Thomas was already being handcuffed by two officers.
Derek scrambled to his feet and ran to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
"Mom! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
I coughed, holding my throat, but I managed to nod.
"I'm fine, Derek."
"The laptop... the transfer failed," I whispered.
Detective Harris walked over, looking at the broken computer on the floor, then at Richard Vance.
"Richard Vance, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit grand larceny, bank fraud, and felony assault."
Richard didn't say a word. His face was a mask of cold fury as they led him away.
Harris looked at me, a look of profound respect in his eyes.
"Mrs. Parker, you just broke open a case the federal government has been investigating for three years."
"Richard Vance didn't just try to steal your house."
"He's been running a multi-million dollar real estate scam across three states."
"And your recording from the study? It gave us the exact link we needed to connect him to the shell companies."
I looked at Derek.
His face was bruised, his clothes torn, but for the first time in months, he looked clear-eyed.
"Is it over, Mom?" he asked softly.
May you like
"Yes, Derek," I said, taking his hand.
"It's over."
