Chapter 15 - The Noose Tightens
With the CPS investigation cleared, Mark felt a sudden surge of momentum, a feeling that the tide was finally turning.
He received a call from Richard confirming that the judge had signed the temporary restraining order against Evelyn.
She was now legally barred from coming within five hundred feet of Mark, Emma, their home, or Emma's school.
But Mark wasn't satisfied with just a piece of paper; he wanted her behind bars where she could no longer threaten anyone.
He drove to the police station again, determined to see if Detective Vance had made any progress with the digital logs.
As he walked into the precinct, he found Vance waiting for him with a look ofgrim satisfaction on his face.
"Good timing, Mr. Miller," Vance said, waving him into the office. "The service provider just returned the verified logs."
"And?" Mark asked, holding his breath as he waited for the final confirmation.
"The remote connection definitely originated from Evelyn Vance's personal laptop, using her home internet connection."
"We also found that she had downloaded several sensitive corporate files onto an external hard drive right before her access was cut."
"That moves this from simple corporate fraud to federal cyber-extortion and theft of intellectual property."
Mark felt a grim satisfaction settle over him, the realization that her own greed had trapped her.
"When are you going to arrest her?" Mark demanded, wanting the nightmare to end immediately.
"An arrest team is being dispatched to her apartment right now," Vance replied, picking up his coat from the chair.
"Would you like to be notified when she's in custody?"
"Yes," Mark said firmly. "I want to know the exact moment she is off the streets."
He walked out of the station into the late afternoon sun, feeling a weight lifting from his shoulders that had been there for months.
He called Claire to give her the update, his voice lighter than it had been in a very long time.
"She's done, Claire. The police are going to get her right now. It's finally over."
"Thank God, Mark," Claire cried through the phone, her relief palpable. "We're at the park near the house, celebrating with Emma."
"I'll join you there," Mark said, starting his car with a new sense of purpose. "We can finally give her the birthday she deserves."
May you like
But as he drove toward the park, an uneasy feeling began to crawl up his spine, a whisper of doubt that refused to die.
Evelyn was a predator, and predators are at their most dangerous when they are cornered and have nothing left to lose.
