Chapter 9 - The Law's Slow Hand
The police station was a chaotic mess of bright fluorescent lights, ringing phones, and the low hum of voices.
Mark and David sat in a small, windowless interview room, waiting for the detective assigned to their case.
The altered documents and David's laptop were laid out on the metal table, a silent testament to Evelyn's malice.
Finally, the door opened and Detective Vance walked in, a tired-looking man with sharp eyes that seemed to see through everything.
"Alright, Mr. Miller," Vance said, sitting down and opening a notepad. "Your friend here says you have evidence of extortion and corporate fraud."
Mark nodded, his voice steady as he began to recount the entire nightmare from the very beginning.
He told the detective about the ruined dress, the threats to his daughter, and finally, the altered financial files.
David chimed in, presenting the digital evidence and explaining the hardware ID tracking that linked everything to Evelyn.
Detective Vance listened quietly, taking notes and occasionally flipping through the documents Mark had provided.
When they finished, the room fell into a heavy silence as the detective contemplated the evidence before him.
"This is thorough work, Mr. David," Vance said, looking at the IT expert. "But cybercrimes are tricky."
"Even with this hardware ID, a good defense lawyer could argue that someone else used her laptop or cloned her MAC address."
Mark felt a sudden wave of panic rise in his throat, his hands clenching into fists beneath the table.
"Are you saying you can't do anything?" Mark demanded, his voice rising despite his best efforts to control it.
"She is threatening my family, detective! She is trying to ruin my life and take my daughter away!"
"Calm down, Mr. Miller," Vance said gently, raising a hand to placate him. "I didn't say we can't do anything."
"I'm saying that an arrest warrant takes time. We need to verify these logs independently with the service provider."
"How long will that take?" Mark asked, the urgency clear in his eyes.
"A few days, maybe a week," Vance admitted honestly, a sympathetic look crossing his weathered face.
"In the meantime, I suggest you get a restraining order against her. That gives us immediate grounds to arrest her if she approaches you or your daughter."
Mark let out a frustrated sigh, realizing that the law moved much slower than the danger he was facing.
"I'll get the lawyer on it immediately," Mark said, standing up and closing his briefcase with a snap.
"Just please, hurry, detective. She's unpredictable, and I don't know what she'll do when she realizes she's losing control."
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As they walked out of the station, the night air hit Mark with a chilling reminder that they were still exposed.
He needed to get back to Emma, to build a fortress around her that no one could breach.
