Chapter 13 - The Night the Ghost Walked Down the Grand Marble Staircase
Captain Miller stepped onto the stage, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his tactical belt.
He grabbed Vanessa Whitmore by her wrists, yanking her up from the floor with zero ceremony.
“Vanessa Whitmore,” Captain Miller announced loudly for the entire press corps to record. “You are under arrest for attempted aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, grand larceny, and corporate fraud.”
As the steel cuffs clicked tightly around her wrists, Margaret Higgins was dragged into the ballroom by two female state troopers, sobbing hysterically, her apron stained with tears of ruin.
“Take them out,” Ethan commanded softly.
The ballroom erupted into deafening cheers and thunderous applause. Society matrons who had kissed Vanessa’s cheek an hour ago now booed and hissed as she was marched out of the mansion in heavy chains, her head bowed in total, irrevocable disgrace.
Julian Vance, bleeding from the lip and pinned in tactical zip-ties, was hauled past Ethan.
Ethan leaned down, looking his former best friend dead in the eye.
May you like
“The Zurich accounts are frozen, Julian,” Ethan whispered. “You will spend the next thirty years inside a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute. Enjoy the rest of your life.”
Julian let out a broken, pathetic sob as the federal agents dragged him into the torrential rain outside, where flashing red and blue lights illuminated the entire estate.
