Chapter 9 - The Unsealed Indictment
Four federal agents in windbreakers bearing yellow initials stepped out of the black sedans. Their leader, a stern woman in her late forties with graying hair tied in a severe bun, bypassed the local officers entirely and marched directly toward Clara.
""Clara Vance?"" the agent announced, producing a gold shield and a folded warrant. ""I am Special Agent Harris with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We have an active federal warrant for your arrest on eighteen counts of international wire fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering.""
Torres stepped forward, bewildered. ""Agent Harris, this woman is a victim of domestic abuse. She called in the silent alarm against her husband—""
""Her husband turned state's evidence three weeks ago, Officer,"" Agent Harris cut him off sharply. ""Julian Vance signed a cooperation agreement detailing his wife's covert manipulation of their offshore portfolio. The raid on their house and this fire are secondary fallout from her associates trying to destroy evidence.""
Clara stood frozen, the absurdity of the lie suffocating her. Julian had anticipated her rebellion for months. He had known she was snooping into his private files, had let her find the trail, and had used her own discoveries to craft an elaborate trap where she was the mastermind and he was merely the unwitting husband forced to cooperate.
Julian sat in the back of the cruiser, feigning a look of profound, solemn sadness. ""I told you, Clara. If you had just accepted the settlement and signed the divorce papers quietly, none of this would have happened.""
Miller returned from the alleyway, out of breath and empty-handed. ""The suspect slipped through the drainage canal. What's going on here?""
""Federal jurisdiction takes precedence,"" Agent Harris declared, signaling two agents to flank Clara. ""Turn around, Mrs. Vance.""
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Clara looked from Julian’s smug eyes to the smoking ruins of her sister’s apartment. Then she remembered the one thing Julian had overlooked: the silent transmitter wasn't connected to the local DA or the home computer.
""Agent Harris,"" Clara spoke clearly. ""Before you put those cuffs on me, ask Julian what frequency this transmitter was broadcasting on.""
