Three days later, the morning sun lit up the grand library of the Vance estate. The high oak bookshelves were lined with gold-embossed volumes, and a heavy mahogany desk sat in the center of the room. Two police officers stood near the double doors, while a court-appointed legal officer sat with an open briefcase across from Victoria.
Victoria wore a plain black dress, her hair unstyled and her eyes red from lack of sleep. Her hands were folded tightly in her lap as Ethan walked into the room, holding a leather folder under his arm.
Victoria: Ethan... Please, tell these officers to leave. We can fix this within the family.
Ethan: There is no family to fix, Victoria. You are sitting here as a criminal suspect, not my father's widow.
Victoria: I made a mistake! I was in over my head with investments! Those men in Las Vegas were threatening me, Ethan! They said they would come to this house if I didn't pay them back!
Ethan: So you decided to steal from Clara and try to kill her child to cover your tracks?
Victoria: I didn't try to kill anyone! I just wanted her to sign the papers so I could get the loan from the bank! I was going to pay the trust back as soon as my offshore accounts cleared!
Ethan: Open the folder, Detective.
The lead detective sitting at the desk opened the leather file, sliding several printed bank statements and digital transaction logs across the polished wood.
Detective Ross: Mrs. Vance, these records show sixteen separate wire transfers from the Vance Family Trust into a private account in the Cayman Islands over the last four months. The total amount exceeds four million two hundred thousand dollars.
Victoria: That's... that's an error! My accountant handles those transfers!
Detective Ross: Your accountant was arrested at Logan Airport two hours ago while trying to board a flight to Dubai. He gave a full recorded statement implicating you as the sole mastermind behind the fraud.
Victoria's face turned completely white. She slumped back into her leather chair, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps as the final wall of her lies collapsed around her.
Victoria: He... he promised me those accounts were untraceable...
Detective Ross: Nothing is untraceable when the FBI gets involved in international wire fraud, Mrs. Vance.
Ethan: You thought Clara was weak because she was soft-spoken and grieving. You thought you could intimidate her into silence because her father wasn't here to protect her anymore.
Victoria: Ethan, please... I took care of your father when he was sick! I stayed by his bedside for months!
Ethan: You stayed by his bedside to make sure he signed his updated will before he lost his memory. But you were too greedy to realize that he left the main property deed directly in Clara's name when she was born.
Victoria: What...? No... No, the estate was part of the general trust!
Ethan: My father was smarter than you thought, Victoria. He knew what kind of woman you were. He protected Clara before you even set foot in this house.
Ethan turned to Detective Ross, nodding toward the woman sitting motionless in the chair.
Ethan: Take her away, Detective. We've provided all the evidence you need.
Detective Ross stood up, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt. The cold metal clinked loudly in the quiet library as the two uniformed officers stepped forward.
Detective Ross: Victoria Vance, you are under arrest for grand larceny, corporate wire fraud, embezzlement, and attempted aggravated assault. You have the right to remain silent.
Victoria: Ethan! You can't let them do this! Think of your father's memory! What would he say if he saw me in handcuffs?!
Ethan: He would say that justice has finally come to his house.
The officers pulled Victoria to her feet, clicking the cuffs around her wrists. She wept bitterly as they led her out of the library, her heels dragging against the hard wooden floor as she was escorted through the grand foyer toward the waiting police cruiser outside.