Chapter 8 - The False Badge
The man in the federal marshal's uniform smiled coldly, his eyes fixed on Eleanor and the bronze paperweight in her hand. He casually shoved Lily forward into the room, where the little girl stumbled but quickly scrambled over to hug Eleanor's legs, burying her face in the folds of the stained white dress.
"Put the paperweight down, Eleanor," the fake marshal said, resting his hand comfortably on the grip of the sidearm holstered at his hip. "You've been playing detective all evening, but you're way out of your depth."
Beatrice stared at the man, her expression souring into deep disgust. "Special Agent Miller. I should have known you were behind the missing escrow accounts. You took my signature stamp."
"I took a lot more than that, Beatrice," Miller replied smoothly, stepping fully into the study and kicking the door shut behind him. "Your empire was rotting from the inside out long before I ever got here. I just accelerated the timeline."
Eleanor held Lily tightly, her mind racing to find an escape route. "Where is Arthur?" she demanded, glaring at the rogue agent.
Miller chuckled, a dark, unsettling sound. "Arthur thought he was my partner. He thought we were going to split the offshore accounts and fly to the Caymans tonight. Poor guy didn't realize that loose ends have a habit of disappearing in houses this old."
The implication hung heavily in the air, making the room feel suddenly freezing cold. Eleanor remembered the heavy thud she had heard through the door moments earlier.
"You didn't," Eleanor whispered in horror.
"Business is business, Eleanor," Miller said, taking another step forward and pulling his sidearm from its holster. "Now, hand over the microchip and the journals. Do that, and maybe I'll let the kid and the old woman walk out of here alive."
Beatrice slowly raised her vintage revolver, her hands no longer trembling as a fierce, protective pride surged through her aged frame. She pointed the gun directly at Miller's chest.
"You may have stolen my money, Miller, but you will not take my legacy," Beatrice declared fiercely.
May you like
Before Miller could react, Lily suddenly reached into her pocket, pulled out the small waterproof microchip, and threw it with all her might straight out the high, cracked window into the courtyard below.
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