Chapter 5 - The Unmarked Sedan
The amber streetlights flickered to life one by one, casting long, fractured shadows across the suburban asphalt. Inside the unmarked sedan parked fifty feet from the Vance driveway, a pair of cold eyes watched the front window of the study. A gloved hand tapped rhythmically against the steering wheel as Richard’s voice echoed faintly through a miniature receiver on the dashboard.
“Intercept her? Are you insane?” the voice on the other end crackled. “She’s cooperating with local law enforcement now. If she gets taken into custody for questioning, our names are the first ones she gives.”
Richard paced behind the curtains in the study, his silhouette clearly visible to the watcher in the car. “We don’t have a choice. If those transfer papers hit the district attorney’s desk, the foundation audit will trace right back to your accounts.”
Inside the sedan, the man behind the wheel adjusted his rearview mirror. He was roughly fifty, with thinning gray hair and a sharp scar running from his jawline down into his collar. His name was Marcus Vance, though very few people in the family tree acknowledged his existence. He was Arthur’s estranged nephew—and the architect of the financial scheme Clara and Richard had been quietly executing for the past three years.
Marcus reached into his glove compartment, pulling out a heavy manila folder stamped with confidential bank seals. He opened it, revealing dozens of photocopies detailing embezzled funds from the local historical society—funds that Arthur had apparently discovered just weeks before his fatal heart attack.
“She’s too smart for her own good,” Marcus muttered to himself, slipping the folder back into the dash. He started the sedan’s engine, shifting smoothly into gear without turning on his headlights.
Upstairs in the guest bedroom, Evelyn sat in the dark. She had been dropped off by Officer Davis an hour ago under a protective custody detail, but the officer was currently filling out paperwork downstairs in the kitchen. Evelyn clutched the brass key in her palm so tightly the metal dug into her skin.
May you like
She looked out the window and watched the unmarked sedan slowly creep forward, its tires crunching softly on the gravel driveway, heading straight for the side door.
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