Chapter 6 - The Interrogation Room
The federal holding facility smelled of floor wax and stale coffee. Under the harsh fluorescent lights of Interview Room B, Daniel looked every bit of his forty-five years. His designer shirt was ruined, his hair disheveled, and his manicured hands trembled as he stared at the stainless-steel table.
Across from him sat Agent Miller of the federal white-collar crimes division, flanked by a stenographer.
"Let’s go over the transactions again, Mr. Vane," Agent Miller said, tapping a stylus against a thick stack of bank statements. "Specifically, the three million dollars funneled through the shell corporation registered under Ms. Vanessa Cole’s maiden name."
"It was a... a venture capital maneuver," Daniel stammered, sweating despite the chill in the room. "Standard risk-hedging."
"Standard risk-hedging doesn't usually involve forging the signature of the municipal disaster relief fund director," Miller replied dryly. He slid a single piece of paper across the table. "Your wife—excuse me, your estranged wife—provided the complete digital audit trail, including your encrypted keystroke logs from your office terminal."
Daniel stared at the paper. It was an email he had sent to Vanessa six months ago: Once Claire signs off on the seismic reinforcement safety certificates for the West Wing, we redirect the municipal contingency surplus into the offshore trust. She never checks the structural ledger lines twice.
Daniel closed his eyes. The trap wasn't just shut; it was welded shut.
May you like
"She knew," Daniel whispered. "She knew about everything before the earthquake even hit."
"She knew you were corrupt long before the building fell down, Mr. Vane," Miller said. "And by leaving her under the rubble, you ensured she had direct access to the master system drives before your emergency remote-wipe protocols could execute. You literally handed her the smoking gun."
