Chapter 6 - Unraveling the Empire
By the time I drove back to the house with Evan, the quiet suburban street was illuminated by flashing red and blue lights. Two county sheriff cruisers and a dark military police SUV were parked along the driveway, their engines idling.
I walked through the front door with Evan right behind me. Two county deputies were standing in the living room, taking formal statements from my mother and sister. Brooke was sitting on the sofa, crying hysterically into a tissue, while my mother paced back and forth near the fireplace, trying desperately to explain away the situation.
"Detective," I called out, addressing the lead county investigator standing by the hallway. "I am Captain Nolan Mercer. I am the owner of this property."
The detective turned, nodding grimly. "Captain. We received your phone call and the digital files your attorney forwarded to our dispatch."
My mother spun around, her eyes widening as she saw me walk in with Evan. "Nolan! What have you done? You brought the police to our home? Over a family misunderstanding?"
"It ceased being a misunderstanding the moment you put your hands on my wife, Mom," I said coldly.
I handed the USB flash drive directly to the lead detective. "This drive contains raw video footage of the incident that occurred in the kitchen earlier today, along with complete banking transaction records proving systematic corporate fraud committed by Brooke Mercer and aided by Diane Mercer."
Brooke stood up from the couch, her face flushed red with panic. "He's lying! He's trying to ruin us because his wife cheated on him! Mom, tell them!"
"Brooke Mercer," the detective said calmly, turning toward her and pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his utility belt. "You are under arrest for grand larceny, identity theft, and corporate forgery. You have the right to remain silent..."
"No! Get away from me!" Brooke screamed, backing into the wall as the deputy stepped forward and snapped the cuffs around her wrists. "Mom! Do something! Call our lawyer!"
My mother rushed forward, reaching for the deputy's arm. "You can't take her! She's my daughter! This is a mistake—Nolan, tell them to stop!"
"Diane Mercer," the second deputy stepped in, blocking my mother's path. "Please step back. You are currently under investigation for conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and obstruction of justice. Do not interfere."
As the deputies escorted a sobbing, screaming Brooke out the front door and into the back of a police cruiser, my mother collapsed onto the bottom step of the staircase, burying her face in her hands. She looked up at me through her fingers, her voice reduced to a broken whisper.
"How could you do this to your own family, Nolan? I raised you. I protected you."
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"You didn't protect me, Mom," I said, looking down at her without a trace of sympathy left in my heart. "You protected a thief, and you tortured my wife to cover it up. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a family here anymore."
I turned my back on her and walked upstairs to unlock the bedroom door, finally bringing Eliza out into the light.
