Chapter 7 - The Interrogation Room
The interrogation room at the federal building downtown was windowless, smelling of ozone and stale coffee.
David sat at the stainless-steel table, his hands cuffed to the bolted anchor in the center. His expensive navy coat was gone, replaced by an orange detention jumpsuit that hung loosely over his slumped shoulders. Across the table sat two federal investigators and Claire, who observed from the corner of the room behind a two-way mirror.
"Mr. Bennett, let's go over the wire transfers to Singapore again," the lead investigator said, sliding a document across the table. "According to our digital forensics team, your personal device accessed the primary holding accounts forty-seven times while you were vacationing in the Bahamas. Furthermore, the handwriting analysis on the guarantor documentation matches your private notary seal."
David stared blankly at the metal table. Every defense he had prepared during the flight back had evaporated under the sheer weight of electronic evidence. Julianne had already cut a deal with the prosecutors, handing over every text message where David mocked his wife and bragged about outsmarting the IRS.
"My wife..." David muttered, his voice cracking. "My wife signed off on some of those documents. She knew."
"According to sworn affidavits from independent handwriting experts and corroborating financial timelines," the investigator replied smoothly, "Mrs. Bennett was at her dying daughter's bedside in the ICU during the exact timestamp of the primary corporate registration. Furthermore, she has officially filed comprehensive fraud charges against you."
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David squeezed his eyes shut, a bitter tear finally slipping down his cheek. Not out of remorse for Lily, nor out of sorrow for the destruction of his marriage, but out of pure, unadulterated terror at the twenty-year prison sentence staring him in the face.
Behind the glass, Claire watched him crumble. She felt no satisfaction, only a profound, liberating emptiness. The ghost of her husband was gone, replaced by a pathetic man reaping the exact harvest he had sown.
