Chapter 6 - The Federal Net Tightens
The morning air inside the Baltimore Federal Building smelled of old parchment, floor wax, and the quiet, heavy tension of impending justice. Through the tall, dust-flecked windows of the Department of Justice’s regional office, the gray waters of the harbor mirrored our somber mood.
Tobias and I sat across a mahogany table from Special Agent Marcus Vance—no relation to our family, despite the coincidence—who was systematically laying out copies of the master ledger we had retrieved from the biometric safe.
"This document," Agent Vance said, tapping a yellowed page dated fifteen years ago with his thick forefinger, "is the smoking gun the SEC and the Federal Maritime Commission have been hunting for a decade. It maps out the exact corporate sabotage Richard Sterling orchestrated to sink your parents' company, down to the shell corporations used to funnel bribe money to local judges in Savannah Creek."
I folded my hands in front of me on the table, feeling a deep, steady calm that I hadn't felt since before I married Garrett. "And the attempt on my life yesterday?"
"Captured on multiple angles," Agent Vance replied, a thin smile touching his lips. "When Garrett and Penelope were arrested at your estate last night, federal agents executed simultaneous search warrants on their downtown hotel suite and Richard Sterling's Maryland residence. We found wire transfer confirmations, burner phones containing text messages planning your 'accidental drowning,' and medical grade lead acetate vials identical to the ones used to poison your evening milk."
The words poison your evening milk still carried a sharp sting, but the horror had turned to cold, resolute anger.
"What about Penelope?" I asked. "She played an active role in the conspiracy."
"She’s currently cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s office in exchange for a slightly reduced sentencing recommendation," Vance answered dryly. "The moment she realized Garrett planned to pin the financial embezzlement entirely on her unborn child's future, she turned on him faster than a sinking ship sheds ballast. She’s given us the offshore account numbers in the Caymans where they hid forty million dollars embezzled from the shipyard."
Tobias leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "Can those assets be frozen and repatriated back to Vance & Son Shipping?"
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"By noon today, every single account linked to Garrett Sterling and Richard Sterling will be locked down by federal order," Vance said firmly. "By the end of the week, those funds will be legally restored to your corporate treasury."
I looked at my brother. For fifteen years, our family’s legacy had been held hostage by corporate predators who thought they could bury us beneath lies, fake paralysis, and river water. Now, the table had turned completely. The hunters were caged, and we were finally taking back what was ours.
