Chapter 17 - The Prison Visitor
Two weeks after David’s arrest, the fallout from his corporate sabotage hit the news cycle. Investigative journalists uncovered a massive web of offshore accounts, fraudulent debt acquisition, and corporate blackmail orchestrated by David Vance on behalf of his incarcerated sister, Evelyn. The scandal rocked the financial district, completely dismantling what remained of the old Vance family syndicate.
David was denied bail, facing thirty years in federal prison for conspiracy, extortion, and corporate fraud.
Yet, despite our legal victories, the haunting words David had screamed at the docks kept me awake at night. *Evelyn has friends inside.*
One afternoon, while Adam was in federal court testifying regarding the corporate takeover attempt, my phone rang. It was warden Thomas from the maximum-security correctional facility where Evelyn was held.
"Mrs. Vance—apologies, Mrs. Miller," the warden’s voice came through, sounding tense and fatigued. "I’m calling with an urgent update regarding inmate Evelyn Vance."
My breath caught. "Has something happened?"
"This morning during courtyard recreation, Evelyn was found in possession of unauthorized contraband—a encrypted contraband smartphone," Warden Thomas explained. "According to our preliminary forensic sweep of the device, she was actively communicating with an outside operative, trying to coordinate a retaliatory action against your family."
My blood ran cold. "An operative? Who?"
"We don't have a name yet, but the messages indicated a scheduled visitor who was slated to visit her under a false legal alias tomorrow," the warden continued. "Mrs. Miller, I am calling to warn you directly. Security around the facility is being locked down to maximum level, and we have confiscated all communication privileges. But I wanted you to be aware that Evelyn is growing increasingly desperate."
"Thank you, Warden," I managed to say, my hand shaking as I held the phone. "Please... keep her locked away where she can never hurt anyone again."
After hanging up, I stared out the kitchen window at the manicured lawn. Ruth was outside with her nanny, chasing a yellow butterfly with innocent, unbridled joy.
I knew then that I couldn't just sit back and wait for Evelyn’s next move. If there was an operative visiting her under a false name tomorrow, I needed to know who it was. I needed to see it with my own eyes.
May you like
That evening, I called Marcus. "I need your help with one last thing," I told him quietly. "I need to get access to the visitor registry logs at Evelyn’s prison tomorrow."
***
