Chapter 13 - THE TURNING POINT
I drove straight back to Mrs. Higgins' townhouse, my hands shaking on the steering wheel as the adrenaline finally began to drain from my system, leaving behind a profound, bone-deep exhaustion.
When Mrs. Higgins opened her front door, Lily was sitting happily on the living room sofa, watching cartoons with a small bowl of crackers, her teal cast resting comfortably on a pillow.
“Mommy!” Lily cheered, scrambling off the couch and running over to wrap her good arm around my legs.
“Hi, my sweet baby,” I choked out, dropping to my knees and burying my face in her soft hair, tears of pure relief soaking into her shirt. We were safe. For right now, we were safe.
Mrs. Higgins stood in the doorway of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel, her eyes full of quiet understanding. “She was an angel, Clara. But you look like you’ve been through a war. Do you need to stay here tonight?”
“No, Mrs. Higgins,” I said, standing up and scooping Lily into my arms. “We need to go somewhere much safer. But thank you. You saved my life today.”
Instead of going back to my rented townhouse—which the FBI was undoubtedly still watching—I drove straight to the downtown federal courthouse.
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It was 11:45 PM. The massive stone building was quiet, lit by pale security lights. I walked straight up to the night intake window, pulled the pocket flash drive out of my jacket, and slid it across the stainless-steel counter toward the bewildered night duty officer.
“My name is Clara Miller,” I said clearly, looking the officer dead in the eye. “I am turning myself in. But I am bringing the real evidence for the Apex Holdings federal fraud case against Rachel Miller and Julian Vance. I want a federal prosecutor right now.”
