Chapter 9 - PAPER TRAILS AND BLOOD MONEY
Two days after Chloe’s arraignment, Prosecutor Evelyn Vance contacted me with a package of documents recovered during the search warrant execution at my father’s corporate headquarters.
I met her in a quiet conference room at the state attorney’s office.
"Mr. Vance," Evelyn said, sliding a thick file across the table. "We’ve been forensic-auditing your father’s primary holding firm, Vance Logistics & Capital. What we found goes far beyond standard embezzlement."
I opened the folder. Inside were certified bank statements, offshore transfer receipts, and a series of notarized insurance documents.
"Your father’s firm was facing imminent bankruptcy due to speculative real estate investments that went south in 2024," Evelyn explained, pointing a pen at a column of red numbers. "To cover the deficit, he started raiding the employee pension fund—over twelve million dollars. When federal regulators flagged the discrepancies last summer, he needed a massive influx of liquidity to pass the upcoming fiscal audit."
I flipped the page, and my breath caught in my throat.
It was a two-million-dollar term life insurance policy taken out on Emily—signed, sealed, and executed just three weeks before our wedding anniversary.
"Who is listed as the primary beneficiary?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Vance Logistics & Capital, with your sister Chloe designated as secondary executive trustee," Evelyn said grimly. "In plain English, Ryan: your father and sister didn't just want Emily out of the picture because she discovered their financial fraud. They literally valued her life at two million dollars to bail out a failing corporation."
The room seemed to spin. The depth of their calculation was staggering. It wasn't a crime of passion born out of family friction; it was an execution ordered by a desperate CEO and carried out by a spoiled sociopath.
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"Can we add first-degree murder conspiracy charges?" I asked, my voice cold as ice.
"We already have," Evelyn replied, sliding a second document across the table. "An arrest warrant for Richard Vance was signed by the Grand Jury fifteen minutes ago. Economic crimes division and state troopers are moving in on his office right now."
