Chapter 7 - The Accomplice in the City
Dawn broke over Washington, D.C., painting the sky in pale shades of orange and gray. I stood on the balcony of Veronica’s luxury high-rise apartment downtown, watching federal and local law enforcement officers lead a disheveled, frantic woman out of the building in handcuffs.
Veronica Vance—no relation to Nolan by blood, but clearly sharing his lack of a moral compass—had tried to flush several hard drives down the kitchen disposal when the tactical unit breached her door. Fortunately, cyber-crime specialists had intercepted the unit before the data could be destroyed.
Detective Vance walked over to where I stood holding my service jacket. “She’s singing, Colonel. Turns out your husband and Veronica were planning to liquidate all your mother’s assets, cash out your joint marital accounts, and board a private flight to the Cayman Islands by the end of the week.”
“Did she mention if anyone else was involved?” I asked, keeping my gaze fixed on the bustling D.C. traffic below.
“Just the two of them, operating through a network of shell corporations designed to exploit elderly guardianship loopholes. But there’s something else you need to know, Blair.” Detective Vance hesitated, shifting his weight. “When we questioned Nolan at the precinct after arresting his accomplice, he didn't ask about his bail. He asked about your military pension.”
A humorless, bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Of course he did. He always did love my benefits more than he loved me.”
“He’s claiming that since you were deployed during portions of the marriage and maintained separate service accounts, he’s entitled to half of everything under emergency spousal provisions.”
I turned to face the detective, a sharp, confident smile playing at the corners of my mouth. “Tell my husband’s court-appointed attorney to pull my classified service amendments. Three years ago, when I uncovered his first questionable credit inquiry, I filed a strict post-nuptial asset protection rider under military legal jurisdiction—one that completely strips any spouse convicted of domestic violence or felony fraud of all marital asset claims.”
Detective Vance blinked in surprise, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Colonel.”
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“Protecting my family is what I do for a living, Detective.”
With the primary conspirators in custody and the evidence securely locked within military and civil jurisdiction, the immediate physical threat was neutralized. But the legal battlefield was just getting started. I needed to ensure that neither Nolan nor Veronica ever saw a single dime of my mother’s estate or my hard-earned service record again.
