Chapter 4 - The Spider In The Web
Rita looked down at the document with a dismissive flick of her eyebrows. But as her gaze drifted across the bold header—COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS: FORENSIC INVESTIGATION INTO BLUE HORIZON HOLDINGS LLC AND V&R CONSULTING LTD—the smug color drained from her cheeks with the speed of water vanishing down an open drain.
""What is this?"" she stammered, pulling the paper closer.
""That,"" Elena Rostova said from the side of the table, ""is a detailed forensic audit of the offshore transfers totaling $2.4 million executed over the last thirty-six months. Transfers that were deposited into accounts where your signature is listed as the secondary beneficiary and co-conspirator.""
Rita’s hands began to shake violently. ""No... no, Victor told me those were tax-sheltered consulting retainers from international clients! He said it was standard corporate asset protection!""
""He lied to you, Rita,"" I said with chilling composure. ""Just like he lied to me for twenty-two years. Victor didn't make you the sole manager of Blue Horizon Holdings to gift you a house. He made you the sole manager so that when the IRS and the bank fraud investigators inevitably traced the forged deeds and stolen funds, the primary corporate liability would fall directly on your shoulders.""
""That's impossible!"" she shrieked, backing away from the table as if the paper were soaked in poison. ""Victor loves me! We're starting a life together! We booked a villa in Positano for next spring!""
""With stolen money,"" Daniel interjected smoothly. ""Money stolen from a joint marital trust. Furthermore, Miss Vance, by attempting to record a forged quitclaim deed carrying Mrs. Sterling’s forged notarization, you have actively participated in a scheme to commit real estate fraud. Do you know what the statutory minimum sentence is for filing a fraudulent land instrument in Norfolk County?""
Rita collapsed into the leather chair she had previously refused to touch. Her designer facade shattered in less than sixty seconds. Tears of genuine terror welled in her eyes, smearing her expensive eyeliner.
""I didn't forge anything!"" she cried, hyperventilating. ""Victor brought the document to my desk! He told me Sarah had signed it at the hospital notary! He said she wanted to step down from the family trust because her health was deteriorating and she didn't want the stress! I just signed the manager acceptance line!""
""Then you were either an accomplice or his patsy,"" Marcus Hayes said coldly. ""And right now, the paper trail screams accomplice.""
""Wait... please,"" Rita begged, turning her wild, desperate eyes toward me. ""Sarah, please! I didn't know he stole from you! I swear to God I didn't know! He told me you two hadn't slept in the same bedroom for five years! He told me your marriage was just a business arrangement!""
""He told you whatever he needed to keep you compliant while you handled his dirty billing at the firm,"" I replied, feeling no pity whatsoever. ""Did you really think a man who would rob his wife while she was on an operating table donating a kidney to save his pathetic life would treat you any better? You thought you were the prize, Rita. In reality, you were just the getaway driver.""
""What are you going to do?"" she wept, clutching her head in her hands.
""That depends entirely on what happens in Victor's hospital room tomorrow morning,"" I said, leaning in.
""What do you mean?"" she asked, her voice cracking.
""Victor is scheduled to be discharged tomorrow at ten o'clock,"" I said. ""He expects you to pick him up in your Mercedes, drive him to Brookline, and welcome him into our house. Here is what is actually going to happen: you are going to pick him up. You are going to drive him exactly where he wants to go. And you will not say a single word about this meeting. Not a whisper. Not a text message.""
""And if I do?"" Rita whispered, terrified.
""If Victor gets so much as a hint that his trap has sprung,"" Daniel stated, ""we file this criminal referral with the U.S. Attorney's Office at 10:01 AM. You will be arrested on the hospital steps as a co-conspirator in a multi-million-dollar federal bank fraud scheme. Your career will be over, your license revoked, and your family will be watching you walk out in handcuffs on the evening news.""
Rita swallowed hard, her chest heaving as she stared at the mountain of evidence stacked against her.
May you like
""I’ll do whatever you want,"" she choked out. ""Just don't send me to prison.""
""Good girl,"" I said, standing up despite the sharp ache in my stitches. ""Now get out of this office. And leave that designer bag on the credenza. Victor bought that with my checking account.""
