Chapter 44 - Grant in Handcuffs
Grant did not run.
When investigators entered the hotel suite, he stood, buttoned his jacket, and held out his hands.
Claire arrived just as the cuffs closed.
“What are the charges?”
An investigator answered.
“Conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Identity theft. Fraudulent conveyance.”
“That’s impossible.”
Grant looked at her.
“No.”
Claire stopped.
“What?”
He looked ashamed.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you.”
Evan’s expression hardened.
Of course.
Claire felt the old anger return instantly.
“What?”
Grant took a breath.
“When Sloane first contacted me, I didn’t only review the proposal.”
“You said you considered it for three days.”
“I signed a preliminary consulting agreement.”
Silence.
“How much?”
“Two hundred fifty thousand retainer.”
“Did you take it?”
“Yes.”
Claire closed her eyes.
Grant continued quickly.
“I returned it six days later.”
“After you understood what they wanted?”
“Yes.”
“But your signature is on an agreement.”
“Yes.”
The investigator spoke.
“We also have communications where Mr. Holloway discussed distressed-property acquisition structures.”
Grant nodded.
“I did.”
Evan stared at him.
“You absolute idiot.”
“Yes.”
No defense.
No excuse.
Grant looked at Claire.
“I didn’t tell you because I knew how it would look.”
Claire’s anger sharpened.
“That sentence ruined half my childhood.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
She stepped closer.
“Every man who ever lied to me said some version of that. My father. Marcus. You.”
Grant lowered his eyes.
“You’re right.”
“Stop agreeing with me like that fixes it.”
“It doesn’t.”
Investigators began escorting him out.
Grant turned.
“Claire.”
She said nothing.
“I did not participate in the deed fraud.”
“I believe you.”
His face changed.
“But I’m still angry.”
“You should be.”
They took him downstairs.
Cameras were waiting.
Of course.
Photographs of Grant in handcuffs spread instantly.
FORMER HOLLOWAY HUSBAND ARRESTED IN CHARITY PROPERTY SCANDAL.
Arthur Pendelton appeared on television within an hour.
“Exactly as I warned.”
Claire threw the remote across the room.
It hit a sofa.
Evan raised an eyebrow.
“That helped?”
“No.”
“Try the pillow next time.”
Marcus arrived with worse news.
“The warrant affidavit cites an anonymous cooperating witness.”
“Who?”
“Sealed.”
Claire looked at Celeste.
“Could it be Malcolm?”
Marcus shook his head.
“Likely someone inside the operation.”
Samuel entered.
“We traced the Q4 event email.”
Everyone turned.
“Original sender was deleted, but server archive preserved routing.”
“Who?”
Samuel placed the printout down.
APendelton.
Arthur.
Claire stared.
Arthur had designed the scandal.
Malcolm had financed it.
Charles had helped build the land strategy.
But Arthur had engineered the revenge.
Why?
Grant.
Claire.
Marcus.
Every person associated with his disgrace.
He had spent years in prison convincing himself they had put him there.
He was not trying merely to obtain land.
He wanted all of them publicly destroyed.
Marcus suddenly said:
“The anonymous witness.”
Claire looked at him.
“What?”
“If Arthur is cooperating with investigators—”
“He can control the narrative.”
“Yes.”
Evan crossed his arms.
“But why accuse Grant if Grant can expose Sloane?”
“To discredit him.”
Claire understood.
Any documents Grant supplied could now be dismissed as self-serving evidence from an accused co-conspirator.
Arthur had neutralized their strongest insider witness.
Clever.
Very clever.
Claire walked toward the window.
Below, protesters crowded the sidewalk.
News vans filled the street.
Her center operated from borrowed hotel conference rooms.
Her husband’s mother had nearly lost her house.
Grant sat in custody.
Twenty-seven families still faced legal battles.
Arthur was winning.
Then Claire saw Rebecca Nolan walking through the lobby.
Not alone.
Behind her came other victims.
Dozens.
They carried folders.
Claire went downstairs.
Rebecca approached her.
“We heard Grant got arrested.”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean the center closes?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Rebecca handed Claire a stack of papers.
“What’s this?”
“Every message we received from the fake case managers.”
Claire stared.
“We compared them.”
Twenty-seven families had pooled communications.
Texts.
Emails.
Voicemails.
Payment instructions.
One victim had recorded an entire meeting.
Rebecca smiled.
“You told us you’d prove what happened.”
Claire looked at the families.
Rebecca continued.
“So we figured we should help.”
Claire felt her throat tighten.
Ten years ago, she had fought alone because she trusted nobody.
Now people were bringing her evidence.
Not because she controlled them.
Because she had helped them.
Claire opened the first transcript.
Halfway down the page, a sentence jumped out.
The fake case manager had said:
“Mr. Pendelton has already approved the transfer.”
Claire looked up.
There it was.
Arthur’s name.
Spoken before the scandal.
Before the fire.
Before his television campaign.
Claire smiled.
Rebecca noticed.
“Is that good?”
Claire nodded.
“For us?”
“Yes.”
“For him?”
May you like
Claire’s smile widened.
“Not even slightly.”
