Chapter 7 - The Interrogation Room
The holding area of the State Police barracks off Route 128 smelled of commercial floor wax, burnt instant coffee, and damp concrete. Melissa sat behind a steel table in Interview Room B, her face streaked with black mascara, her expensive silk blouse rumpled and stained with spilled champagne. Her hands were cuffed to a metal D-ring bolted into the center of the welded table.
Through the double-paned observation glass, Arthur Vance, Rebecca, and I stood watching alongside the assistant district attorney, a sharp-featured woman named Catherine Ross.
""They're turning on each other like starved wolves,"" Ross said, holding a legal pad filled with handwritten notes. ""Daniel spent his first twenty minutes in Room A insisting that Melissa was the mastermind. He claims she stole your digital signatures, approached him with the Delaware LLC scheme, and seduced him into facilitating the offshore wire transfer.""
""And Melissa?"" I asked.
""Melissa claims Daniel coerced her with threats of career retaliation, promised her he was divorcing Rebecca anyway, and swore the money was merely an 'investment advance' that would be repaid with interest,"" Ross replied with a cold chuckle. ""Neither of them realizes that we already executed the search warrant on their corporate emails and their personal cloud backups. We have six hundred and forty text messages spanning four months. We have audio recordings from the lobby bar last week where Daniel explicitly jokes about leaving Rebecca with a defaulted mortgage while Melissa brags about how easy it was to forge your signature.""
In Room B, Detective Miller stepped inside, carrying a thick binder of printed transcripts. He slammed it down on the steel table with a violent bang that made Melissa jump six inches out of her seat.
""Let's cut the theater, Mrs. Miller,"" Miller said, pulling out a steel chair and leaning over her. ""Your lawyer from the public defender's office is stuck in traffic, but you waived your preliminary hold rights when you demanded to make an immediate statement. Here's reality: the wire transfer to Meridian Horizon was intercepted within three minutes of clearance. The Superior Court has already issued an emergency attachment order freezing the entire five hundred and twenty-two thousand dollars.""
Melissa began to weep uncontrollably, rocking back and forth against the handcuffs. ""I'll give it back! I'll sign whatever Mark wants! Just don't put me in prison! I have a clean record! I've never even had a speeding ticket!""
""You're looking at five to seven years in the state correctional facility at Framingham for wire fraud and conspiracy,"" Miller said bluntly, his voice void of any sympathy. ""Daniel is looking at eight to ten because he forged his spouse's signature on a federally insured title release. Your corporate employer has already fired both of you for gross misconduct and violation of internal ethics policies, effective fifteen minutes ago. The only question left is whether you want to spend the next five years fighting a federal paper trail that will bury you, or if you want to sign an immediate, total civil restitution agreement and enter a guilty plea.""
Melissa looked up at the one-way glass mirror. She couldn't see me through the darkened reflection, but she stared directly at the glass, her eyes wide, wild, and utterly defeated.
""Mark,"" she sobbed, her voice muffled through the intercom speaker in the observation room. ""Please. I know you're behind that glass. Please don't destroy my life. We can fix this. We can go to counseling. I was confused, I was weak, I didn't know what I was doing...""
I turned my back on the glass.
May you like
""Arthur,"" I said to my attorney, ""let's draw up the divorce settlement papers. Full forfeiture of all marital equity, total assumption of her own legal debts, and zero alimony. If she doesn't sign by five o'clock, tell ADA Ross to proceed with maximum sentencing recommendations.""
""Consider it done, Mr. Miller,"" Vance replied, snapping his briefcase shut.
