Chapter 6 - A Frozen Bank Account
By 8:00 AM on Monday morning, the blizzard had cleared, leaving Dublin locked beneath a crystalline sheet of blue ice.
I sat in the mahogany-paneled conference room of Bennett, Cross & Vance—one of the most prestigious law firms in downtown Columbus. Sitting across from me was Sarah Vance, a razor-sharp domestic litigator who had once clerked for Judge Arthur Bennett before rising to senior partner. Arthur sat at the head of the table, dressed in a sharp charcoal three-piece suit, looking every inch the formidable jurist who had commanded respect for three decades.
""Here’s where we stand, Rebecca,"" Sarah said, sliding an emergency motion across the table. ""At dawn, Judge Miller signed an ex parte emergency freeze order against all domestic financial accounts associated with Daniel Whitmore’s social security number. We also served a notice of lis pendens against your marital residence, preventing any unauthorized encumbrance or sale.""
I rubbed my tired eyes. Caleb and Hannah were sleeping peacefully in portable cribs in the firm’s private nursery down the hall, watched over by Arthur’s daughter, who was a licensed pediatrician.
""What about the money he wired to Florida?"" I asked. ""The two hundred and forty thousand?""
Sarah tapped her pen against the legal pad. ""The Cayman account was routed through a correspondent bank in New York City. Because Arthur called the regional assistant U.S. Attorney on Sunday afternoon, federal authorities flagged the transfer under the Child Support Recovery Act and federal interstate fraud statutes. The funds are currently frozen in transit. Daniel hasn't touched a single dollar of that money.""
My phone suddenly buzzed violently on the mahogany surface.
The caller ID flashed: UNKNOWN CALLER.
Sarah glanced at Arthur, who gave a firm, decisive nod. ""Answer it, Rebecca. Put it on speaker. Do not raise your voice, and do not cry. Let him speak.""
My trembling thumb swiped the green bar. ""Hello?""
""Rebecca?!""
Daniel’s voice exploded through the tiny speaker, high-pitched, furious, and completely stripped of his usual composed arrogance.
""What the hell did you do?!"" he yelled, background noise of airport terminals and luggage carts echoing behind him. ""I just tried to use my debit card at the car rental counter in Fort Myers and the transaction was declined! My credit cards are locked! The banking app says my entire profile is restricted due to a court order!""
I looked at Arthur, whose face was completely impassive. I took a deep, steadying breath, feeling a strange, unfamiliar spine of iron straightening my back.
""You left me at the mall, Daniel,"" I said, my voice eerily calm. ""You left me with eight-month-old twins and an empty formula can while you drove onto the highway.""
""I left you a note!"" he shouted back, completely oblivious to his own monstrous cruelty. ""I told you to take the house! I have rights, Rebecca! You can't just freeze my money! That cash is mine—I earned every penny of it at the firm!""
""That money belongs to the marital estate of Caleb and Hannah Whitmore,"" Sarah Vance’s resonant voice cut in, cold and authoritative. ""Mr. Whitmore, I am Sarah Vance, counsel of record for your wife. You are currently speaking on a recorded line in the presence of legal counsel and former presiding Judge Arthur Bennett.""
A dead silence fell over the phone. You could hear the faint click of a luggage wheel on tile.
""Judge... Bennett?"" Daniel stammered, his bravado instantly evaporating. ""Who is that? Rebecca, who did you hire?!""
""He was the man sitting in the red suit while you smiled for our family photograph, Daniel,"" I said softly. ""The one you complained was charging forty dollars for thirty seconds of work. It turns out, his hourly rate is much higher when he’s disbarring people.""
May you like
""Listen to me carefully, Mr. Whitmore,"" Arthur spoke up, his voice booming with the weight of twenty-four years on the bench. ""At noon today, an emergency warrant will be issued for your arrest out of Franklin County for child endangerment, criminal desertion, and grand larceny. If you board another flight or attempt to cross state lines, federal marshals will meet you at the gate. If you wish to avoid spending Christmas in a county lockup, you will report to this office by ten o’clock tomorrow morning with your attorney. Do you understand?""
Daniel didn't answer. A ragged, terrified gasp escaped his throat before the line went dead.
