Chapter 7 - Tracing the Offshore Ledger
I moved before she could complete the arc of her arm.
Four years of loading fifty-pound bolt rolls of industrial canvas in our warehouse had given me reflexes and strength Lydia Shaw couldn't fathom. I lunged forward, caught her wrist in a vice-like grip, and twisted it downward against the polished stainless-steel railing.
The silver hardware token dropped from her fingers with a sharp metallic clatter, bouncing once on the teak deck before rolling straight against my boot.
Lydia gasped, clutching her bruised wrist, tears of rage and humiliation streaming down her face. ""You b—ch! You ruined my life! Daniel was mine before you ever laid eyes on him!""
""Daniel wasn't yours, Lydia,"" I said, bending down to pick up the cold metal drive and slipping it securely into my coat pocket. ""Daniel was an employee who worked for whoever promised him the easiest life. And now he’s an unemployed felon facing eight years in Danbury.""
The sudden wail of sirens pierced the harbor air.
Two Westport police cruisers and an unmarked black SUV from the State Attorney's unit sped into the marina parking lot, tires screeching against the asphalt. Detective Frank Ramos leaped from the vehicle, followed by three uniformed officers with their hands on their holsters.
""Claire!"" Ramos shouted, sprinting down the wooden planks of Pier 4. ""Step away from her!""
I stepped back toward the boarding gate, holding up both hands to show they were empty. ""She's all yours, Detective. The hardware token for the Bahamas account is secured.""
Two female officers boarded the vessel and placed Lydia Shaw in handcuffs. The designer cashmere coat was pulled rough against her back as she was led down the pier, sobbing hysterically, cursing Daniel, Marcus, and the entire Bennett bloodline to anyone who would listen.
Ramos walked over to me, shaking his head with an expression that was half reprimand, half grudging admiration. ""You have ice water in your veins, Miss Bennett. You know that?""
""It’s Mercer, actually,"" I said, a faint, cold smile touching my lips. ""At least until three o'clock this afternoon when the judge signs the nullification order.""
I handed him the silver USB token. ""Every dollar of the two point one million reserve is encrypted on this drive. Daniel has the master passphrase. He’ll give it to you if he wants any hope of a plea recommendation.""
""He already gave it to us,"" Ramos replied, pocketing the drive. ""The moment we showed him the security camera footage of Marcus pointing the finger at him in the boardroom, Daniel sang like a canary. He gave us the complete offshore transaction ledger dating back six years.""
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""And?""
Ramos looked at me with a strange, heavy pause. ""You need to come back to the mill, Claire. Thomas found something else in Evelyn's private records that changes everything.""
