Chapter 4 - The House of Lies
By noon, the house was utterly silent again, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room. The police had taken Heather into custody, and her husband was already being booked at the federal detention center in Nevada on wire fraud charges.
Bennett sat alone at the kitchen table, staring blankly at the cold puddle of coffee on the floor. His designer weekend clothes were crumpled, his hair was a disheveled mess, and his eyes were red and swollen from crying.
"Clara, please," he whimpered, looking up at me with pathetic, pleading eyes. "You have to help me. I didn't know she was married. I was a victim here! She targeted me because of my corporate position!"
Naomi returned to the kitchen after concluding a phone call in the hallway, her expression devoid of any sympathy. "Mr. Clark, you are not a victim. You are currently facing charges of criminal conversion and intentional marital dissipation of assets."
"I was going to put the money back!" Bennett lied desperately, grabbing at Naomi's sleeve like a beggar. "It was just a temporary investment! Clara, tell her! We've been married for eight years! You know I love you! I lost my head, but it was just a moment of weakness!"
I let out a cold, bitter chuckle that surprised even myself. "A moment of weakness that lasted eleven months, Bennett? You bought her a five-thousand-dollar Cartier bracelet while you told me we had to cancel my dental surgery because we were strapped for cash."
I walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up the stack of printed emails I had retrieved from his forgotten laptop.
"Here is an email from four months ago," I read aloud, my voice steady and unwavering. "'Heather darling, once Clara's father passes away and she receives the rest of the family trust, I'll convince her to roll it into a high-yield annuity under my name, then we can buy the beach house in Cabo.'"
Bennett’s face turned from pale to an absolute ash gray. He had forgotten that every single draft, every single deleted message, had synced automatically to the cloud drive on that old computer.
"You were waiting for my sick father to die so you could steal his life's work," I said, slamming the papers down onto the table with an explosive crack. "My father, who gave you your first job in the corporate logistics industry. My father, who treated you like a son when your own family disowned you."
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"I was talking big to impress her!" Bennett cried, sinking to the floor on his knees. "It was fantasy talk! I swear to God, Clara, I would never have done that to your father!"
"Get off the floor, Bennett," Naomi said coldly. "The moving van will be here in twenty minutes. Every item belonging to you that was purchased prior to the marriage has been boxed and placed in the garage. Your personal vehicle has already been impounded by the lender for non-payment."
