Chapter 6 - The Booking at Palm Beach County
While Daniel was unraveling in Chicago, the scene at the Palm Beach Police Department was pure pandemonium.
Patricia Hale sat handcuffed to a stainless-steel bench in the intake processing area, her elegant floral blouse stained with mascara and sweat. Her expensive Florida hairdo had collapsed into a frizzy mess, and her church friends had long since abandoned her, having taken an Uber back to their hotel after giving detailed statements to the arresting officers confirming that Patricia had bragged about taking the card without permission.
""You cannot do this to me!"" Patricia shrieked at the processing officer, her voice hoarse from two hours of non-stop screaming. ""I demand to see your supervisor! My son is a partner at Hale, Sterling & Cross! He will sue this entire county into oblivion!""
""Ma'am, for the fifth time, keep your hands on the bench,"" the officer said without looking up from his computer terminal. ""Your son’s law firm already spoke with our detective. They stated that the account does not belong to the firm, and the cardholder’s legal counsel has formally declined to authorize the charges or execute a waiver of prosecution.""
""What?"" Patricia’s voice dropped to a terrified whisper. ""What do you mean declined?""
""It means, Ms. Hale, that your daughter-in-law provided timestamped video evidence showing you removing the financial instrument from her personal effects without consent,"" the detective explained, walking into the intake area holding a clipboard. ""And the cardholder's legal representation in Chicago has confirmed that you had zero authorization to draw upon that credit line. You are being officially charged with one count of Grand Theft exceeding twenty thousand dollars and one count of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card.""
""Emily..."" Patricia hissed, her fingers curling into tight, trembling fists. ""That little peasant set me up! She knew what card that was! She deliberately put it there!""
""Ma'am,"" the detective said, leaning over the counter with a cool, unimpressed gaze. ""Did she force your hand into her purse? Did she force you to swipe forty-two thousand dollars worth of gold jewelry and couture dresses on Worth Avenue?""
Patricia stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, but no sound came out.
""Stand up, face the wall, and place your toes against the yellow line,"" the officer instructed, unhooking his cuffs to lead her toward the fingerprint scanner. ""You have one phone call once booking is complete.""
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When Patricia finally reached Daniel on the booking phone thirty minutes later, her arrogant demeanor was entirely gone, replaced by pitiful, sniffling sobs. ""Danny... Danny, please, they have me in a cell. The bail is fifty thousand dollars cash. You have to wire it immediately! Call your firm, make them fix this!""
""I don't have a firm anymore, Mother,"" Daniel said, his voice flat, hollow, and utterly dead over the line. ""And the judge froze every dime I owned. I couldn't bail you out with fifty dollars, let alone fifty thousand.""
