Chapter 5 - The Spider in the Web
Two days later, I found myself sitting in an interrogation viewing room behind a one-way mirror at the Sacramento Federal Courthouse. Agent Marcus Vance stood beside me, sipping black coffee from a paper cup, while across the glass, Kyle Henderson sat flanked by two high-priced defense attorneys.
Henderson looked significantly less polished than he had at the vineyard gates. His designer tie was gone, the collar of his shirt was frayed, and the arrogance in his posture had hardened into defensive hostility.
""We have the wiretaps, Kyle,"" Agent Vance’s partner, Investigator Miller, said, dropping a thick stack of transcribed audio logs onto the metal table. ""We have the bank transfers from your offshore account to Kayla Montgomery’s shell company. We also have the surveillance footage from the Lake Tahoe casino private room showing your associates swapping the shoe during the poker game with Kevin Vance.""
Henderson’s lead attorney leaned forward. ""My client was merely executing a private debt consolidation. Mr. Vance willingly signed promissory notes.""
""Mr. Vance signed notes that were altered after the fact,"" Miller countered. ""The handwriting analysis completed yesterday proves that the clauses pledging Vance Crest Vineyards were inserted using digital overlay software after Kevin Vance signed the basic loan agreement. That is federal forgery, wire fraud, and grand larceny. You're looking at twenty-five years in a federal penitentiary.""
Henderson finally broke his silence. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he glared directly at the one-way glass, as if he knew I was standing right behind it.
""That old bitch wouldn't sell,"" Henderson growled, his voice vibrating with venom. ""I offered her twelve million dollars five years ago. I offered her fourteen million two years ago. That vineyard sits on the most lucrative mineral aquifer in the entire valley. The soil alone is worth thirty million if you strip the vines and develop luxury resort villas. And she’s using it to grow fucking grapes!""
I stood motionless, my hands resting on the handrail.
""She built an empire with dirt under her nails,"" Agent Vance muttered from beside me. ""And she protected it better than any corporate board in this state.""
""She ruined Kevin,"" Henderson spat. ""The kid was soft. An idiot who wanted to look like a king without putting in an hour of real work. It took Kayla three weeks to wrap him around her little finger. If Kimberly Vance had just handed over the deed as a wedding gift like any doting mother, everybody would have won. Kevin would have had his debts wiped, Kayla would have had her status, and I would have had the development rights.""
""And Mrs. Vance?"" Miller asked.
Henderson laughed—a dry, rasping sound. ""We were going to file a conservatorship petition three months after the wedding. Claim early-onset dementia. Move her into an assisted living facility in Arizona. She never would have seen the bulldozers.""
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The air in the observation room grew ice-cold. Agent Vance turned to me, his jaw clenched in fury. ""We have enough to put him away for the rest of his natural life, Mrs. Vance. Racketeering, conspiracy, identity theft, elder financial abuse. He will die in prison.""
I took a deep breath, feeling the phantom presence of Thomas standing at my side, steady and calm. ""Make sure the charges stick, Agent. Every single one of them.""
