Chapter 6 - The House of Cards
For the next three days, Vance and I worked in secret.
We didn't just go to the local police; we went straight to the District Attorney's office. Vance had connections, and once the DA saw the mountain of incontrovertible evidence—the IP logs, the forged signatures verified by a handwriting expert, and most importantly, Carter's recorded confession to the accountant—the wheels of justice began to turn rapidly.
Warrants were quietly signed. Accounts were quietly frozen.
Saturday night arrived.
Silver Lake was buzzing with luxury cars. Valets rushed back and forth, parking Maseratis and Porsches along the street.
I stood in the shadows across the street, watching my childhood home. The gray paint still disgusted me, but tonight, the house was ablaze with light. String lights hung over the backyard, and the muffled sound of a string quartet drifted through the night air.
I was no longer wearing borrowed clothes. Vance had lent me a sharp, dark suit. I felt like a different person. I wasn't the broken ex-con who had knocked on that door three days ago.
I was Camden Dennis's son.
Vance pulled up next to me in an unmarked sedan. He rolled down the window.
“The DA gave the green light. The police are positioned at the back exits. The FBI has agents in the crowd posing as investors. We own the room, Finnley.”
“Good,” I said, adjusting my cuffs.
“You want to do the honors?” Vance asked, gesturing toward the front door.
“She told me if I ever set foot on the property again, she'd call the police,” I said, a grim smile forming on my lips. “Let's save her the trouble.”
I walked across the street, every step feeling lighter than the last. The heavy burden of guilt and shame I had carried for three years was gone.
The two bouncers at the front door held up their hands as I approached.
“Sir, name on the guest list, please?” one of them asked.
Before I could answer, Vance flashed his private investigator badge, and two uniformed police officers stepped out of the shadows, flanking us.
“He's the owner of the house,” Vance growled. “Step aside.”
May you like
The bouncers backed away.
I reached out, grabbed the sleek modern handle of the black door, and pushed it open. It was time to take back what was mine.
