Chapter 9 - The Splitting of the Alliance in Custody
In the bleak visiting room of the county detention center, the toxic alliance between Daniel and Vanessa was rapidly disintegrating.
They sat across from each other at opposite ends of a bolted metal table, separated by a sheet of reinforced transparent glass.
Vanessa’s designer dress was gone, replaced by a standard-issue orange jumpsuit that made her look pale and insignificant.
"You told me everything was foolproof, Daniel!" Vanessa shrieked through the intercom speaker, her voice bordering on hysteria.
"You promised me we would inherit the estate and live comfortably in Europe within six months!"
Daniel glared back at her through the glass, his eyes bloodshot and filled with bitter resentment.
"Shut your mouth, Vanessa," Daniel snarled, pressing his face close to the speaker grill.
"If you hadn't insisted on wearing Claire's star bracelet to her funeral like an arrogant idiot, none of this would have happened."
"Me?" Vanessa gasped, clutching her chest in disbelief.
"You were the one who gave me the bracelet! You told me she wouldn't need it anymore!"
"I gave it to you in private, not as a billboard for the entire cemetery to stare at," Daniel retorted viciously.
"You couldn't resist rubbing your little affair in her mother's face, and you blew the entire operation wide open."
Their petty bickering echoed loudly through the concrete visiting hall, drawing amused glances from the guards standing nearby.
Moments later, the heavy door opened and Vanessa's court-appointed public defender walked in, carrying a legal pad.
He didn't even look at Daniel as he sat down beside Vanessa.
"Miss Cole, the district attorney has offered us a formal plea agreement," the attorney announced in a tired voice.
Vanessa stopped crying instantly, leaning forward with desperate hope.
"What kind of agreement? Do I get probation?"
"If you provide a full, unvarnished confession detailing Daniel Mercer's sole initiative in planning the vehicle sabotage and financial fraud, the state will drop the capital conspiracy charge down to accessory after the fact," the lawyer explained clearly.
"You would be looking at a maximum of three years instead of twenty-five to life."
Daniel slammed his fist against the glass partition, shouting obscenities.
"You can't take that deal, Vanessa! If you flip on me, I'll make sure you go down for the whole thing!"
Vanessa looked from Daniel's enraged, panicked face back to her attorney.
May you like
The loyalty that had once bound their illicit relationship had instantly vanished in the face of prison walls.
"I accept the deal," Vanessa whispered into the intercom, sealing Daniel's fate for good.
