Chapter 6 - The Partner in Crime
The cold night air rushed through the six-inch gap of the front door, carrying the scent of damp pavement and the sharp panic radiating from Marlene.
She pushed past me with an undignified shove, her bare feet tripping over the welcome mat as she threw herself against the exterior wall to block the visitor from my view.
"What in the hell are you doing here, Leo?" she hissed, her voice vibrating with a frantic desperation that completely shattered her usual polished suburban facade.
The towering man in the leather jacket scoffed, crossing his thick arms over his chest as he looked down at her with undisguised contempt and frustration.
"You said the cash was clearing tonight, Marlene," Leo shot back, his voice loud enough to echo down the quiet suburban street and risk waking up the entire neighborhood. "My bookie isn't the type of guy who takes IOUs, and if I don't hand over ten grand by sunrise, my legs are going to be broken."
I unlatched the security chain, pushed the door wide open, and stepped out onto the porch, towering over Marlene while fixing my gaze entirely on her menacing associate.
"Step inside, Mr. Miller, or whatever your name is," I commanded, using the same steely, unyielding authority that had made junior enlisted soldiers freeze in their tracks during briefings.
Leo blinked, momentarily thrown off balance by my military posture, and before Marlene could stop him, he instinctively took a step past her into the brightly lit foyer.
"Who the hell are you?" Leo demanded, though his voice lacked the sharp confidence he had flashed at Marlene just a moment earlier.
"I'm the person whose bank account your business partner here tried to illegally hack yesterday morning," I replied smoothly, closing and locking the front door behind him with a definitive click.
Marlene let out a choked sob, sliding down the wallpapered hallway until she hit the floor, finally realizing that her grand scheme had completely imploded under the harsh light of reality.
I motioned toward the living room sofa, ordering both of them to sit down while I went to retrieve my encrypted laptop and the stack of financial forensic files printed out by my JAG legal team.
When I returned to the living room, my father was standing at the end of the hallway, rubbing his eyes in utter disbelief as he stared at the strange man sitting on his couch.
"Dad, go back to bed or grab a chair, because you need to hear every single word of what your wonderful wife has been orchestrating behind your back," I said without looking away from Leo.
Leo shifted uncomfortably on the cushions, realizing that he had walked straight out of the frying pan and into a heavily fortified military tribunal led by an angry Lieutenant Colonel.
"She told me her stepdaughter was a loaded military officer with zero financial oversight who wouldn't even notice ten thousand missing from her retirement fund," Leo blurted out defensively.
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"Is that right, Marlene?" I asked, walking slowly toward her until I stood directly over her where she sat on the floor, looking every bit like a cornered animal.
She covered her face with her shaking hands, refusing to meet my eyes, but her absolute silence served as a full, unabashed confession to every single allegation on my screen.
