Chapter 9 - The House of Cards Collapses
I walked back into my house.
Chloe was sitting in the living room, watching TV.
She was eating a bowl of grapes.
She looked so comfortable. So innocent.
"Hey Mom," she smiled. "Where did you go?"
"Just out for a bit," I said, walking toward her.
Ramirez and two uniformed officers stepped into the room behind me.
Chloe's smile vanished.
"What's going on?" she asked, dropping a grape.
"We searched your suitcase, Chloe," Ramirez said simply.
All the color drained from her face.
"You... you can't do that! That's illegal!"
"Actually, your mother owns this house and gave us full consent to search her property," Ramirez replied.
"And finding evidence of grand theft, forgery, and conspiracy gives us all the probable cause we need."
Chloe scrambled to her feet.
She looked at me, panic in her eyes.
"Mom! Tell them! Tell them Mark made me do it!"
"Stop lying," I said. My voice was eerily calm.
"You orchestrated the whole thing. You forged my signature on the house deed. You forged it on the Power of Attorney."
"No! Mark forced me!"
"Mark is a brute, Chloe. But you are the snake. You blackmailed Dr. Evans."
She froze. She knew it was over.
"You knew about Mark's mistress, didn't you?" I asked.
She glared at me, her innocent facade finally cracking.
"Of course I knew," she spat, her voice turning venomous.
"I let him think he was getting away with the $500,000. It was a distraction. I wanted the real money. I wanted your estate."
"You are my daughter," I whispered, tears finally falling. "I would have given you everything when I passed away."
"I didn't want to wait for you to die," she snarled.
Ramirez grabbed her arm and spun her around.
"Chloe Davis, you are under arrest."
As they snapped the handcuffs on her wrists, she didn't cry.
May you like
She just glared at me with pure hatred.
I closed the door behind them, finally alone in my silent house.
