Chapter 7 - The Sting Operation
The executive conference room at Bellmont Title & Escrow was lined with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering a panoramic view of downtown Bellmont.
Daniel sat at the head of the polished oak table, dressed in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him sat Richard Sterling, the crooked notary, wearing a faded coat and smelling faintly of cheap gin. Across from them sat Arthur Hayes, an unsuspecting escrow officer who was reviewing a thick stack of real estate transfer forms.
“Everything is in order, Mr. Vale,” Hayes said, tapping the documents against his desk. “We have the Quitclaim Deed for the lake house, the corporate authorization resolutions for Apex Holdings, and the bank wire release forms for the remaining two million dollars from the Hale Trust.”
“Excellent,” Daniel smiled, leaning back in his leather chair, tapping a gold Montblanc pen against his thumb. “My wife will be arriving in a few minutes with the supplemental tax authorization. Once she hand-delivers that folder, we can execute the wire.”
“And Mrs. Margaret Hale?” Hayes asked, looking over his spectacles. “She is aware of this transfer?”
“My grandmother is in full agreement,” Daniel lied smoothly, his face a picture of serene sincerity. “In fact, she requested that I take over the estate completely due to her advancing age. The notary here, Mr. Sterling, witnessed her signature at her home yesterday afternoon.”
Sterling nodded hurriedly, pulling a brass seal stamp from his coat. “Yes, yes... witnessed it myself. Clear mind, sharp memory. Signed without hesitation.”
The glass double doors of the conference room swung open.
I walked in, wearing a sleek black wool suit, holding the blue folder in my hand.
Daniel stood up instantly, a brilliant, warm smile spreading across his face. “Evelyn! Honey, right on time! Did you bring the file?”
“I brought the file, Daniel,” I said, stepping up to the table.
Behind me, two men in dark suits stepped into the room. Then two more. Within seconds, eight armed officers from the Financial Crimes Unit, flanked by Detective Reyes and Nina Park, filled the entrance hall outside the glass doors.
Daniel’s smile stiffened. He looked at the officers, then looked back at me, his eyes flaring with sudden, sharp panic.
“Evelyn... what is this?” Daniel asked, his voice wavering. “Who are these people?”
“This is Detective Reyes, Daniel,” I said, setting the blue folder on the glass table. “And these documents aren't tax returns. They’re federal seizure warrants for every account registered to Apex Holdings, V&D Real Estate, and your personal holdings.”
Richard Sterling stood up so fast his chair tumbled backward onto the carpet. “What?! I don't know anything about this! I was just hired as a notary!”
“Sit down, Mr. Sterling,” Detective Reyes ordered, stepping into the room and pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. “You’re under arrest for forgery, filing false public records, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.”
Daniel backed away toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, his hands trembling violently.
“Evelyn... honey, stop this!” Daniel shouted, pointing a shaky finger at Nina Park. “She’s confusing you! Whatever financial discrepancies you found, I can explain! I did it for us! I was setting up an investment fund for our future!”
“By stealing eight hundred thousand dollars from Vanguard?” I asked coldly. “By forging my signature on corporate guarantees? By locking your eighty-two-year-old grandmother in a back room and slow-poisoning her broth so you could steal her home?!”
“That’s a lie!” Daniel screamed, his face turning bright red, sweat breaking out across his forehead. “She’s crazy! Margaret has dementia! She dreamed all of it! You have no proof!”
Nina Park tapped a button on her tablet.
The high-definition speakers mounted in the conference room ceiling suddenly crackled to life.
Daniel’s own voice echoed through the room with terrifying, crisp clarity:
“Once Evelyn gets back, she’ll be too busy cleaning up the old woman to notice the transfer.”
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Then Lorraine’s laugh echoed through the room: “And when Margaret dies, we say Evelyn neglected her. The police will believe the exhausted daughter-in-law before they suspect us.”
Daniel went completely pale. His jaw hung open. The Montblanc pen slipped from his fingers, clattering loudly against the glass table.
