Chapter 6 - The Uninvited GuestsBefore my father could digest Vance’s words, a second commotion broke out near the entrance of the ballroom. Three men in plain suits with gold badges pinned to their lapels pushed through the crowd.
The lead agent, a middle-aged woman with a steel-gray pixie cut, pulled out an identification wallet. “Richard Mercer? Vanessa Mercer?”
My father backed away, his hands trembling violently. “Who are you?”
“Special Agent Miller, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division,” she stated calmly. “We have federal arrest warrants for wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit financial falsification.”
Vanessa let out a strangled scream and tried to hide behind my mother’s chair. “No! I didn't do anything! It was him! It was my father! He signed the loan applications!”
“You signed the quarterly compliance certifications, Ms. Mercer,” Agent Miller replied, signaling her deputies. “You both have the right to remain silent.”
The guests gasped as the agents produced heavy steel handcuffs. The metallic click-clack of the cuffs snapping around my father’s wrists sounded sharply through the decorated hall. My father didn't fight. His legs seemed to lose all strength, and the agents had to hold him upright.
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Vanessa fought wildly, screaming insults at the agents, at the guests, and finally at me. “You did this, Claire! You jealous, pathetic bitch! You destroyed our family!”
I looked at her, my expression calm and unchanged. “You destroyed yourselves, Vanessa. I just stopped lying to cover for you.”
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