Chapter 10 - The Interrogation Under the Chandelier
With Derek safely behind bars awaiting trial without the possibility of bail due to extreme flight risk, the federal investigators turned their full attention to tracking down his co-conspirator and Miami mistress, Victoria Vance. Two days after the arraignment, Federal Marshals acting on an international tip raided a luxury penthouse in Brickell, Miami, arresting Victoria as she attempted to board a private charter flight bound for the Cayman Islands with two duffel bags stuffed with bearer bonds and diamond jewelry. Flown back to New York in federal custody, Victoria was brought in for a high-stakes interrogation at the Manhattan field office—an interrogation I was permitted to observe from behind the one-way glass of the observation suite, accompanied by Arthur Vance. Inside the interrogation room, two federal agents placed a stack of incriminating wire transfer receipts and love letters bearing Derek’s signature onto the steel table. Victoria, draped in an expensive designer tracksuit and wearing heavy sunglasses indoors, sneered at the documents. “This is a witch hunt! Derek gave me those funds legally! I’m a legitimate real estate investor!” she snapped, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. The lead investigator leaned forward, sliding a photograph across the table—a photograph of Derek signing the forged power-of-attorney document in a corrupt notary’s office in Queens. “Ms. Vance, your boyfriend has already started singing,” the agent lied smoothly, applying classic interrogation pressure. “He’s cooperating fully with the U.S. Attorney’s office, and he’s explicitly stated that you were the mastermind who orchestrated the entire asset-stripping scheme to fund your lifestyle.” Victoria’s arrogant facade instantly crumbled. Her jaw dropped, and she slammed her fists against the table. “That lying, cowardly bastard!” she shrieked, her voice echoing through our observation speakers. “I was just following his plan! He told me his mother was senile and the money was legally his inheritance! He promised to divorce his wife and marry me once the merger went through!” Arthur Vance chuckled quietly beside me, turning to me with an admiring smile. “Well, Mrs. Bennett, it appears your son’s loyalty to his co-conspirators is just as nonexistent as his loyalty to his mother.” I watched Victoria break down in hysterical tears as she began frantically detailing every offshore account, every safe deposit box, and every hidden asset Derek had concealed from the federal audit. The house of cards was complete dust.
