Chapter 4 - The Witnesses
The two men in suits stepped into the hallway, followed closely by the two police officers. One of the suited men, a tall, stern individual with grey hair, pulled a badge from his pocket and held it up.
"I am Special Agent Miller with the Army Criminal Investigation Division," he announced, his voice echoing in the high-ceilinged hallway. "And this is Special Agent Carter from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's Office of Inspector General."
Marcus took a step back, his face turning an ash-grey color. "CID? FDIC? What is this? Daniel, what is going on here? Why are you bringing federal agents into our house?"
Daniel walked past his mother, ignoring her outstretched hand, and stood directly beside me. He gently placed his hand on my shoulder, his grip warm, firm, and incredibly reassuring. He pulled a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and gently, tenderly wiped the trace of blood from my lip.
"Are you okay, Elara?" he whispered, his eyes filled with a deep, protective pain.
"I am now," I said softly, looking up at him.
Daniel turned back to face his family. "This isn't just your house, Marcus. This is Elara's house. And the reason these agents are here is because my wife is not a 'quiet little office mouse.' She is one of the most respected forensic financial analysts on the East Coast. And for the last three months, she has been assisting federal authorities in mapping a multi-level fraud scheme operating right inside this family."
"Daniel!" Gloria gasped, clutching her pearls. "How can you say that about your own flesh and blood? She's brainwashed you! She’s trying to turn you against us so she can keep everything for herself!"
"Silence, Gloria," Agent Miller said, his voice cutting through her hysteria like a knife. "We have spent the last forty-eight hours reviewing the financial records, IP address logs, and forged document metadata provided by Mrs. Vance. We have also secured security camera footage from the banks where the fraudulent transactions took place."
Agent Carter stepped forward, pulling a stack of official-looking documents from his briefcase. "Marcus Vance, we have an active warrant for your arrest on charges of federal bank fraud, identity theft of an active-duty military service member, and forgery of federal deployment documents. Tessa Vance, we have an active warrant for your arrest on charges of grand larceny, wire fraud, and forgery tied to the misappropriation of funds from the Patriot Veterans Foundation."
"No!" Tessa screamed, clutching Marcus's arm. "This is a mistake! It was a loan! We were going to pay it back! Daniel, tell them! Tell them it's a family matter!"
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"It stopped being a family matter when you forged my wife's signature to steal from a veterans' charity, Tessa," Daniel said, his voice cold and flat. "And it stopped being a family matter when you came into our home, assaulted my wife, and tried to extort her for our property."
The two police officers stepped forward, pulling handcuffs from their utility belts.
