Chapter 46 - The Marshals Arrive
The low wail of a siren rose in the distance, echoing off the damp granite cliffs behind the farm. A moment later, two black SUVs with official government plates turned off the main road, their tires crunching loudly on the driveway as they pulled up behind Vance’s pickup, blocking the exit entirely.
Melissa spun around, panic flaring in her eyes like wildfire. "No... no, Richard said they wouldn't come out here! Vance, fix this! You're our lawyer, fix this right now!"
"I ceased representing your branch of the family at midnight, Melissa," Vance said, adjusting his glasses with steady fingers. "I am here as Clara’s brother, and as Nora’s legal counsel, if she will have me."
Two federal marshals stepped out of the lead vehicle, accompanied by a woman in a sharp gray suit carrying a federal warrant dossier. It was Agent Miller, the woman Marcus had spent the last seventy-two hours briefing in the U.S. Attorney’s office.
"Melissa Vance-Holloway?" Agent Miller called out, stepping through the morning mist with absolute authority.
Melissa scrambled toward the porch steps, trying to climb past Vance toward me, her hands reaching out in wild desperation. "Nora! Tell them! Tell them it’s a family dispute! We can settle it inside! Think of the boys! Liam and Toby don't have anywhere to sleep tonight!"
I stood immovable on the top step, looking down at the woman who had watched her sons deliberately trample my daughter’s white dress in the mud, who had laughed and called my tears an embarrassment to the family.
"You should have thought of Liam and Toby before you forged your mother’s name on a fraudulent bank note," I said, my voice echoing off the porch timber. "And you should have thought of them before you paid Walter five thousand dollars to tamper with my car."
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Melissa stopped dead. The color drained completely from her face. "You... you can't prove that. Walter swore—"
"Walter didn't swear anything," Agent Miller interrupted, stepping up behind Melissa and resting a firm hand on her shoulder. "Walter gave a full video-recorded proffer at two o'clock this morning in exchange for a plea agreement on the grand larceny charges. Put your hands behind your back, Melissa."
