Chapter 6 - The Trap ClosesFour days after the confrontation at the penthouse, Mark walked straight into a trap he never saw coming.
Believing he could smooth things over with the bank before the formal charges froze his assets, Mark drove down to the First National Bank of Maple Ridge to withdraw cash from the corporate LLC account he shared with Vanessa.
He strode into the marble-pillared lobby wearing his designer suit, feeling confident that his high-priced lawyer would help him dodge the elder abandonment charges.
He walked up to the teller window. "I need to make an emergency wire transfer and withdrawal from account ending in 4092."
The teller, a stern-looking middle-aged woman, checked her terminal. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. A strange silence fell over her workspace.
"Certainly, Mr. Bennett," the teller said politely, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen. "Just give me one moment to authorize the security protocol for high-value transactions."
Mark tapped his fingers impatiently on the marble counter, checking his Rolex watch. "Hurry up. I have a tight schedule."
Suddenly, two uniform security guards stepped up on either side of him. Before Mark could react, heavy hands clamped down on his shoulders, spinning him around.
"Mark Bennett?" a sharp voice called out.
Mark looked up to see Detective Vance holding an arrest warrant. "You're under arrest for wire fraud, bank forgery, grand larceny, and criminal neglect of an elderly dependent. Put your hands behind your back."
May you like
"This is a mistake!" Mark shouted, thrashing as the handcuffs clicked tightly around his wrists. "Call my lawyer! Call Dr. Cole! This is a civil dispute, not a criminal matter!"
"Tell it to the judge," Detective Vance replied coldly, marching him straight out the front glass doors of the bank as local news reporters—tipped off by an anonymous source—flashed cameras in his face.
