Chapter 5 - NO WAY OUT"You... you can't prove that," Julian stammered, his bravado evaporating into pure terror. "That's coerced testimony! It won't hold up in court!"
"It doesn't need to hold up in court," Arthur said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a tablet. He tapped the screen and slid it across the glass desk toward the lawyer.
On the screen was a live video feed of the Cook County Courthouse. A press conference was currently underway, broadcast live on every major news network across the state.
The State Attorney General was standing at the podium.
"...We are announcing a sweeping, thirty-count indictment against the law firm of Cross & Associates and Vance Realty Group for systemic racketeering, deed theft, mortgage fraud, and conspiracy," the Attorney General was saying on screen. "Furthermore, the State Bar has issued an immediate, emergency revocation of Julian Cross's law license, effective as of 10:00 AM today."
Julian stared at the screen, his mouth hanging open in horror.
"My... my license..." he whispered. "My practice... my money..."
"Your firm is gone, Julian," Arthur said, his voice as cold as absolute zero. "Your bank accounts have been frozen. Your law license is revoked. The police outside are waiting to take you into custody for criminal fraud and racketeering. You face a mandatory minimum of twenty-five years in state prison."
Julian sank back into his leather chair, weeping openly, his head in his hands.
"Please..." Julian sobbed, looking at Sarah. "Mrs. Bennett, please... talk to him! I was just doing what my client asked! It was Victor Vance! Victor was the mastermind! He made me do it!"
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Sarah looked down at the once-powerful lawyer cowering before her. She remembered the night beforeâhow she had sat on the cold marble floor of the bank, holding her shivering child, feeling like dirt beneath this man's shoes.
"You told me that poor people should learn to read before signing contracts," Sarah said softly, her voice filled with absolute dignity. "I learned to read, Mr. Cross. And today, I read your arrest warrant."
