Chapter 7 - THE EVIDENCEThe basement of the transit building was suddenly filled with the sound of running feet.
Mike came stumbling out of the emergency stairwell, his face red and blistered from the hot coffee, his coat torn. He held his badge high in his hand, his voice raspy and desperate.
"Captain! Arrest these people!" Mike shouted, pointing at Logan and Vanessa. "I am an agent of the Mercer County Child Welfare Department! That woman is a fugitive wanted for child endangerment and kidnapping!"
Captain Miller didn't even turn around. She simply waved her hand.
Two heavy-set uniformed officers stepped behind Mike, grabbing his arms and forcing them behind his back.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Mike yelled, struggling against the cuffs. "I have a court order!"
"Your court order was issued by Judge Harold Vance," Captain Miller said, pulling a paper from her pocket. "Richard Vance’s brother. Who was arrested twenty minutes ago in Mercer County by federal marshals."
Mike went completely motionless. The color drained from his face until he looked as pale as the snow falling outside.
"What... what are you talking about?" Mike stuttered.
"We have the ledger, Mike," Logan said, stepping up to him, looking him straight in his cold eyes. "We have the bank transfers from Vance Holdings to your personal offshore account in the Caymans. Forty thousand dollars a head for every child you removed from their families and placed into Vance-owned private facilities."
"You can't prove that," Mike whispered, his voice trembling for the first time.
"We don't have to," Captain Miller said. "Sarah Calder proved it before you killed her."
Captain Miller pulled a small digital recorder from her pocket and hit play.
The heavy, crackling audio echoed through the concrete parking garage:
[Sarah's Voice]: "I know what you're doing, Mike. I know about the kickbacks. I have the files."
[Mike's Voice]: "Nobody cares about your files, Sarah. Look around you. You have no money, no husband, and five kids. By tomorrow morning, those kids belong to Vance Holdings. And if you try to stop me, this whole place goes up."
[Sound of a heavy strike, followed by a gasp, and the distinct click of a lighter.]
Vanessa sank to her knees on the concrete floor, tears streaming down her face. Nolan wrapped his arms around her shoulder, pressing his face into her neck.
Mike stared at the recorder, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He tried to speak, but no words came out. The officers hoisted him by his arms and dragged him toward the back of the police cruiser.
As they loaded Mike into the car, Richard Vance was led out of the elevator in handcuffs by two federal agents, his expensive suit wrinkled, his expression defeated.
Logan walked over to Vanessa and knelt beside her on the cold pavement.
"It's over," Logan said softly. "The system isn't hunting you anymore."
May you like
Vanessa looked up at him, her eyes shining through her tears. "What happens to the children now?"
"We're going to the court right now," Captain Miller said gently, stepping up beside them. "Not for a custody hearing to take them away. But for a legal guardianship hearing. The State Attorney General has personally requested that full, legal custody of all five children be permanently assigned to you, Miss Calder."
