Chapter 3 - The Queen Bee’s Counter-AttackBy midnight, I was discharged into the care of Detective Sarah Vance—no relation to Derek, but a veteran investigator with a reputation for tearing white-collar predators apart. She met me at a safe, undisclosed apartment downtown, holding a warm cup of tea and a thick manila folder.
"Your stepmother, Brenda Vance, is already working the phones," Detective Vance said, setting the folder on the kitchen counter. "She has retained high-priced defense attorney Marcus Thorne. They are claiming Derek acted in defense of family property, and that you fabricated the assault to escape financial obligations."
I gripped the ceramic mug, my hands shaking. "Brenda knows every single lie Derek tells. She helped him lock me in the attic for three days last winter when I questioned my father's will."
Detective Vance’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "She did what?"
"They hid my phone, took my car keys, and told me I was paying off my 'room and board' with manual labor around the house," I whispered, the trauma bubbling up. "When I needed minor surgery last week for a chronic condition, Derek drove me only because he wanted me to sign a quickclaim deed in the hospital parking lot. When I refused, he snapped."
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Detective Vance slid the manila folder across the table and flipped it open. Inside were bank statements, property titles, and a printed email thread between Brenda and a shady real estate liquidator.
"They aren't just trying to keep you out of the house, Madison," Detective Vance said grimly. "They are trying to sell it tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM before you can legally contest the probate court filings. We need a court order to freeze the assets now."
