Chapter 15 - The Federal TrapWe returned to New York with the contents of the Geneva safety deposit box secured in a biometric briefcase. But we didn't go back to the penthouse. We drove straight to the Foley Square federal courthouse, where Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Vance—no relation to the corrupt corporate lawyer, but equally ambitious—was preparing to issue a grand jury subpoena against Caruso-Mercer Logistics.
We walked into the federal prosecutor’s private office unannounced, bypassing a bewildered secretary who stammered about scheduling protocols.
Attorney Vance looked up from a stack of files, his eyes narrowing as he recognized Roman and me. "Mr. Caruso. Mrs. Caruso. You must be lost. The grand jury hearings aren't open to the public."
"We aren't here for a hearing, Counselor," Roman said, setting the heavy leather briefcase on the edge of Vance’s desk and snapping the brass latches open. "We’re here to expedite your investigation."
Vance frowned, standing up slowly as he peered down into the briefcase filled with our mother’s journals, the original unadulterated shipping manifests, and the complete audit trail of the Mercer cartel's political payoffs.
"What is this?" Vance demanded, picking up the top document.
"It’s every dirty secret my father and my brother used to control the eastern seaboard for the last thirty years," I said, stepping forward and resting both hands on the desk, looking the federal prosecutor dead in the eye. "Every bribe, every shell company, every corrupted judge. It's all here. Unredacted."
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Vance’s jaw slackened. He looked from the documents to me, trying to process the strategic suicide we were committing. "You realize that handing this over means the federal government will dismantle what's left of the Mercer assets? You could lose everything."
"We aren't losing anything," Roman said smoothly, stepping up beside me and interlacing his fingers with mine. "We’re cleaning the slate. And as for Grant Mercer... well, let's just say his federal prison sentence is about to get a lot more permanent."
