Chapter 7 - THE STING OPERATION“We have him,” Detective Vance said, his eyes burning with determination as he recorded the footage onto a flash drive. “This ties the cyber-fraud directly to the CFO. But we need to catch him before he realizes Linda and Megan have been arrested and flees the country.”
“How do we do that?” I asked.
Vance looked at me with a sharp, calculating glint in his eyes. “Your mother’s phone was confiscated when she was booked into central lockup. Victor doesn't know she’s in jail yet. We’re going to use her phone to set up a meeting.”
We rushed to the police headquarters. In the interrogation room, Linda sat in an orange jumpsuit, looking disheveled, arrogant, and thoroughly unrepentant.
Detective Vance slammed the video evidence of Victor walking into my house onto the table.
Linda’s face turned white as sheet paper.
“Your corporate accomplice just got exposed on camera, Linda,” Vance said coldly. “The FBI is already preparing federal warrants. Right now, you’re looking at 25 years to life for attempted murder, conspiracy to commit grand larceny, and felony child abuse. But if you cooperate right now, the prosecutor might offer you a plea deal that keeps you out of prison until you’re eighty.”
Linda looked at me, sitting in the corner of the room, her eyes darting frantically.
“Ryan... my baby... please help me,” she whimpered, suddenly changing her tone back to a helpless mother. “He forced me! Victor threatened me!”
“Don't call me your baby,” I said, my voice dead and empty of all emotion. “You let my son starve. You drugged my wife. You deserve every single year you get in that cell. Make the call, or I’ll personally testify to ensure you get the maximum sentence possible.”
Broken and terrified of spending the rest of her life behind bars, Linda caved.
Under police supervision, Linda picked up her seized phone and dialed Victor Vance.
The call connected. “Linda?” Victor’s smooth, arrogant voice came through the speaker. “Is it done? Did the police arrest Ryan for the theft yet?”
“No... there’s a problem, Victor,” Linda said, her voice shaking according to the script Vance had written for her. “Ryan came home early. He found the briefcase device behind the router. He has it in his car right now. He’s meeting me at the old freight depot on 5th Street to figure out what’s going on. You need to come get it before he looks at the files!”
A pause on the line. I held my breath.
“Foolish old woman,” Victor sneered. “Fine. I’ll be at the depot in twenty minutes. Make sure he’s alone, or I’ll make sure you don't get a single cent of the payout.”
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The call disconnected.
Detective Vance turned to his SWAT team leaders standing in the room. “Lock and load. We’re taking down a CFO.”
