Chapter 8 - The Net Tightens
At 8:00 AM, David walked into the kitchen, his face a mask of calm, tired exhaustion. He had spent the remaining hours of the night copying every video file, every audio recording, and every financial transaction to a secure, external cloud server. He had also contacted his childhood friend, Detective Sarah Miller of the King County Police Department.
Rebecca was standing by the stove, pouring a fresh cup of coffee. She smiled warmly as he entered, looking every bit the loving, concerned wife.
"Good morning, sweetheart," she said, stepping forward to kiss his cheek. "How is your mother doing?"
David forced himself not to flinch as her lips touched his skin. "She’s still weak, Rebecca. I’m really worried about her."
"I am too," Rebecca said, her eyes filling with performative concern. "I actually called a specialist this morning. They think she might be experiencing a secondary onset of vascular dementia. They recommended a temporary stay at the Crestview Care Facility for a full neurological evaluation. They have a transport team that can come pick her up this afternoon."
"Crestview?" David asked, playing along. "Isn't that the private place in Bellevue?"
"Yes," Rebecca lied smoothly. "It’s very exclusive. I think it’s the best thing for her, David. We can't provide the level of care she needs here anymore. It’s wearing us both down."
"You're right," David said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I’ll go to the office for a few hours to clear my schedule so I can be here when the transport team arrives."
"That’s a wonderful idea," Rebecca said, her smile widening. "I’ll handle all the paperwork."
David walked out of the house, got into his car, and drove straight to the police station.
In a private interrogation room, Detective Sarah Miller watched the video of Evelyn crawling across the floor. She listened to the audio recordings of Rebecca and Marcus plotting the theft and the forced confinement of David's mother.
Sarah’s face was grim as she closed the laptop.
"This is elder abuse, grand larceny, identity theft, and conspiracy," Sarah said, her voice tight with anger. "And if we can prove Marcus Vance is alive and living under a false identity, we’ve got them on federal fraud charges too."
May you like
"They’re moving her today," David said. "The transport team is coming this afternoon. Marcus is going to be there."
"Good," Sarah said, reaching for her radio. "Let them set the trap. We’ll be the ones who spring it."
