Chapter 7 - The Frame Job
Caleb froze as the police officers advanced on him with handcuffs ready.
He quickly realized Vanessa had set a brilliant trap just in case Julian failed to stop him.
She had called the police and reported him for stealing medical supplies and tampering with Arthur's medical equipment.
"Put your hands behind your back," the taller officer commanded, grabbing Caleb's shoulder roughly.
Caleb didn't resist, knowing that a fight in the lobby would only make him look guilty.
As the cold steel cuffs clicked around his wrists, Caleb desperately looked around the crowded lobby.
"Check my left pocket," Caleb told the officer.
"There's a vial of blood in there that proves Vanessa poisoned her husband."
The officer patted him down, reached into the pocket, and pulled out the small glass tube.
The officer examined the label, shook his head, and laughed.
"This is a vial of saline solution, kid," the officer said, holding it up.
Caleb stared at the clear liquid in absolute horror.
Julian hadn't smashed the lock to save him; Julian had used the distraction to swap the vials during their brief scuffle.
Julian had stolen the actual evidence to blackmail Vanessa for the entire fortune himself.
Caleb was shoved into the back of a police cruiser, his hope completely shattered.
At the police precinct, Caleb was placed in a bleak interrogation room for four agonizing hours.
He refused to speak to the detectives until Marcus Sterling finally walked through the door.
Marcus looked tired but carried his signature leather briefcase.
"You really stepped into a mess this time, Caleb," Marcus said, taking a seat across the metal table.
"Vanessa's lawyers are pushing the district attorney to file first-degree murder charges against you by midnight."
Caleb slammed his chained hands against the table in total frustration.
"She's going to get away with it, Marcus," Caleb cried out.
"Julian took the blood, Mia is dying in a state ward, and I'm going to prison for a murder I didn't commit."
Marcus slowly opened his briefcase and pulled out a small, black electronic device.
"You underestimate how paranoid a self-made millionaire can be, Caleb," Marcus said softly.
He pressed a button on the device, and a high-definition holographic projection illuminated the dark interrogation room.
It was a hidden camera recording from Arthur's hospital room, capturing the exact moment Vanessa confessed to poisoning the vitamins.
The door to the interrogation room suddenly swung open, and the lead detective walked in.
"Mr. Sterling, you need to come out here immediately," the detective said, his face pale.
"We just got a 911 call from Julian."
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The detective looked at Caleb with a grim expression.
"He says he has your sister Mia, and he's going to kill her unless you transfer the estate over to him right now."
