Chapter 6 - The Federal Trap
Beatrice stood up, her face flushed with absolute rage. But her anger wasn't directed at me anymore. She looked at Jessica with pure venom.
“You little tramp,” Beatrice hissed. “You lied to my son! You tricked him!”
“He tricked me!” Jessica screamed back. “The creditors have been calling me all week! I'm ruined!”
“You’re both ruined,” I corrected, standing up and buttoning my uniform jacket. I looked directly at Beatrice. “And Beatrice, you have a much larger problem than a fake grandchild. While looking into Lucas’s debts, I found out where the money was going. He was laundering his illegal gambling funds through Bea’s Boutique.”
Beatrice froze. The blood drained from her face.
“I handed the ledgers over to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the IRS this morning,” I continued. “They are very interested in how a small antique shop in Maryland reported a million dollars in cash sales in a single quarter.”
“You have no proof I knew about it!” Beatrice stammered, backing toward the door.
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“You signed the corporate tax returns, Beatrice. Ignorance of the law is not a defense,” I said smoothly. “I suggest you stop worrying about my husband's life insurance and start worrying about hiring a federal criminal defense attorney.”
I walked out of the conference room, leaving them tearing each other apart.
