Chapter 7 - The Arrest
I braced for the agonizing impact of the bullet, but the pain never came.
Gladys shrieked in pain and dropped the weapon onto the grass.
A second gunshot had echoed from the street, striking the gun perfectly out of her hand.
Three black tactical SUVs swerved onto the lawn, completely surrounding us in a matter of seconds.
Heavily armed federal agents poured out of the vehicles with their rifles raised and lasers completely focused on the suspects.
The Navy officer lowered his radio and gave me a reassuring nod.
"I called for federal backup the moment we left the hall," he explained calmly.
Gladys fell to her knees, clutching her bruised hand and sobbing uncontrollably.
"You have no right to do this to me!" she screamed at the federal agents.
An agent slapped heavy steel handcuffs onto her wrists and hauled her aggressively to her feet.
The Mayor immediately fell to his stomach and surrendered without putting up a fight.
Chief Miller simply handed over his badge to the arresting officers and hung his head in absolute shame.
I walked over to the dropped lockbox and picked it up from the wet grass.
An FBI agent handed me a heavy crowbar from the trunk of his tactical vehicle.
I smashed the lockbox open right there on the lawn, desperate to see what my father had hidden.
Inside was a massive stack of handwritten ledgers, digital hard drives, and old photographs.
The ledgers detailed every single penny Gladys had stolen, including the offshore account numbers.
There was also a handwritten note from my father placed right on top of the evidence.
"To my brilliant daughter, please forgive me for being so blind," the note began.
"I gathered this evidence the moment I realized her true nature, but she poisoned me before I could go to the police," I read aloud.
May you like
Tears blurred my vision as I finally understood why my father had seemed so weak and confused lately.
Gladys had been slowly dosing him with heavy sedatives to control his mind and his fortune.
