Chapter 5 - The Setup
I walked back inside. Clara was trembling in the kitchen, having heard the entire exchange through the window.
"Mom, we have to go back," she sobbed. "He'll take Lily. He has all the money. We can't fight him."
I gripped her shoulders, looking her dead in the eye. "Clara, listen to me. He does not have the power here. I do."
I showed her the decrypted files. I showed her the offshore accounts, the gambling debts, the forged signatures. Clara's eyes went wide as she realized the man she feared was actually dangling over a cliff, completely broke and desperate.
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"At 4:00 p.m., I am going to meet him," I told her. "You and Lily stay here. Keep the doors locked. Brenda is sitting in an unmarked squad car at the end of the street."
I grabbed a small, magnetic recording device from my basement and clipped it beneath the collar of my blouse. It was time to play the frightened mother-in-law.
