Chapter 7 - The Double Agent
I clutched the leather folder tightly against my chest, ready to scream for help.
“If you call out, the deputies waiting outside will simply drag you out the back door,” Mr. Vance said casually.
I looked out the diner window and saw two unmarked black sedans idling in the parking lot.
I was completely trapped.
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded.
“Arthur paid you off on the highway, didn't he?”
Mr. Vance actually smiled, a genuine expression that confused me entirely.
“I didn't sell you out to Arthur, Eleanor.”
“I unlocked your door because I needed you to create a diversion so I could slip a tracking device onto Arthur’s phone.”
He pulled a small tablet from his briefcase and slid it across the table.
The screen displayed a glowing red dot moving rapidly away from the town.
“I am not a lawyer, Eleanor,” he whispered, leaning in close.
“My real name is Agent Thomas, and I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
I stared at him, my mind struggling to process the sudden whiplash of the situation.
“We have been building a RICO case against Garrett’s real estate firm for three years.”
“We knew he was laundering cartel money, but we never could find the master ledger.”
I slowly slid the heavy leather folder across the table toward him.
“I believe this is what you are looking for,” I replied.
Agent Thomas opened the folder, his eyes scanning the offshore account numbers.
He saw the fifty-million-dollar life insurance policy and sighed heavily.
“Garrett was a monster, Eleanor.”
“He faked his own death two weeks ago to avoid our impending indictments, leaving his children to handle the cartel.”
“He set you up to take the fall, hoping your tragic demise would pay off his debts.”
I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my chest, mourning the boy I had loved so long ago.
But the grief was quickly replaced by a burning, furious desire for justice.
“I have the USB drive,” I told him.
“The physical drop site is located beneath the old bleachers at the county high school.”
Agent Thomas nodded, closing the folder and standing up from the booth.
“Let's go dig up the last piece of evidence we need to put Arthur and Victoria away forever.”
We walked out of the diner together, completely ignoring the unmarked sedans.
May you like
But as I climbed into his car, I noticed something strange about his briefcase.
The brass locks on the leather case were engraved with the exact same cartel logo I had just seen inside Garrett’s secret ledger.
