Chapter 5 - The silent ally
I stared at the small, crumpled piece of paper resting on the cold steel table. My hands shook violently as I managed to unfold it despite the heavy handcuffs locking my wrists together. The handwriting was messy, rushed, and instantly recognizable. It was Lila's handwriting. The note read, "Mom, don't sign anything, I recorded her in the hallway on my phone." A massive wave of hope washed over my terrified heart. My brave, brilliant fourteen-year-old daughter had somehow outsmarted a billionaire heiress. Just then, the heavy metal door swung open again. It was not Eleanor or the corrupt detective who walked into the room this time. It was a tall, sharp-looking man carrying a leather briefcase. "My name is Julian Sterling, and I am Arthur Vance's personal attorney," he announced. "I don't have any money to pay you," I stammered weakly. "Your fees were paid in full by Mr. Vance exactly twelve hours before he passed away," Sterling replied calmly. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a digital tablet. "Arthur suspected your mother was slowly poisoning him for the past six months," the lawyer explained. "He hired me to find you and Lila, knowing you were the only innocent people left in his bloodline." Sterling tapped the screen of his tablet and showed me a massive legal document. "I have an emergency injunction from a federal judge superseding this local precinct's authority." "We are getting you out of here right now, Rowan," he promised. "But Eleanor has Lila, and she threatened to hurt her if I don't confess," I pleaded. Sterling's face went completely pale as he looked down at his vibrating phone. "Rowan, we have a massive problem," Sterling whispered in absolute horror. "Eleanor's private jet just filed a flight plan for a non-extradition country, and they leave in twenty minutes."
