Chapter 8 - The Sinking Ship
Melissa's sinister laugh echoed sharply against the morning breeze.
Even in handcuffs, she looked like a venomous snake ready to strike.
"You think you can just walk away from me, Jason?" she spat, struggling against the officer's grip.
"Tell your mother where all her retirement money actually went."
Jason's face went completely white, and he took another step backward, nearly tripping over the lawn.
I felt a cold dread wash over me, freezing the blood in my veins.
"What is she talking about, Jason?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Jason kept shaking his head, refusing to meet my eyes.
"Don't listen to her, Mom, she's just trying to drag me down with her!"
Melissa leaned forward, her eyes wide with malicious joy.
"The forged deed wasn't just to steal the house, Eleanor."
"He used the house as collateral to take out a massive second mortgage."
The world tilted dangerously on its axis as her words sank in.
"A second mortgage?" Arthur, my lawyer, stepped forward, his professional calm breaking.
"That is impossible without a thorough credit check and title review."
"Not when you owe money to people who don't care about credit scores," Melissa laughed darkly.
"Jason has a gambling problem, Eleanor. A massive one."
I looked at my son, the boy I had raised with everything I had.
"Is this true?" I demanded, feeling tears finally spill down my cheeks.
Jason fell to his knees on the grass, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, Mom, I'm so sorry! I thought I could win it back!"
He had betrayed me, stolen from me, and put a target on all our backs.
"Who holds the debt, Jason?" Arthur asked, his voice dead serious.
Before Jason could answer, the deep rumble of a heavy engine interrupted him.
A massive, matte-black SUV slowly rolled to a stop at the edge of the driveway, blocking Jason's truck.
The tinted windows slowly rolled down, revealing three men in dark suits.
The police officers immediately placed their hands on their holstered weapons.
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The man in the passenger seat didn't look at the cops; he looked directly at Jason.
"Time's up, kid," the man said in a gravelly voice.
