Chapter 9 - The Reckoning
A fleet of police cruisers and heavy armored tactical vehicles swarmed into the long driveway of the estate.
The flashing red and blue lights illuminated the thick black smoke pouring into the winter sky.
Dozens of heavily armed officers leaped from their vehicles, immediately securing the perimeter and calling for emergency fire crews.
Gene slowly regained consciousness in the snow, coughing up soot and looking wildly around at the flashing lights.
She saw the police officers approaching and immediately tried to play her usual, manipulative role of the helpless victim.
She began to cry hysterically, pointing a trembling finger at Brandon and screaming that he had tried to burn her alive.
Two officers quickly approached Brandon, their hands resting cautiously on their duty weapons.
I stepped firmly in front of my husband, ready to fight the entire police department to protect the man who had just saved us all.
Before the officers could speak, a tall man in a dark federal windbreaker pushed his way through the police line.
He held up a shiny gold badge and ordered the local police to stand down immediately.
He walked directly over to Gene, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt.
The federal agent coldly informed Gene that she was under arrest for massive wire fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Gene thrashed and screamed as the cold steel locked around her wrists, demanding to speak to her expensive lawyers.
The agent leaned in closely and whispered that her lawyers were the ones who had handed over the encrypted offshore accounts to the FBI.
The brass key had simply been the final piece of physical evidence they needed to secure the federal warrants this morning.
Gene looked at Brandon with absolute, unadulterated hatred as the officers violently dragged her toward the back of a police cruiser.
She screamed that she would be back, promising to destroy all of us the moment she made bail.
Brandon stood up, holding his bruised ribs, and looked his mother directly in the eyes for the last time.
He informed her that all of her accounts had been entirely frozen an hour ago, meaning she couldn't even afford a public phone call.
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Gene’s final, desperate scream was abruptly silenced as the heavy door of the police cruiser slammed shut.
The lead federal agent walked over to Brandon, handed him a secure, sealed manila folder, and thanked him for his incredible cooperation.
