Chapter 16 - Midnight at the Ballroom
Police could have arrested Victoria immediately.
They chose not to.
The federal financial-crimes team wanted the ledger.
Sergeant Ruiz wanted evidence linking Victoria directly to the drugged drink and staged domestic incident.
Rachel wanted Daniel nowhere near the operation.
“You are not law enforcement.”
“I’m the person she’ll talk to.”
“You’re also the person she manipulated into striking her.”
“I know.”
“That should make you less eager.”
Daniel looked at her.
“It does.”
That answer surprised Rachel.
Daniel had changed in small ways first.
He no longer mistook emotional intensity for courage.
He had learned that restraint could be active.
Ruiz approved a controlled meeting.
Daniel would wear a concealed audio transmitter.
Officers would remain on the grounds.
Federal agents would monitor nearby.
Daniel entered Ashford Manor at 11:56 p.m.
The ballroom was dark except for one chandelier.
Exactly where Sophie had fallen, Victoria stood waiting.
She wore black trousers and a wool coat.
A leather laptop case rested on a table.
“You brought police,” she said.
Daniel stopped.
“You expected me not to?”
“I expected you to be predictable.”
“You spent years counting on that.”
Victoria smiled.
“Rachel finally improved you.”
Daniel looked at the case.
“The ledger?”
“On the laptop.”
“Give it to investigators.”
“I want a deal.”
“I can’t give you one.”
“You can give me money.”
“No.”
“A plane.”
“No.”
“You’re not negotiating very well.”
“I’m not negotiating.”
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“Then why are you here?”
“To hear you explain why you hurt Sophie.”
Something flashed in her eyes.
“I never meant to seriously hurt her.”
“You drugged her drink.”
“Doxylamine. Enough to make her sleepy.”
“She was seven.”
“She was supposed to stay upstairs.”
“For what?”
“For your collapse.”
Daniel stared.
Victoria continued.
“Nathan wanted you angry. Publicly angry.”
“So you used Sophie.”
“You would have ignored an insult to yourself.”
“But not her.”
“No.”
“You knew I would hit you.”
“I knew you might.”
Daniel’s voice became quiet.
“You counted on me being weak.”
Victoria frowned.
“Angry.”
“Same thing that night.”
For once she had no answer.
Daniel looked toward the place Sophie had fallen.
“What was supposed to happen after police arrived?”
“They were supposed to find the laptop in your study.”
“What laptop?”
“The black one.”
Daniel understood.
“The ledger?”
“No. A cloned machine.”
“Containing?”
“Transfers. Trust records. forged authorizations. Messages making it look like you ordered everything.”
Daniel felt cold.
“And the gun?”
Victoria looked away.
“What gun?”
“The 911 caller said I was armed.”
“Nathan wanted one of your registered pistols placed in the desk.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Did you do it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I told him that was too far.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“You drugged a child but decided a gun was morally excessive?”
Victoria flinched.
That pleased him less than he expected.
She whispered, “I did terrible things.”
“Yes.”
“I know.”
“Not enough yet.”
Victoria looked at the laptop.
“Nathan was always going to destroy me.”
“And you thought destroying Sophie and me first was safer?”
“I thought I could control it.”
Daniel stared.
“You sound like me.”
Victoria looked confused.
“I spent years thinking I could control Nathan’s consequences.”
For a moment they stood in the wreckage created by different versions of the same arrogance.
Then Victoria said, “Take the laptop.”
Daniel did not move.
“Put it on the floor and step away.”
She laughed.
“You really have changed.”
A door opened behind them.
Nathan entered.
Daniel had never seen his brother look so tired.
No suit.
No television smile.
Only fury.
Victoria whispered, “You were followed.”
Nathan closed the doors.
“No.”
He looked at Daniel.
“She invited me too.”
Daniel’s pulse accelerated.
Nathan saw the laptop case.
“Give it to me.”
Victoria stepped backward.
“No.”
Nathan smiled without humor.
“You think Daniel can save you?”
“I don’t need saving.”
“You always did.”
Daniel said, “Police are outside.”
Nathan looked at him.
“I assume so.”
That response frightened Daniel.
Nathan reached into his coat.
Daniel tensed.
Nathan removed a small electronic device.
A signal detector.
He turned it on.
The device began chirping.
Nathan walked toward Daniel.
Victoria whispered, “Nathan…”
Nathan tore open Daniel’s jacket.
Found the transmitter.
Crushed it beneath his heel.
In the surveillance van, Ruiz lost audio.
Inside the ballroom, Nathan looked at Daniel.
“Now we can finally talk like family.”
Daniel glanced toward the doors.
Nathan noticed.
“They won’t enter unless they believe you’re in immediate danger.”
“You seem very confident.”
“I helped design the security system.”
Nathan locked the ballroom doors electronically.
Victoria backed toward the table.
“Nathan, this is finished.”
“No.”
Nathan’s eyes went to the laptop.
“It finishes when that disappears.”
Outside, police tried the doors.
Locked.
Inside, Nathan moved toward Victoria.
Daniel stepped between them.
Again.
Like a wall.
But this time he did not raise his hands.
Nathan smiled.
“There he is.”
Then Victoria said something that stopped both brothers.
“I made three copies.”
Nathan’s face changed.
May you like
Victoria smiled.
“And one of them was delivered to federal investigators an hour ago.”
