Chapter 9 - The Accounts Went Dark
Derek answered the call.
“What?”
Everyone heard the panic on the other end, though the words were indistinct.
Derek turned away.
“No, don’t move anything. I said don’t—”
The call ended.
A second notification appeared.
Then a third.
His company credit line had been suspended.
A transfer to Sable Coast Holdings had been rejected.
His corporate card had been frozen pending review.
Suzanne saw the name on the screen.
“Sable Coast?”
Derek shoved the phone into his pocket.
“Stay out of it.”
“I own Sable Coast.”
The room went silent.
Skylar looked at Suzanne.
“So the transfer papers would have given my apartment to you.”
Suzanne’s face stiffened.
“It was an investment vehicle.”
“For what?”
No answer.
Maya opened another file.
“We traced repeated payments from Skylar’s inheritance account to Sable Coast. Luxury hotel charges. Jewelry. Vehicle leases. A deposit on a waterfront condo.”
Suzanne’s eyes moved toward the earrings she was wearing.
Skylar’s mother’s earrings.
Maya noticed.
“Those are listed in Catherine Monroe’s estate inventory.”
Suzanne raised one hand defensively.
“Derek said they belonged to him.”
“They belonged to Skylar.”
Suzanne ripped them from her ears and placed them on the entry table.
Her hands shook.
Derek’s anger returned.
“You had no right to investigate my company.”
Maya’s voice remained calm.
“You used your wife’s funds without her informed consent. You forged account authorizations. You attempted to obtain her signature through force.”
“I never forged anything.”
The younger officer stepped forward.
“We recovered messages from the phone.”
Derek stared at him.
The officer did not elaborate.
He did not need to.
Derek looked at Skylar with hatred.
“You planned this.”
Skylar touched the swelling on her cheek.
“No. You did.”
Suzanne turned on Derek.
“You said she would sign.”
“She was supposed to.”
“You said she was too weak to fight.”
Derek’s eyes darted toward the blinking body cameras.
Too late.
Every word had been captured.
Then a knock sounded at the open door.
A man in a navy suit stood outside holding a badge.
“Financial Crimes Unit.”
May you like
Derek’s knees nearly gave way.
👉 The police had arrived because of the assault—but Derek’s attempt to steal the apartment had uncovered a much larger crime.
