Chapter 5 - THEY CAME FOR ME
Mom ran toward the front door.
Vincent caught her wrist.
“Listen to me.”
“They’re here for Rory.”
“I know.”
“Let go.”
“If you open that door screaming, you give Sterling exactly what he wants.”
She yanked free.
“I am her mother.”
“And right now you need to act like the best one in the world.”
That stopped her.
Vincent opened the door himself.
The CPS worker looked uncomfortable when she saw him.
“Mr. Kane?”
“Yes.”
“We’re looking for Claire Carter.”
Mom stepped forward.
“I’m Claire.”
The worker introduced herself as Denise Harper.
She looked tired.
Not cruel.
That mattered later.
“We received an emergency report this morning.”
“From who?”
“I’m not allowed to—”
“David Sterling.”
Denise paused.
That was answer enough.
The police officer shifted.
“There are allegations of theft, instability, and child neglect.”
Mom laughed once.
“Child neglect?”
Her voice cracked.
“I worked seventy-seven days without pay.”
Denise looked down at the file.
“Ma’am—”
“Because he withheld my wages.”
Denise looked up.
Mom pointed toward the dining room.
“He stole my identity. Forged a loan. Threatened to take my daughter.”
Vincent said, “We have recordings.”
The officers looked at each other.
Denise frowned.
“What recordings?”
Eli brought the laptop.
Ten minutes later, everyone sat in Vincent’s library listening to Sterling’s voice.
“She signs the confession or she loses the kid.”
Denise’s expression changed immediately.
The officers stopped looking bored.
The younger one muttered, “Jesus.”
Mom hugged me.
Denise closed the file.
“I’m not removing your daughter.”
Mom started crying.
Quietly.
Like she hated herself for doing it.
Denise softened.
“But I do need to document everything.”
“Fine.”
“And you’ll need legal counsel.”
Vincent said, “She has it.”
Mom looked at him.
“I do?”
“You do now.”
She almost argued.
Then the detective Vincent had contacted arrived.
Detective Marisol Vega.
She was short, sharp-eyed, and unimpressed by everybody.
Including Vincent.
“Kane.”
“Detective.”
She glanced around.
“I hate your house.”
“I remember.”
Mom looked between them.
“You know each other?”
Vega ignored the question.
She listened to the recordings.
Reviewed the documents.
Examined Sterling’s notebook.
Then she looked at Mom.
“I’m going to ask you something difficult.”
Mom nodded.
“Did Sterling ever ask you to sign blank documents?”
She went quiet.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
“What did he say?”
“He said the company was switching payroll systems.”
Vega wrote it down.
“What else?”
Mom swallowed.
“He asked for a copy of my ID.”
“Why?”
“Tax records.”
Vega looked at Vincent.
“He had access to everything.”
Mom whispered, “I was stupid.”
Vega immediately looked at her.
“No.”
Her tone was firm.
“You were employed.”
That was all she said.
But Mom’s face changed.
Just a little.
Like someone had finally moved a weight off her chest.
Vega packed the evidence.
“We can get Sterling.”
Vincent crossed his arms.
“For what?”
“Identity theft. Fraud. Wage theft. Filing false reports.”
“Enough to hold him?”
She hesitated.
“Maybe.”
Vincent didn’t like maybe.
Neither did I.
Then Marco walked in.
His face was hard.
“Boss.”
Vincent looked over.
“Sterling’s gone.”
Vega stood.
“What do you mean gone?”
“Restaurant’s empty.”
“Car?”
“Still there.”
Mom’s hand tightened around mine.
Marco continued.
“Office was cleaned out.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“And Ron?”
“Gone too.”
Vega cursed under her breath.
Then Eli called from the hallway.
“You need to see this.”
We followed.
He had found one final file in the restaurant server.
A calendar.
Tomorrow’s date.
A meeting listed at 8:00 p.m.
Location: South River Storage.
Mom leaned closer.
May you like
The entry had one note.
CARTER FILE — FINAL DISPOSAL.
