Chapter 21 - THE MAN WHO THOUGHT HE COULD ESCAPERichard Sterling attempted to leave the country two days after the ledger was discovered.
He arrived at a private airport with a small entourage and a flight plan listing an overseas business meeting.
Federal agents were waiting.
When they presented the warrant, Richard did not panic. He adjusted his jacket and demanded to speak to his attorneys.
“You are making a serious mistake,” he told Daniel.
“The documents say otherwise.”
“Documents can be forged.”
“Then you'll have the opportunity to challenge them in court.”
Richard's expression changed when Daniel mentioned the security contractor.
For the first time, the chairman's carefully maintained composure cracked.
“That man acted independently,” he said.
“Your authorization is on the payment records.”
“I authorized a security assessment.”
“Not an assault on Margaret Hale?”
Richard said nothing.
Agents escorted him away as cameras recorded the arrest.
The story broke across national news networks before noon.
Sterling Meridian's shares plunged. Several board members resigned, and the corporation announced an emergency meeting to address the allegations.
Thomas watched the coverage from the protected residence.
Noah sat beside him, eating cereal and watching a cartoon.
“Daddy, is that the bad man?”
Thomas turned off the television.
“That's a man who has to answer some very serious questions.”
“Will he hurt Mommy?”
“No, buddy. The people investigating him are making sure he can't hurt us.”
Noah considered this.
“Will Mommy come home now?”
Thomas did not answer immediately.
“Your mom is working hard to make things right. We have to give her time.”
Later that afternoon, Amber received news that prosecutors would consider her cooperation and the coercion she had experienced when determining how to proceed with her case.
She was not promised immunity, and several charges remained under review.
Still, for the first time, she could see a path toward taking responsibility without being forced to carry the entire conspiracy on her shoulders.
Richard's arrest did not end the investigation.
The security contractor had disappeared.
His company had been dissolved, his home sold, and his official records stripped of several years of activity.
Without his testimony, prosecutors could prove that Richard had authorized the operation but still needed to establish exactly what had happened to Margaret.
Thomas looked again at the old photograph.
Margaret stood between Julian and Richard, smiling faintly at the camera.
Behind her, barely visible through a glass doorway, stood another man.
Thomas recognized him.
It was the security contractor.
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And on the back of the photograph, beneath Margaret's warning, was a second line that no one had noticed before.
Ask who drove the car.
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