Chapter 17 - The Arrival
The blinding white light cut through the rising black smoke.
Mark immediately reached for his dropped handgun on the grass.
Multiple doors clicked open simultaneously from the three dark vehicles.
Surrounding the perimeter of the lawn were a dozen armed men in dark tactical gear.
"Do not move!" a loud voice boomed through a megaphone.
"Put your weapons on the ground immediately!"
Mark shielded Lily and Emma behind his back, his heart slamming against his chest.
"Is it Sarah's backup?" Mark asked Marcus in a panicked whisper.
"I don't know," Marcus gritted his teeth, raising his handgun despite his bleeding shoulder.
A tall figure stepped out from behind the lead vehicle's bright headlights.
She was wearing a dark trench coat and holding a federal badge in her right hand.
It was Detective Vance.
Beside her were eight state police troopers with rifles aimed directly at Mark and Marcus.
"Lower your weapons, Marcus," Detective Vance commanded loudly.
"Detective!" Mark shouted over the wind. "Sarah... she rigged the house!"
"She tried to kill my children!" Mark yelled frantically.
Detective Vance walked slowly down the lawn, keeping her hands visible.
"We know, Mr. Miller," Vance said calmly.
Mark froze in total confusion.
"You know?" Mark repeated softly.
"Two hours ago, federal agents intercepted an encrypted wire transfer from Judge Vance's private account," Vance revealed.
"He tried to transfer five million dollars to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands," she added.
"He cracked under interrogation," Vance continued.
"He gave us everything, Mark."
"The setup, the fake medical reports, the CPS bribes, and Victoria Sterling's location."
Mark felt his entire body go limp with overwhelming relief.
The gun slipped out of Marcus's trembling hand and landed softly in the wet mud.
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"Your name has been cleared, Mark," Detective Vance said, kneeling down in front of the two little girls.
"It's over," Vance whispered softly to Lily and Emma. "You're safe now."
