Chapter 9 - The Senator’s Desperate Call
At 3:00 AM,
the secure satellite phone resting beside my bed chimed with a harsh,
repetitive ring.
I picked it up on the first ring,
my voice steady,
cold,
and devoid of warmth.
“Speak.
” “Evan.
.
.
Evan,
please,
you have to listen to me,
” a frantic,
breathless voice babbled through the receiver.
It was Senator Arthur Vale.
The powerful politician who had ruled the state legislature with arrogance now sounded like a broken,
terrified old man facing the electric chair.
“My accounts are frozen,
” Senator Vale cried out,
his voice cracking with desperation.
“Federal agents just raided my campaign office in Hartford,
and my lawyers are telling me there’s no bail,
no appeal,
no way out of this.
What did you do?
” “I did what any father does when someone tries to destroy his family,
Arthur,
” I replied smoothly,
staring out the bedroom window toward the peaceful nursery where Sophie and Caleb were sleeping safely.
“You and your daughter thought my absence in London meant weakness.
You thought you could marry into my estate,
sideline my children,
and eventually take over my shipping syndicates.
” “It was Vanessa’s idea!
” the senator shrieked instantly,
trying to throw his own flesh and blood under the bus to save his own skin.
“She told me she could handle the children,
she said she could control you once the marriage certificate was signed—it wasn't me,
Evan,
please—” “You signed the promissory notes,
Arthur,
” I interrupted,
my tone dropping to a dangerous whisper.
“You accepted the laundered campaign donations knowing full well where they came from.
You are just as guilty as she is.
” “Let me talk to her!
Let me fix this!
” Arthur begged,
his voice descending into pathetic sobbing.
“There is nothing left to fix,
” I said firmly.
“Your political career is dead.
Your freedom is gone.
And by the time sunrise hits the Connecticut hills,
your family name will be nothing more than a cautionary tale told in whispers across political backrooms.
” I didn't wait for his reply.
I pressed the end call button,
powered down the satellite phone,
and tossed it onto the nightstand.
The Vales were finished.
Completely,
May you like
utterly,
and irreversibly erased from power.
