Chapter 8 - The Audit of Truth
Two weeks later, I sat in the executive conference room on the fourteenth floor, reviewing the quarterly financial audit for our department. The documents spread across the mahogany table were clean, transparent, and verified down to the last penny. Every shell company account linked to Marcus Cole had been seized by federal authorities and redirected into restitution funds and charitable trusts.
The door opened softly, and David Miller stepped inside carrying a thick manila folder stamped with a federal court seal.
“Good morning, Liam,” David said with a bright smile, placing the folder in front of me.
“Good morning, David. What’s this?” I asked.
“The final indictment package from the state attorney general’s office,” David explained. “Marcus Cole has formally agreed to a plea deal—testifying against his entire syndicate in exchange for a twelve-year sentence without parole. And as for Chloe?”
I looked up, meeting David’s eyes. “What about her?”
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“Her plea hearing was this morning,” David said smoothly. “Facing four counts of grand larceny, elder abuse, forgery, and wire fraud, her public defender tried to plead insanity. The judge threw it out immediately. She’s looking at eight years in federal prison with zero chance of probation.”
A profound, weightless relief washed over me. The storm had finally passed, clearing the air completely.
