“No,” I replied.”You have hired cowards.”
Detective Harris stepped into the room with two officers in uniform. Following closely behind him was my attorney, Nia Patel, who wore a dark blue suit and had a briefcase with her.
Caleb gazed at Nia, as though he remembered her from the email correspondences that he had tried to delete.
“Hello Caleb,” Nia said, smiling sweetly. “I believe you recall me from the emails you deleted.”
Caleb tried to speak, and opened his mouth; however, no words came forth.
I then took a moment to address the group of individuals around me.
“About two months ago, I noticed something strange in the licensing department of ValeTech. Shell companies were being used as the channels to funnel payment. The patents were being prepared for illegal transfer. Members of the board have accepted bribes. My fiancé’s family were not going to join my family.”
I then turned back and looked into Caleb’s eyes.
“They were planning on stealing the entire company.”
Evelyn let out a cackling laugh, loud and sharp. “You have no idea how powerful we are.”
Nia took another step towards the front row of witnesses. “Actually, she does. For the last six weeks, Amelia has been working as a cooperating complainant in a federal investigation involving financial fraud.”
A hush fell over the room.
I held up my bouquet, minus the secret.
“The flash drive you received was a duplicate,” I explained. “The original flash drives were taken into custody by the district attorney, the SEC, and each of the independent directors of ValeTech.”
“Amelia.” Caleb said in a whisper.
That is it!
Not love. It was all part of her strategy.
A man now realizes that he has locked himself in a room.
Part 3
The Pastor stepped away from the pulpit as if the pulpit were on fire.
Detective Harris went towards Caleb directly.
“Caleb Whitmore, you are hereby under arrest for Assault, Extortion, Conspiracy to Commit Fraud, and Witness Intimidation.”
The church erupted in chaos as Caleb jerked back in astonishment. “This is a total fiasco. She is a liar.”.
I rubbed my lip.”Now, give us a big smile for the cameras, everyone!” The camera flashes went off as half of the congregation began to film the scene.
His mother stepped in front of him, blocking the detective’s path. “You’re not going to lay your hands on my son.”
Detective Harris was completely unfazed by her actions. He said to her, “Ma’am, please get out of my way.” Evelyn raised her chin, defiantly. “And do you know who I am?”
Nia opened the leather folder and spoke up. “Yes, we know who you are. You’re Evelyn Whitmore. You’re named in the warrant also.” At that moment, for the first time since entering the church, Evelyn looked human.
She looked small, old, and furious.
The police started moving toward her. Caleb resisted when they secured his wrists with handcuffs. His resistance was not brave or dramatic, but more like a spoiled kid resisting punishment. His cufflinks shimmered in the light as the cold metal pressed against his skin.
“You set me up!” he yelled.