At Easter dinner, my daughter-in-law pulled my chair away in front of 12 people and laughed / Chapter 20 / 63

Chapter 20 - THE DESPERATE MONSTER

The storm had cleared by the time four unmarked law enforcement vehicles, accompanied by an armored federal transport, wound their way through the dense, dripping woods of the Oakridge countryside.

Detective Vance had insisted that Evelyn, Brianna, Derek, and I remain at a staging perimeter two miles down the road, guarded by state troopers. But as the convoy moved in, Harold’s voice broke through the silence in the most chilling way possible.

Derek’s phone buzzed with an incoming FaceTime call from an unknown, encrypted number.

Derek looked at Detective Vance, who immediately signaled for a trace while nodding for Derek to accept the call.

Derek tapped the screen and held the phone up so we could all see.

The screen flickered to life. Harold Montgomery’s face appeared, illuminated only by the dim, sickly yellow bulb of a concrete basement.

The immaculate billionaire was gone. His silver hair was wild and uncombed, sticking to his sweaty forehead. His thousand-dollar tie was loosened, his collar unbuttoned, and his eyes burned with the manic, cornered fury of a rabid wolf.

"Derek," Harold snarled, his voice rasping through the speaker. "Put my treacherous wife on the screen."

Evelyn stepped forward, trembling, but she forced herself to look into the lens. "It’s over, Harold. The marshals have surrounded the valley. Give yourself up."

"You stupid, worthless cow!" Harold screamed, his face contorting into an ugly, spitting mask. "You thought you could rob me? You thought you could run to that pathetic Miller woman and destroy thirty years of my work? Everything you have—every stitch of clothes on your back, every diamond on your withered fingers—came from my genius!"

"Your genius was built on theft and fraud, Harold!" Evelyn shouted back, finding a spine she hadn't possessed in forty years. "You set our daughter up to go to prison for you! You made Brianna your sacrificial lamb!"

Harold let out a cold, barking laugh that made the hair on my arms stand up. "Brianna? Brianna is an empty-headed idiot! She couldn't balance a checkbook if her life depended on it! She was useful for high-society charity galas and signature sheets, nothing more! If she has to spend ten years in Danbury federal prison so Montgomery Capital survives, then she’s finally contributing something of value to this family!"

Beside me, Brianna stumbled backward as if struck across the face with an iron bar. Every illusion, every ounce of filial affection she had harbored for her father shattered into dust.

"Daddy..." Brianna choked out, stepping into the camera frame. "How could you? I worshipped you!"

Harold sneered at his daughter through the screen, completely devoid of human warmth. "Then you're as foolish as your mother, Brianna. You wanted the private jets and the penthouse lifestyle, didn't you? You wanted to humiliate Derek’s mother at the country club like you were queen of the world? That lifestyle has a price, little girl. And right now, you're paying the invoice."

I couldn't stay silent any longer. I stepped directly in front of the camera, pushing Derek’s hand up so Harold could see my face clearly.

"Harold," I said, my voice cutting through his manic rant like a razor through silk.

Harold stopped. His eyes narrowed with pure, venomous hatred as he recognized me. "Pauline Miller. The gray-haired mouse who wouldn't stay in her hole."

"Arthur Miller sends his regards," I said calmly.

Harold’s face flushed a deep, violent purple. "Arthur was weak! He was sentimental, and soft, and stupid! Just like his son! Just like you!"

"Arthur died an honest man, Harold," I said, looking right through the digital screen into his rotting soul. "His family loved him. His community respected him. But you? You are sitting in a dark hole in the ground, clutching stolen money that you cannot spend, completely alone. Your wife despises you. Your daughter renounces you. And in about ninety seconds, federal marshals are going to trip the water main Arthur designed and kick your blast door off its hinges."

Harold’s eyes widened in sudden, pure terror. "What did you say?"