Chapter 9 - The True Face
Ten minutes later, as Sloane, Martin, and I waited in the VIP service lounge while the deputies coordinated Landon’s processing, the heavy fire door burst open.
Landon tore into the room, having slipped past the venue security through an adjoining banquet pantry. His tie was ripped off, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his eyes burning with an unhinged, feral madness.
"You think you’ve won, Harper?" he snarled, slamming the door shut behind him and lunging toward me.
Before he could take two steps, Martin stepped between us, but Landon shoved the attorney violently against the wall. Sloane grabbed a heavy crystal decanter from the credenza, ready to strike, but Landon didn't look at her. His manic obsession was focused solely on me.
"You think this is over because you embarrassed me in front of some hedge fund snobs?" Landon spat, his voice dropping into a vicious, mocking hiss. "You don't know anything! You never knew anything! You lived in your father’s shadow your whole life, too naive to realize what was happening right under your nose!"
"Step back, Landon," I warned, refusing to yield an inch. "The police are already in the hall."
"Let them come!" he screamed, his face contorting with ugly triumph. "They can lock me up for a few forged checks! I’ll post bail by tomorrow! But you’ll never see a single penny of your father’s estate again! Do you hear me? Not one dime!"
"What did you do with Elise Calloway?" I demanded, the question bursting from my chest with fierce intensity.
Landon froze. A slow, chilling grin crept across his lips—a grin so cold, so monstrous, that it sent a shiver down my spine.
"You think she’s an investor?" he laughed softly, a sound that made my skin crawl. "Oh, Harper. You poor, stupid girl. Ask yourself why your father’s heart stopped the exact day he found out what was in the lake cabin safe. Ask yourself why the Swiss sanitarium has had power of attorney over Elise for thirty years!"
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Before I could demand an answer, the heavy double doors were kicked open. Three armed sheriff’s deputies rushed in, tackling Landon to the floor before he could move. The metallic click of handcuffs echoed sharply against the quiet walls.
As they dragged him backward out of the lounge, his eyes remained locked on mine, laughing through his bruised lips. "Check box 414 at First Trust, Harper! Go see what your beloved father was hiding from you!"
