Chapter 6 - THE FLAGSHIP TRAP
I stared at the screen, a cold rage replacing my fear.
My mother’s ashes were kept in a sealed brass urn on the mantle in our living room. William must have gone home to get them before heading to the store.
“What does it say?” Grace asked, seeing my face.
“He wants me to meet him,” I said, pocketing the phone. I looked at Melissa. She was staring blankly at the wall, the paternity test trembling in her hand.
“Arthur,” Melissa whispered. “We… we had a brief affair when I first joined the firm. But William insisted Chloe was his. He paid for everything. He told me I had to keep it a secret so his wife wouldn’t ruin him in the divorce.”
“He used Chloe to control you,” I said. “He needed a willing accomplice inside the company who thought their future depended on him. He manipulated both of us.”
Melissa’s eyes hardened. The shock faded into an absolute, burning fury.
“He has my daughter in that store,” she said. “Let’s go.”
We drove to the Carter Home Furnishings flagship on Michigan Avenue. The massive four-story showroom was dark, save for the security lights illuminating the luxury living room displays behind the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Melissa parked a block away.
“He has security,” Melissa warned as we walked toward the rear loading dock. “A private guard named Vance.”
“Stay behind me,” I told Grace, gripping the heavy leather ledger against my chest.
I used my master key to unlock the steel service door. We slipped into the massive, silent warehouse attached to the showroom. The smell of fresh pine and expensive leather filled the air.
We crept past towering racks of dining tables and sectionals until we reached the stairs leading to William’s executive glass-walled office.
Through the glass, I saw William pacing furiously. On his desk sat the brass urn holding my mother’s ashes.
Sitting on the leather sofa, coloring quietly in a book, was a little girl with curly blonde hair. Chloe.
Standing by the door was a massive security guard.
Melissa let out a choked sob at the sight of her daughter. I grabbed her arm to stop her from running up the stairs.
“Wait,” I whispered. “We need leverage.”
I looked around the dark showroom. Above us, suspended by heavy steel cables, was a massive, two-ton crystal chandelier—the centerpiece of the store. The winch controls were on the wall right next to me.
“Grace,” I whispered, handing her my phone. “Call 911. Tell them a robbery is in progress at this address. Hide in the linen section.”
Grace nodded bravely and slipped away into the shadows.
I looked at Melissa. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, wiping the blood from her forehead.
I walked up the wooden stairs, my heels clicking loudly.
The security guard turned, reaching for his holster.
William spun around. When he saw me, a vicious smile spread across his face.
“I knew you’d come for the old bat,” he sneered, tapping the brass urn. “Hand over the ledger and the watch, Laura. And maybe I’ll leave enough money in your account for a decent lawyer.”
“I’m not giving you anything,” I said, stepping into the doorway.
“Then Vance here will take it from you,” William said, nodding to the guard.
But before Vance could move, a voice echoed from the bottom of the stairs.
“Vance doesn't work for you anymore, William.”
William froze.
Stepping out of the shadows was Arthur, the accountant. In his hand was a thick file of papers.
“I authorized Vance’s paycheck from the corporate account an hour ago,” Arthur said calmly. “With a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus to stand down.”
Vance looked at William, shrugged, and walked out the door.
William’s face contorted in panic. He grabbed the brass urn off the desk and held it over the metal trash can.
“Give me the ledger, or she goes in the garbage!” he screamed.
But before I could speak, Melissa walked into the room.
William stared at her, horrified. “Melissa? What are you doing with her?”
Melissa didn’t say a word. She walked straight up to William, pulled her arm back, and slapped him so hard the sound echoed off the glass walls.
The urn slipped from his hands.
I dove and caught it inches before it hit the ground.
William staggered back, holding his bleeding lip. “You crazy bitch! I’m taking you to Zurich!”
“You’re not taking me anywhere,” Melissa spat. She pulled the DNA test from her pocket and threw it at his chest. “I know about Arthur. I know everything.”
William looked at the paper, then at Arthur, who was walking up the stairs.
William realized he was entirely out of moves. He looked at the massive glass window behind his desk, then lunged for a heavy bronze lamp, ready to smash the glass and run.
But a new voice broke the tension.
“I wouldn’t do that, Mr. Carter.”
May you like
Standing in the doorway was the tall auctioneer from the gala. But he wasn’t wearing his tuxedo jacket anymore. A gold badge hung from a chain around his neck.
“FBI,” the man said, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his belt.
