Chapter 4 - The Survey in the Shadows
To pay Kale four thousand two hundred dollars a week, I needed high-paying survey contracts, fast.
The next morning, while Yunia was recovering peacefully in the PICU under Ronin’s watchful eye, I strapped my industrial aerial survey equipment into the back of my Ford F-150. My drone wasn't a commercial toy; it was an $18,000 Matrice 300 RTK equipped with thermal imaging, LIDAR distance mapping, and high-precision photogrammetry sensors.
I took a emergency contract for a commercial developer mapping a sixty-acre industrial site on the south side of Columbus. The pay was $3,500 for a twelve-hour turnaround on topographic data.
As I stood in an open field, manipulating the dual-control flight sticks of the heavy drone hovering 300 feet in the air, my phone rang.
It was Cresa.
I answered, keeping my eyes fixed on the telemetry screen showing the high-resolution LIDAR feed.
"What do you want, Cresa?"
"Oh, look who decided to pick up," my sister sneered over the line. "I just thought I’d call and check on you. Did you manage to beg enough money from your low-class friends, or is Yunia still waiting?"
My knuckles turned white against the drone controller. "Yunia had her surgery yesterday afternoon. She’s recovering in the ICU."
There was a brief silence on the line. Cresa clearly hadn't expected that answer.
"Well... good for you," she stammered, quickly regaining her arrogant tone. "I hope you realize Dad is extremely upset with you. You ruined our anniversary party with your dramatic scene. Mom had a headache all evening."
"Your mother's headache is the least of her problems, Cresa," I said, my voice dropping to an icy calm. "Tell me something. Did Dad buy you that nice white Porsche SUV of yours?"
"What does my car have to do with anything?" Cresa snapped defensive. "Dad helped me with the down payment. Because he actually loves me."
"Check the registration paper in your glove box, Cresa," I said smoothly. "Check whose corporate name is listed under the lien-holder section. Is it Vanguard Auto Group Holdings?"
Cresa went dead silent. "How do you know that name?"
"Because Dad used my stolen identity to open that company," I replied. "Enjoy driving your luxury car, Cresa. Because very soon, the federal bankruptcy court is going to tow it right out of your driveway."
I hung up before she could respond.
By 8:00 PM, I delivered the processed LIDAR terrain model to the development firm and received a direct wire transfer of $3,500 into my account. Added to the remaining funds I had, I was only $700 away from making my first weekly payment to Kale.
I drove straight to Ronin’s small apartment.
When he opened the door, he held a thick manila folder in his hand, his eyes wide.
"Vesper," Ronin said, pulling me inside. "I spent the afternoon digging through Dad's old paperwork at the HVAC shop where I used to work. My old boss used to do the heating maintenance for Dad's dealerships."
"What did you find?"
Ronin laid out three printed financial ledgers across his kitchen table. "Dad isn't just broke, Vesper. He’s insolvent. He’s been running a classic Ponzi scheme across four luxury vehicle dealerships for five years. He sells a high-end car, takes the cash, but delays paying off the manufacturer's floor-plan financing line. He uses the new car sales to cover the old debts!"
"And he backed the whole house of cards using my name as the guarantor," I realized, the full picture becoming crystal clear. "If one dealership fails, the manufacturers audit all four. The loans default, and the bank triggers the personal guarantee under Vesper Carter."
May you like
"Not if we trigger it first," Ronin said, a dark smile spreading across his face. "We file a formal fraud report with the State Department of Financial Regulation and the FBI’s financial crimes division."
"No," I said, looking at the ledgers. "If we go to the FBI right now, they freeze all assets immediately. Dad gets a high-priced defense attorney, the legal process drags out for three years, and Kale comes after us for his money next week. We need leverage. We need to force Dad to pay off Kale himself."
