Chapter 10 - The Criminal Indictment
Friday morning arrived with clear skies and the sweet, crisp air of total vindication.
At 9:00 a.m., the county clerk’s office officially finalized the transfer. Parcel 4B, the half-acre lot on the ridge, along with the two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar farmhouse, was now officially and unencumbered registered to Mercer Holdings LLC—owned one hundred percent by Tessa Drake-Mercer.
Wyatt met me at the property at 10:30.
His crew had already cleared away the concrete jersey barriers. The three CAT 320 excavators were loaded onto flatbed trailers, their work finished without having to tear down a single beam.
"Kind of a shame," Wyatt said with a grin, leaning against his pickup truck. "I had the hydraulic shears all greased up. Was looking forward to taking a bite out of that back porch."
"It’s better this way, Wyatt," I smiled, looking up at the stunning modern farmhouse. "Tearing it down would have been a waste of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Now? It’s completely mine. Free and clear."
"What are you gonna do with it?"
"List it on Monday," I replied. "A developer from Raleigh already offered five hundred and eighty thousand cash for the house and the adjoining half-acre. I’m taking the profits, moving my consulting firm to Charlotte, and never setting foot in Oak Creek again."
Before Wyatt could answer, two black unmarked sedans and a marked county patrol unit turned up the driveway of Judith’s primary estate, just two hundred yards down the ridge.
We walked to the edge of the property line to watch.
Four state investigators in dark suits stepped out of the sedans, holding blue warrant binders. They walked briskly up the steps of Judith’s historic split-level home and pounded on the door.
A moment later, the door opened. Nolan appeared, followed by Judith, who was wearing a faded housecoat, her face drawn and gaunt.
Even from two hundred yards away, the crack of authority in the lead investigator’s voice was unmistakable.
"Judith Mercer? I’m Special Agent Miller with the State Bureau of Investigation. We have a warrant for your arrest on three counts of felony wire fraud, two counts of identity theft, and grand larceny exceeding one hundred thousand dollars."
Judith let out a scream that sounded like a dying bird. She tried to pull back into the house, but the two female agents grabbed her wrists, spun her around, and pinned her against the doorframe.
Click.
The silver handcuffs gleamed under the midday sun.
Nolan stepped forward, waving his arms, shouting at the agents. "Wait! You can't do this! We signed the deed! Tessa said she’d drop the charges!"
Special Agent Miller pulled a document from his folder and shoved it into Nolan’s face. "Your ex-wife dropped the civil complaint, Mr. Mercer. This indictment comes from the State Department of Revenue. Your mother forged Tessa Mercer’s social security number on a secondary commercial loan application six months ago. She committed state-level identity fraud. Now step back before I cite you for obstruction of justice."
Nolan froze. He turned his head and looked at his mother, the horror dawning on him that Judith had committed crimes even he hadn't known about.
Judith was sobbing uncontrollably as the agents escorted her down the brick steps, her head pushed down into the back of the unmarked police cruiser. Her reign as Oak Creek’s undisputed social queen had officially ended in the back of a state transport car.
Nolan stood alone on the front porch, watching the taillights disappear down the gravel drive. When he looked up toward the ridge and saw Wyatt and me standing by the excavators, he didn't shout. He didn't wave. He simply turned around and closed the front door, disappearing into the dark, silent house.
"Poetic justice," Wyatt muttered, taking off his baseball cap. "Couldn't have written it better myself."
I looked at the house I had built, feeling a profound, heavy weight lift off my chest. For the first time in five years, I was completely free.
May you like
Or so I thought.
***
