Chapter 2 - The Aftermath in the Driveway
I walked out of my mother’s house into the crisp afternoon air, my heart hammering against my ribs despite the outward composure I had maintained inside. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, leaving behind a cold, sharp fury that had been building for over three decades.
When I opened the passenger door of my sedan, Lily was sitting quietly with her hands folded in her lap. She looked down at the empty space beside her where Rosie, her beloved violin, usually rested in its velvet-lined case.
“Mommy?” she asked, her big brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Is Rosie really gone?”
My throat tightened, but I forced a steady, reassuring smile. I got into the driver’s seat, buckled my seatbelt, and turned to look at my daughter.
“Rosie’s wood is broken, sweetie, but the music she helped you make isn't gone,” I said softly, brushing a stray curl from her forehead. “And I promise you, we are going to get a brand-new violin—one that sounds even twice as beautiful. But right now, we’re going to go get some ice cream, and Mommy is going to make a very important phone call.”
“Can we get mint chocolate chip?” she asked, a tiny glimmer of hope returning to her face.
“Two large scoops,” I promised.
As I pulled out of the maple-lined driveway, I glanced in my rearview mirror. The front door of my mother’s house was cracked open. Vanessa was standing on the porch, clutching her phone to her ear with both hands, looking like a woman watching her entire world burn down to the studs.
I picked up my hands-free Bluetooth device and dialed a direct extension.
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“Special Agent Vance, please. This is Claire Bennett. I have an urgent update regarding the foundation audit, and I need to file an immediate motion for an emergency asset freeze on Arthur Sterling’s accounts.”
Within seconds, the federal investigator was on the line, his tone sharpening instantly as I detailed how a baseball bat had just smashed open a digital evidence vault in a suburban living room.
