Chapter 11 - The Law Arrives
Exactly twenty minutes after Daniel’s short phone call, the heavy, intricately carved doors of the ballroom swung wide open. The suffocating tension was broken by the rapid, heavy footsteps of law enforcement.
Two uniformed police officers entered first, hands resting on their holsters, their eyes scanning the scene. Following closely behind was a stern-faced woman in a gray trench coat—Detective Marcy Vale from the Financial Crimes Unit. Walking beside her was my personal attorney and a prosecutor in a neat navy suit. At the end of the line, a medical team rushed in with a stretcher and first-aid kits, moving quickly toward me.
The crooked smile on my father's face died instantly, like someone had cut the strings holding his face together. All his aggression vanished.
Detective Vale stopped in the center of the room. She looked down at the bloodstains on the marble, at me being tended to by the paramedics, and then directed her ice-cold eyes toward the man holding the bottle.
"Are you Frank Hale?" Detective Vale asked, her authoritative voice echoing through the silent room.
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My father lifted his chin, trying to salvage some dignity. He put the bottle down on the table. "Yes, I am. You don't need to make a scene. This is a private family matter, a small misunderstanding between a father and his daughter."
"No," the prosecutor stepped forward, cutting him off. "It became assault, extortion, witness intimidation, and severe financial fraud the moment you laid your hands on her."
