Chapter 18
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The interrogation room at the FBI field office was sterile and freezing cold. Arthur Bennett sat at the metal table, his hands cuffed, looking completely exhausted and visibly older. His expensive suit was wrinkled, and the aura of untouchable power he had cultivated for decades was entirely gone.
Emily stood behind the two-way glass, watching him alongside Director Marcus Vance.
"His lawyers are stonewalling," Marcus sighed, holding a cup of coffee. "They claim the Catherine Holdings account was compromised by Elias Thorne, and Arthur was fleeing because he feared for his life. It’s a weak defense, but it might create enough reasonable doubt for a jury."
"It's a lie," Emily stated coldly. "He never feared Elias Thorne. He controlled him."
"We need a confession, Emily," Marcus said, turning to look at her. "Or we need the encryption key to the silver briefcase we seized on the tarmac. Our cyber team says it contains the master ledger, but it has a self-destruct protocol. We have three attempts before the hard drive wipes itself permanently."
Emily stared through the glass at her father. She knew the mechanics of his mind better than any psychological profiler.
"Let me go in," Emily requested.
Marcus frowned. "Emily, he is a master manipulator. He will try to break you down emotionally."
"He already tried that for twenty years," Emily replied, her voice steady and absolute. "He failed. Give me five minutes."
Marcus nodded slowly, signaling the guard to open the heavy steel door.
Emily walked into the interrogation room. Arthur didn't look up immediately. When he finally raised his head, his eyes narrowed with bitter resentment.
"Come to gloat?" Arthur sneered, leaning back in his chair.
"No," Emily said, taking a seat across from him. She placed a blank notepad on the table. "I came to get the encryption key for the master ledger."
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"You are delusional," Arthur laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "I will never give you that key. My lawyers will have me out on bail by tomorrow morning."
"Your lawyers don't know about the secondary skimming operation in the Cayman Islands," Emily lied smoothly, her expression completely unreadable. "But I do. And the federal judge knows."
