Chapter 3 - The Interrogation of Vivienne Calder
The interrogation room at the Federal Building downtown was cold, stark, and smelled of stale coffee and industrial floor cleaner.
Vivienne Calder sat on one side of a long metal table.
Even in federal custody, she was trying desperately to maintain her illusion of regal superiority. Her coat had been taken, leaving her in her wrinkled silk blouse. Her pearl necklace was gone, removed during processing, and her hair was beginning to pull away from its tight bun.
Flanking her were two senior partners from Calder, Sterling & Vance, the premier corporate defense law firm in the city.
The lead attorney, a man named Marcus Vance, was furiously writing notes on a yellow pad while his associate repeatedly checked his watch.
The heavy steel door opened with a loud, mechanical buzz.
I walked into the room, followed by Special Agent Naomi Pierce. I pulled out a metal chair across from Vivienne and sat down slowly, resting my hands flat on the table.
Marcus Vance instantly stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. "Colonel Ward, this interrogation is an absolute violation of my client's constitutional rights. Mrs. Calder has refused to answer any questions without a formal arraignment hearing, which your team has unlawfully delayed. We demand her immediate release on bail!"
Agent Pierce didn't even look at Vance. She threw a heavy, four-inch-thick manila folder onto the table between them.
THUD.
The noise echoed like a gunshot in the small room.
"Mr. Vance," Agent Pierce said calmly, taking her seat beside me. "Before you waste any more of your billable hours barking about bail, I suggest you open that folder and read page forty-two."
Vance frowned, looking at Vivienne, before reaching out and opening the folder. As his eyes scanned the typed federal document, his arrogant posture slowly collapsed. His shoulders sagged, his mouth opened slightly, and his fingers began to tremble against the paper.
"This... this is a master asset forfeiture order," Vance whispered, his voice cracking. "Signed by the Chief Judge of the Federal District Court..."
"Every asset," I said, leaning forward and locking my eyes onto Vivienne’s cold, dark gaze. "Every house. Every bank account. Every luxury vehicle, private jet, stock portfolio, and offshore trust fund tied to the name Calder has been frozen under federal racketeering statutes."
Vivienne slammed her hand against the metal table, her eyes flashing with pure venom. "You arrogant, pathetic little soldier! You think you can confiscate my family's legacy?! My husband built Calder Defense from the ground up! We own land in six states! We fund the very politicians who sign your military budgets!"
"Not anymore, Vivienne," I said softly. "Your politicians aren't answering your calls tonight. In fact, Mayor Higgins held an emergency press conference thirty minutes ago. He announced he is returning every single campaign contribution your family ever gave him and calling for a full state investigation into your municipal contracts."
Vivienne’s face twitched. "Higgins... that ungrateful coward..."
"And as for your law firm, Mr. Vance," Agent Pierce added, looking at the lead attorney. "Federal agents are currently executing a search warrant at your firm’s primary office on Fifth Avenue. Your managing partner, Richard Sterling, was arrested twenty minutes ago for obstruction of justice and shredding federal subpoenas."
Marcus Vance’s face went completely grey. He slowly closed his notepad, packed his expensive pen into his breast pocket, and looked down at Vivienne.
"Marcus?" Vivienne demanded, her voice rising in sharp panic as she looked at her lawyer. "What are you doing? Tell them to get the judge on the line!"
"Vivienne," Vance said, his voice flat and completely devoid of warmth. "Our firm’s retainer agreement with you was backed by Calder Defense corporate accounts. Those accounts are frozen. Furthermore, I am now named as a potential co-conspirator in a federal wire fraud indictment. I am withdrawing as your counsel immediately."
"You can't abandon me!" Vivienne shrieked, half-rising from her chair. "I paid you millions!"
"And those millions are now federal evidence," Vance replied coldly. He turned to his associate. "Let's go."
The two attorneys turned and walked out of the interrogation room, the heavy steel door shutting behind them with a loud, final click.
Vivienne sat back down, left completely alone at the table across from me.
For the first time since I had seen her outside Nadia’s hospital room, a flicker of genuine, unadulterated fear appeared in her dark eyes.
"Arthur..." Vivienne started, her voice dropping into a desperate, pleading tone she had likely never used in her entire life. "Arthur, please... listen to me. We are family. Nadia is my daughter-in-law. Whatever happened between her and Preston... it was a domestic dispute! Couples argue! Things got out of hand! We can handle this quietly! I will give Nadia fifty million dollars in a private settlement... she can live anywhere in the world she wants..."
I listened to her, my expression remaining as cold and unyielding as granite.
"Fifty million dollars," I repeated slowly.
"Yes!" Vivienne nodded eagerly, leaning across the table. "One hundred million! Whatever you want! Just tell the Federal Prosecutor that this was a private misunderstanding! Think of Nadia's future, Arthur! If this goes to trial, her name will be dragged through the mud!"
I leaned closer to her, so close she could see her own terrified reflection in the polished brass buttons of my military tunic.
"Six months ago," I whispered, "my daughter asked you why you were letting Preston hurt her. Do you remember what you told her, Vivienne?"
Vivienne swallowed hard, unable to answer.
"Nadia told me," I continued, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "You looked at her while she was lying bruised on your living room floor, and you said: 'Little girls from poor families should be grateful for the chance to bleed for royalty.'"
Vivienne’s breath hitched in her throat.
"You thought you were royalty, Vivienne," I said, standing up from the table. "You thought your money made you invincible. You thought my Army uniform was just a cheap outfit worn by a man who couldn't afford your lifestyle."
I picked up my military cap from the table and placed it firmly on my head.
"You aren't royalty," I said, looking down at her one last time. "You are a thief, a traitor, and a child-abuser. And you are going to die in a federal prison."
I turned my back on her and walked toward the door.
May you like
Behind me, Vivienne Calder broke.
She threw her head back and began to scream—a loud, shrill, hysterical wail that echoed off the cold metal walls of the room, filling the hallway long after the steel door slammed shut behind me.
