Chapter 4 - The Trap is Set
For the next forty-eight hours, Grant lived in the shadows of his own home.
He slept in the small monitoring suite on a cot, while Cal monitored the digital traffic. He used a specialized satellite phone to call Vanessa twice a day, using an encrypted routing system that made his calls appear as if they were originating from a cellular tower in the eighth arrondissement of Paris.
"It’s beautiful here, darling," Vanessa’s voice purred through the speaker during their Friday evening call. She was sitting in the library, sipping wine. "But the house is so quiet without you. The girls are being... difficult, as usual. I had to have another talk with Mara today. I’m afraid she’s simply not working out."
"Is that so?" Grant said, his voice flat, his eyes fixed on the screen showing her smiling into her phone. "What happened?"
"I found my diamond earrings in the laundry room," Vanessa said, letting out a delicate, disappointed sigh. "And she was very defensive when I asked her about them. I think it’s time we let her go, Grant. For the sake of the girls' safety."
"We'll handle it when I get back on Sunday night," Grant said. "Let’s not make a scene until then."
"Of course, darling. I’ll keep things calm. Safe travels."
The moment the line went dead, Cal pointed to his secondary screen.
"She’s making the call to Vance," Cal said.
A second later, the audio intercept from Vanessa’s personal cell phone cracked to life.
"Richard?" Vanessa said, her voice instantly losing its sweet, domestic tone. It was sharp, impatient. "Grant is locked in his meetings in Paris until Sunday. He’s completely oblivious. We need to execute the final transfer tomorrow morning."
"Are you sure?" Richard Vance’s voice came through the speaker, sounding nervous. "The compliance team at Ledgerton is already asking questions about the Aegis reallocations. If we pull another fifteen million, it’s going to trigger an automatic audit."
"Then let it trigger," Vanessa snapped. "By the time the audit is completed next month, the funds will be cleared through the Cypriot accounts, and I’ll have filed the police report against the maid. I’ve already planted the sapphire bracelet and a couple of your old company bonds in her quarters. The police will treat it as an inside theft. Grant will be so devastated by the 'betrayal' of his precious housekeeper that he’ll let me handle the finances completely."
"And the girls?" Vance asked.
"They’ll be in a boarding school in Geneva by the spring," Vanessa said, a cold chuckle escaping her lips. "They won't be a problem."
In the monitoring room, Grant let out a slow, deep breath. He looked at Cal.
"Do we have it?" Grant asked.
"Every word," Cal said, tapping his storage drive. "And the FBI's forensic financial division has been monitoring the Aegis accounts since yesterday. The moment Vance initiates the transfer tomorrow morning, the federal prosecutors will freeze the funds in transit. They’ll have Vance for wire fraud and embezzlement before he can leave his office."
May you like
"And Vanessa?"
"She’ll be right here," Cal said, looking at the screen. "Waiting for her perfect future to begin."
