Chapter 34 - The Zurich Wire
Evelyn froze, the bullhorn trembling in her gloved grip. She blinked in confusion, glancing sideways at Clara. "What... what lies are you spewing now, Riley? Clara is a woman of God! She funded our ministry’s outreach in Lima!"
"Ask her about Box 404, Mother," I spoke into the mic, watching Clara’s knuckles turn white around the head of her silver cane. "Ask her about the non-extradition flight chartered out of Spokane at 6:00 PM tonight. Destination: Zurich. One passenger seat reserved for Clara Vance. Zero seats for Evelyn."
Evelyn slowly turned her head toward Clara. The sickening doubt was instant, spreading across my mother’s face like poison. "Clara? What is she talking about? You promised we were rebuilding the ministry here. You said the lake house was going to be the new fellowship sanctuary."
Clara didn’t look at Evelyn. She didn’t even blink. Her cold blue eyes stayed fixed on the window where I stood.
"Miller," Clara commanded in a low, venomous tone that the bullhorn picked up. "Clear the house. Now."
Sheriff Miller hesitated. He was dirty, but he wasn’t stupid. He looked between Clara and the federal insignia visibly displayed on the laminated pass Sarah Vance held up against the double-paned glass. "Mrs. Vance... the court order allows for property seizure, but if there's a federal agent inside, we have to wait for the state troopers—"
"I pay you to act, Miller, not to think," Clara spat, dropping all pretense of elegance. "Tear the door off."
Suddenly, the power inside the house died.
The hum of the refrigerator, the security monitors, the overhead lights—everything went black in an instant. Down in the valley, Clara’s men had severed the municipal power line.
"Cellular jammer is active," Sarah said, looking down at her dead tablet. "They're cutting off all outside comms. This isn't an eviction anymore, Riley. This is an extrajudicial wet-work operation."
"Then we play by Helen’s rules," I said.
I grabbed the heavy brass key and the Walther PPK from the table. "Helen didn't just hide gold, Sarah. She built a defensive failsafe into the foundation of the boathouse. The sluice gate isn't an electrical switch. It’s purely mechanical."
"If we open that sluice, the water pressure will implode the lower docks," Sarah warned.
"Better the docks end up at the bottom of the lake than the gold in Clara’s cargo ships," I replied. "Follow me."
May you like
We moved through the dark kitchen, slipping into the back utility corridor that led down an enclosed, subterranean stone tunnel directly to the boathouse slip. Outside, the first concussive blow of a sledgehammer struck the front door of the main house.
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