Chapter 19 - The Iron Gates of Sterling Manor
At 9:45 AM, the roar of multiple engines broke through the damp quiet of the Berkshire morning.
Four Massachusetts State Police cruisers, their blue and red lights flashing silently through the mist, came to a halt outside the heavy wrought-iron gates of Sterling Manor. Behind them sat a sleek black government SUV carrying two federal marshals, and behind that, the armored Maybach.
Marcus Kane’s security team stood behind the iron gates, dressed in tactical vests, their weapons holstered but their stances unyielding.
Through the gate intercom, a State Police captain’s voice boomed: "This is Captain Miller, State Police Troop B. We have a felony warrant for the arrest of Emma Vance-Sterling, and a federal court order for the temporary custody remand of Sophie Sterling. Open the gates immediately or we will breach with force."
Inside the Maybach, the woman calling herself Evelyn Cross sat in the back seat, sipping mineral water, watching the scene unfold with an expression of triumph. Her phone buzzed in her hand. It was the district judge.
"The warrant is live on all federal databases, Evelyn," the judge said over the encrypted line. "Once you have the girl, cross the border into Montreal. The private jet is cleared for Zurich."
"Understood," Margaret Vance whispered. She rolled down her window as the tactical breach truck pulled up to the gate with hydraulic cutters.
Then, the front doors of the mansion swung wide.
Daniel walked out onto the stone steps alone. He was not carrying a weapon. He was wearing an impeccably tailored navy suit, his tie neatly knotted, his hair combed back. In his left hand, he carried a heavy leather portfolio. In his right hand, he held a megaphone.
He walked down the long, gravel driveway with slow, deliberate steps. He did not look at the police officers. He did not look at the tactical weapons pointed at his chest.
His eyes were locked directly on the dark tinted rear window of the Maybach.
"Captain Miller!" Daniel’s voice boomed through the megaphone, cutting through the damp air. "Before your men destroy my gate and commit a class-one civil rights violation, I suggest you call United States Attorney General Vance in Washington!"
The State Police captain hesitated, his hand pausing on his sidearm. "Mr. Sterling, step back from the gate. We have a signed warrant!"
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"You have a warrant procured through fraudulent identification by an international fugitive!" Daniel shouted back, stopping three feet from the bars of the gate. He thrust the leather portfolio through the iron pickets. "Inside that folder are the original Massachusetts State Police forensic dental records from June 14, 2002. The woman sitting in that Maybach is not Evelyn Cross. Her name is Margaret Vance. She has been on the FBI's Most Wanted list for identity theft, bank fraud, and the suspected homicide of Evelyn Cross for twenty-two years!"
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