CHAPTER 3
Outside in the bitter autumn air, a sleek black SUV slammed to a halt directly in front of the precinct doors. Victoria Vance stepped out into the pouring rain, her dark charcoal grey trench coat whipping around her ankles in the fierce wind.
She lifted her phone to her ear, her voice cutting through the storm with a lethal, icy precision that brooked no argument. "Clara, I'm at the local precinct right now, and I just found out that wretched girl Brooke framed my mother."
On the other end of the secure encrypted line, Clara gasped softly before adopting a tone of ruthless efficiency. "Do you want me to mobilize the federal marshals and notify the district attorney immediately, Victoria?"
"Hold off on the marshals for five minutes; I want to walk through those front doors myself and see their faces when they realize who they've detained," Victoria replied darkly. She tapped the screen to end the call, her dark eyes flashing with a dangerous storm of unbridled rage.
She marched up the concrete steps of the police station, her heavy heels clicking rhythmically against the wet pavement like a ticking countdown clock. The heavy glass doors slid open automatically, welcoming her into the brightly lit, chaotic lobby of the municipal building.
May you like
A rookie police officer in a crisp tan uniform looked up from his desk, raising a hand to intercept her path. "Ma'am, visitor hours ended twenty minutes ago; you'll have to come back tomorrow morning."
Victoria didn't slow her stride by even a fraction of a second. She reached inside her trench coat, pulled out a heavy leather ID badge holder, and slammed it down onto the wooden desk with a sharp, echoing crack.
