Chapter 12 - The Arrest at the Apartment
At 3:00 PM that afternoon, a marked Boston Police Department patrol cruiser and two unmarked detective sedans pulled into the parking lot of the mid-tier suburban rental complex where Julian and Victoria had been living in miserable, hostile estrangement while their divorce proceeded.
I did not attend the arrest in person—my place was at home, sitting on the garden bench holding Clara’s hand as she watched the autumn leaves fall from our oak trees—but the details were relayed to me that evening by Marcus Vance, who had maintained contact with the investigating detectives.
Julian was sitting at the kitchen table of the cramped apartment in his bathrobe, eating cold takeout and arguing over the phone with a bill collector, when four armed detectives pounded on his front door.
"Boston Police Department! Open the door immediately!"
When Julian opened the door, expecting perhaps a process server with another civil subpoena from Victoria’s lawyers, Detective Vance stepped into the doorway, flashing her gold badge while two uniformed officers flanked her.
"Julian Thornton?" Detective Vance asked clearly.
"Yes? What is this about?" Julian stammered, stepping backward into the messy living room as the officers entered.
"You are under arrest for Felony Assault and Battery on an Elder Person Causing Bodily Injury, arising from the incident at the Rosewood Country Club on July 25th," Detective Vance announced, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from her belt. "Turn around and place your hands behind your back."
"What?! Are you insane?!" Julian screamed, his face turning dark purple as he backed away toward the kitchen counter. "That was my mother! That was four months ago! My dad is doing this to frame me in a civil lawsuit! I demand to call my lawyer right now!"
"You can call your lawyer from the booking desk at the precinct, Mr. Thornton," one of the uniformed officers barked, stepping forward, grabbing Julian by his wrists, and spinning him roughly against the drywall to apply the steel cuffs with a sharp, metallic clink.
At that exact moment, the door to the master bedroom flew open, and Victoria Vale stepped out, wearing designer sunglasses and carrying two heavy suitcases, preparing to leave for her father’s estate. When she saw Julian pressed against the wall in handcuffs by armed police officers, she froze in horror.
"Victoria Vale?" Detective Vance asked, turning to the bride.
"Yes? Why are the police in my apartment?" Victoria demanded, her haughty Vale arrogance attempting to assert itself despite the chaotic scene. "I am in the middle of moving out. I have zero involvement in whatever fraud my husband has committed."
"You aren't moving to your father’s house today, ma'am," Detective Vance said coldly, gesturing to the second uniformed officer, who pulled out his own set of handcuffs. "You are under arrest for Simple Assault and Battery and Felony Destruction of Property. Put your hands behind your back."
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"Take your hands off me!" Victoria shrieked, dropping her designer suitcases onto the carpet and fighting hysterically against the officer as he clamped the steel restraints around her wrists. "My father is Richard Vale! You cannot arrest me! I will have all of your badges by tomorrow morning! Do you hear me?!"
They paraded the golden couple of Boston high society out of the apartment complex in handcuffs, shoving them into the back of separate marked police cruisers in full view of their staring, whispering neighbors. As the sirens wailed and the cruisers sped away toward the downtown booking precinct, the clean slate Julian had promised his bride on their wedding night officially transformed into a criminal record.
