Chapter 8 - The Walk of Shame
The cold, circulated air of the server room chilled the sweat on Charles's face as he knelt in total defeat.
He didn't fight back when the two auditors walked over and hauled him roughly to his feet.
They dragged him out of the server room, frog-marching him toward the freight elevator that led directly back up to the main lobby.
"You don't understand," Charles babbled hysterically to the silent men.
"I can pay you, I have money hidden away, just let me go out the loading dock!"
The men completely ignored his pathetic attempts at bribery, shoving him into the elevator and pressing the button for the ground floor.
When the elevator doors opened into the grand lobby, the scene that greeted him was completely surreal.
The heavy steel security shutters that had locked the bank down were now completely raised.
The terrified customers were standing against the marble walls, whispering frantically among themselves.
And standing in the center of the lobby, surrounded by heavily armed federal agents, was Evelyn Vance.
She was no longer leaning heavily on her cane; she stood tall, radiating an aura of absolute, undisputed authority.
The doors to the street were wide open, and the flashing red and blue lights of dozens of police cruisers painted the marble floors.
Charles's heart leaped with a sudden, foolish hope.
He recognized the Chief of Police standing near the entrance, a man Charles had personally bribed with a heavily discounted mortgage just a year ago.
"Chief!" Charles screamed, breaking away from the auditors and running toward the police officer.
"Chief, thank God! Arrest this woman, she has held me hostage and is trying to steal my bank!"
The Chief of Police did not move a muscle to help him.
Instead, the Chief looked down at the floor, his face flushed with extreme shame, avoiding Charles's desperate gaze entirely.
A tall woman wearing a dark blue windbreaker with the bright yellow letters FBI printed on the back stepped in front of the Chief.
"Charles Herrera?" the FBI Special Agent asked, her voice carrying the absolute weight of federal authority.
"Yes! Yes, that's me, please help me!" Charles begged.
The agent pulled a thick stack of folded papers from her jacket pocket.
"I am Special Agent Carter, and I have a federal warrant for your immediate arrest," she announced loudly, ensuring the entire lobby heard her.
Charles stumbled backward, shaking his head in violent denial.
"No, no, you don't understand, she hacked our systems, it's a setup!" he cried out.
"We have received over ten gigabytes of authenticated internal documents detailing massive, systemic wire fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering," Agent Carter replied coldly.
"Documents that were legally surrendered to us by the majority shareholder of this institution."
Charles looked over at Evelyn, who was watching his entire world collapse with a calm, satisfied expression.
Agent Carter snapped her fingers, and two large federal agents stepped forward, grabbing Charles by both arms.
"Charles Herrera, you are under arrest for federal fraud, racketeering, and violating the Fair Housing Act," the agent recited clearly.
May you like
"You have the right to remain silent."
"I highly suggest you finally use it."
