Chapter 11 - Setting the Trap
"Trap him? Claire, are you insane?" Marcus argued, pacing the empty concrete floor of the parking garage. "Arthur has a private army and half the NYPD in his pocket. We have a USB drive and a stolen Honda!"
"Exactly," I said, leaning against the hood of the car. "He thinks he's invincible. He thinks he destroyed the only evidence, and he is holding a press conference at his estate in three hours to announce his new philanthropic venture. All the major news networks will be there."
Julian looked at me, his hollow eyes suddenly sparking with life. "You want to hijack the press conference."
"I want to broadcast this audio file live on every network covering the event," I confirmed. "Arthur controls the narrative because he controls the shadows. We pull him into the spotlight."
Marcus rubbed his temples, a reluctant smile creeping onto his face. "Okay. Okay, it's crazy, but it might work. I have an old friend who works the A/V board for Channel 7 News. He owes me a massive favor. If we can get close enough to the estate to patch into their broadcast van’s frequency, I can override the audio feed."
"How close do we need to be?" Julian asked.
"Within five hundred feet," Marcus replied. "Right outside the estate gates."
"We won't just be outside," I said, opening the trunk of the car and pulling out a heavy wrench. "I’m going inside. Arthur framed me for kidnapping. I need him to confess to framing me, live on a hot mic, to clear my name."
Marcus grabbed my arm. "Claire, he'll kill you."
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"He'll try," I corrected. "But I know that house better than his security team does. Elena showed me the servant passageways years ago. You get the broadcast ready. Julian, you stay in the car. I’m going to make my brother-in-law the most famous man in America."
We drove back toward Connecticut, the afternoon sky darkening into a slate-gray overcast. The final act was about to begin.
