Chapter 2 - The Bailout
By sunrise, I had my mother safely secured in my high-rise condo downtown, surrounded by a private security detail I trusted implicitly. She was asleep, sedated by the ER doctor to help with the pain of her fractured collarbone.
My phone buzzed on the kitchen island. It was an alert from the county jail system. Inmate Transfer/Release: Gregory Vance. Status: Bail Posted.
I slammed my fist onto the granite counter. The bail had been set at $500,000. Greg was a struggling freelance consultant who had moved into my mother’s house because he was broke. Where did he get half a million dollars in cash?
I immediately called my lead investigator at the prosecutor's office, Marcus. "Marcus, I need a deep dive on Gregory Vance. Bank records, offshore accounts, wire transfers. He just posted a massive bail, and I want to know whose pocket he’s in."
"Already on it, Boss," Marcus replied. "But Julianne... you need to tread carefully. I just got a call from the DA. Greg hired Richard Sterling."
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My blood ran cold. Richard Sterling was the most ruthless, high-priced defense attorney in the state. He didn't take cases for petty con men; he represented cartels, corrupt politicians, and billionaires.
Someone with deep pockets was backing Greg, and they wanted my mother’s property in Lake Tahoe badly enough to kill for it.
