Chapter 3 - The Arrest in Paradise
The turquoise waters of Nassau Harbor sparkled under the bright tropical sun, but on the deck of the Royal Empress, the atmosphere had devolved into absolute chaos.
Derek stood near the buffet bar, holding a mimosa, while his mother, Patricia, adjusted her designer sunglasses.
“Derek, stop fidgeting,” Patricia snapped, fanning herself. “Hannah is probably just throwing a temper tantrum. She won't actually call the authorities on her own husband. She cares too much about her career.”
“Mom, you don't understand!” Derek whispered frantically, his face pale beneath his sunburn. “She cut the lock! The servers went offline at midnight! The buyers are going to realize the connection dropped!”
“So what?” Patricia scoffed. “We have the cash in the offshore account. Once we land in Miami, we transfer the funds and buy the condo in Mexico.”
Before Derek could reply, six armed officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, accompanied by two U.S. Federal Marshals in tactical gear, marched up the central gangway.
The lead Marshal held up a federal arrest warrant. “Derek Montgomery?”
Derek dropped his glass. It shattered against the teak deck, spraying champagne over his leather sandals.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Patricia shrieked, stepping between the officers and her son. “Do you have any idea who we are? My son is a respectable businessman!”
“Ma'am, step aside,” the Marshal commanded cold-bloodedly. “Derek Montgomery, you are under arrest pursuant to an international warrant for child endangerment, grand larceny, and federal espionage conspiracy.”
The surrounding cruise passengers pulled out their smartphones, video recording the entire spectacle.
“Wait! No!” Derek screamed as the officers forced his arms behind his back and snapped steel handcuffs around his wrists. “It was my mother’s idea! She set up the contract!”
Patricia’s face drained of color as the Marshals turned their attention to her.
“Patricia Montgomery?” the Marshal asked, pulling a second warrant from his folder. “You are also being detained as a co-conspirator in federal financial fraud and child neglect facilitation.”
“You can’t touch me!” Patricia screamed, flailing her manicured hands as an officer grabbed her arm. “Jenna! Help me!”
His sister Jenna tried to slip backward into the crowd of tourists, but a female officer blocked her path, slapping cuffs onto her wrists as well.
Within fifteen minutes, the entire Montgomery family was led off the ship in chains, surrounded by tourists shouting questions and recording videos that would be broadcast on national news by noon.
Back in Chesapeake, I sat in the pediatric recovery room at the naval hospital.
Lily lay on the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV line for hydration, sleeping peacefully for the first time in days. Her small hand was wrapped tightly around my thumb.
Agent Vance walked into the room, leaning against the doorframe.
“They picked them up in Nassau,” Vance reported softly. “They’re currently being extradited back to Virginia under federal custody.”
“Did he say anything?” I asked without turning my eyes away from my daughter.
“He blamed his mother. She blamed him. They’re tearing each other apart in the holding cell,” Vance said. “And Hannah? The bank managed to freeze twelve thousand dollars of the stolen funds before they could transfer it to the Bahamas.”
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I squeezed Lily’s tiny hand gently. “I don't care about the money, Vance. I want them buried under the courthouse.”
“Trust me, Major,” Vance replied with a dark smile. “With what we found on those servers, none of them will see daylight for a very long time.”
