Chapter 7 - The Interrogation
The interrogation room at the Federal Building was sterile, smelling of industrial floor cleaner and stale coffee.
Camila Reyes sat at the metal table, wearing a gray county jumpsuit. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, her face free of makeup, looking pale and completely broken. Her hands were cuffed to a ring bolted to the center of the table.
Sitting across from her was Lead Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Thorne.
I stood behind the one-way mirror in the observation room alongside Detective Vance and Arthur Vance.
Through the speaker, Camila’s voice carried clearly into the observation booth.
“I didn't steal anything!” Camila wept, her shoulders shaking. “Alexander gave me that money! He authorized every single wire transfer! He signed the incorporation papers for CR Management!”
Attorney Thorne leaned forward, resting her hands on a thick stack of bank statements.
“Ms. Reyes,” Thorne said calmly. “We have reviewed the digital signatures on those wire transfers. They were authorized using Mr. Montalvo’s secondary security fob. A security fob that corporate access logs show was scanned into the building at 11:45 PM on three separate occasions—times when Mr. Montalvo was confirmed to be out of the state.”
Camila’s weeping stopped instantly. Her eyes darted frantically around the room.
“You had access to his private office,” Thorne continued, her tone relentless. “You had his master passwords. You forged his secondary authorization to transfer three million dollars into shell accounts you controlled exclusively. You were draining the company while allowing Mr. Montalvo to believe the funds were being used for offshore corporate investments.”
“He... he knew about it!” Camila blurted out, her voice cracking with desperation. “He told me he wanted to set up a nest egg in case his wife divorced him! He said Victoria was going to take everything!”
In the observation room, Arthur Vance let out a disgust-filled sigh. “Unbelievable. They were both trying to destroy you, Victoria.”
“They tried,” I said softly, my eyes fixed on Camila behind the glass. “But greed makes people sloppy.”
Inside the room, Attorney Thorne pushed a document across the table toward Camila.
“This is a formal cooperation agreement,” Thorne stated. “If you provide a full, certified confession detailing Mr. Montalvo’s knowledge, participation, and personal tax evasion regarding these funds, the federal prosecutor will consider recommending a reduced sentence.”
Camila looked at the document. Then she looked at the one-way glass, as if she knew I was standing right behind it.
“She’s watching, isn't she?” Camila whispered, a bitter tear rolling down her cheek. “The wife. The CEO.”
Thorne didn't answer.
Camila let out a raspy, broken laugh. “She sat in that elevator... looking at me... knowing everything... and she didn't say a single word.”
She picked up the pen with her trembling, cuffed hands and signed the confession.
Five minutes later, Attorney Thorne stepped out of the interrogation room into the observation booth.
“It’s done,” Thorne said, handing me a copy of the signed document. “Camila Reyes has formally implicated Alexander Montalvo in federal wire fraud, tax evasion, and corporate embezzlement. Warrants will be served on Alexander within the hour.”
I looked at the document. The nightmare that had begun in an elevator eight flights below the C-suite was finally coming to a legal close.
“Thank you, Helen,” I said, shaking the attorney’s hand.
“What will you do about the firm, Victoria?” Arthur asked, touching my shoulder. “The press is going to blow this up tomorrow morning. Montalvo Global’s stock price could take a hit.”
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I tucked the confession folder under my arm, standing tall, my face cool and confident.
“Tomorrow morning, Arthur,” I said, “we hold a press conference. We disclose the fraud, we announce the full recovery of the assets, and we show the market that Montalvo Global is under new management.”
