Chapter 7 - Fire and Justice
The metal exhaust grate burst outward with a deafening crash, striking the concrete floor below.
Arthur Vance spun around in shock, dropping the gasoline can as Emma dropped eight feet down from the duct, landing in a crouching position on the concrete floor.
"What the hell?!" Arthur yelled, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a small snub-nosed revolver.
Before he could raise the weapon, Emma grabbed a heavy steel wrench from the nearby maintenance bench and swung it with everything she had, striking Arthur across his wrist.
The gun clattered across the wet concrete floor, sliding into the darkness beneath the boiler unit.
Arthur roared with rage, lunging at Emma and catching her by the throat, shoving her back against the brick wall. "You miserable little archivist! You ruined everything!"
Emma choked for air, her fingers clawing at his hands, but Arthur was heavier and stronger.
Suddenly, the duct opening above them exploded in a shower of sparks and metal.
William—having forced his way through the narrow space despite his size, tearing his clothes and bloodying his shoulders—dropped down from the ceiling like an avenging angel.
He tackled Arthur Vance to the floor with immense force, sending the older man sprawling onto his back.
William delivered a single, powerful right hook that knocked Arthur instantly unconscious against the concrete wall.
William stood up, breathing heavily, his chest heaving as he turned immediately to Emma, grabbing her shoulders. "Are you okay?! Did he hurt you?!"
"I'm fine... I'm fine," Emma gasped, leaning against him for support, her heart hammering against her ribs.
William pulled her into a brief, fierce embrace, pressing his face against her hair before rushing back to the duct opening to lift Charlotte safely down into his arms.
Ten minutes later, the heavy siren lights of state police cars and federal tactical vehicles illuminated the exterior of the Sterling Foundation building.
Federal agents swarmed the facility, taking Arthur Vance into custody alongside the electronic evidence seized from the sub-basement vault.
As paramedics wrapped a shock blanket around Emma's shoulders on the back of an ambulance, Special Agent Torres stepped over, holding a thick case file.
"Mr. Sterling," the agent said, looking at William with deep respect. "We've executed search warrants on Marcus Sterling's and Isabella Vance's private residences. We found the offshore transaction logs and the correspondence proving their involvement in your wife's death. It's an open-and-shut case. They're going away for life."
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William looked over at the police cruiser where Arthur Vance was being loaded into the back seat in handcuffs.
The nightmare that had haunted his life for eighteen months was finally over.
