Chapter 9 - The Rebuilding
Spring arrived three months later, melting the thick ice that had gripped the city for so long.
The estate on Oakridge Drive was seized by federal marshals and put up for public auction to satisfy the millions in restitution owed to Richard and Brooke’s fraud victims. I didn't bid on it. I wanted nothing to do with that grand, toxic monument to greed.
Instead, Piper and I bought a small, sunlit craftsman house near the coast, three hours away from the city. It had a wraparound porch, a big backyard for a dog, and large windows that let in the ocean breeze.
On a quiet Tuesday afternoon, Evelyn drove up the gravel driveway in her SUV, carrying a bottle of sparkling apple cider and a thick stack of legal documents.
"It's official," Evelyn announced, leaning against the porch railing as Piper played fetch with our new golden retriever on the lawn. "The federal judge signed off on the final sentencing orders this morning."
"What did they get?" I asked, pouring three glasses of cider.
"Richard pleaded guilty to wire fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy. He got eighteen years in federal prison," Evelyn said. "Brooke refused the plea deal. She went to trial on charges of attempted murder, child abuse, grand larceny, and kidnapping."
"And?"
"Guilty on all counts," Evelyn smiled broadly. "Thirty-five years without the possibility of parole. She’ll be seventy-two before she ever sees the outside of a federal penitentiary."
I took a deep breath, feeling the warm spring air fill my lungs—clean, unpolluted, completely free.
"What about Dr. Thorne?" I asked.
"Medical license revoked permanently, and he’s facing five years for forging psychiatric records and accepting bribes from Richard's shell companies," Evelyn replied. "The whole network is completely wiped out, Clare. You did it."
"We did it," I corrected her, looking out at Piper, who was laughing as the puppy chased a tennis ball across the green grass.
My phone chimed on the small wooden table beside me. It was an email notification from the State Department of Financial Regulation.
Following the public unraveling of the scandal, my former employer had issued a full public apology, cleared my professional record, and offered me the position of Chief Forensic Auditor for the state district.
I looked at the screen for a long moment, then slowly tapped 'Decline.'
May you like
"You're turning it down?" Evelyn asked, surprised.
"I spent years hunting other people's money," I said softly, watching my daughter's face light up in the afternoon sunlight. "Right now, I have everything I need right here."
