Chapter 6 - The Counterattack
Even behind bars, a billionaire accustomed to buying everything and everyone does not go down quietly.
Inside the federal penitentiary in Devens, Massachusetts, Arthur Ferguson sat in the visitors' booth, glaring through the thick glass at his high-priced criminal defense lawyer, Sterling Vance (no relation to the auditor).
"I don't care what it costs, Sterling," Arthur hissed through the telephone receiver, his voice dripping with venom. "Find a judge. Pay off a warden. Get me out of this hellhole before my trial even begins."
Sterling adjusted his tie nervously, shifting in his plastic chair. "Mr. Ferguson, you don't understand the gravity of this situation. The Department of Defense has placed a permanent, non-negotiable national security hold on your case files. Colonel Gardner isn't just an ordinary officer; her tactical clearance profile connects directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Attempting to bribe or pressure anyone in this jurisdiction is suicide."
"She's a woman in a uniform!" Arthur roared, slamming his fist against the metal divider so hard the glass rattled. "She's a mother protecting her kid! People like that have weaknesses! Find them!"
Sterling sighed, rubbing his temples with a look of profound exhaustion. "There are no weaknesses to find, Mr. Ferguson. We tried digging into her service record. Thirty years of spotless evaluations. Zero debt. No hidden scandals. Her military file is a fortress."
Arthur’s face twisted into an ugly, desperate sneer. "Then we attack the girl. If we can't break the mother, we break Abigail. Make her recant her statement. Threaten her with social ruin, public exposure, anything!"
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"Mr. Ferguson, Abigail Gardner is currently under twenty-four-hour armed federal marshal protection inside a secure military medical facility," Sterling said flatly. "You couldn't get a postcard to her, let alone a threat."
Arthur hung up the phone abruptly, slamming the receiver back onto its cradle. He stared at his reflection in the dark glass, the terrifying realization finally sinking into his bones: his money was gone, his family name was radioactive, and the monster he had tried to crush had brought an army to her door.
