Chapter 16 - The House Turns
By 12:07 a.m., the emergency filing had been frozen.
By 12:19, Arthur Voss was in handcuffs.
By 12:31, Chicago detectives were inside the Vale estate taking statements.
The councilmen who had arrived prepared to remove Dominic now sat in separate rooms with attorneys, suddenly eager to explain what they had known and when they had known it.
Dominic hated every minute of it.
Not because he was losing control.
Because he finally understood how much control he had never had.
Arthur's plan had worked because people around Dominic were afraid to bring him bad news.
Mercer delayed telling him about bloodwork.
Angela documented strange brace adjustments but tried to investigate alone.
Vincent assumed his security systems were stronger than they were.
Councilmen whispered about Dominic's health instead of asking him direct questions.
And Clare, a housekeeper, had apologized for her daughter noticing the truth.
Dominic sat in his office while a paramedic rewrapped his knee.
Clare stood near the window.
Ellie slept on the sofa, wrapped in Dominic's spare cashmere coat because she had refused every blanket offered to her.
"She likes that coat," Clare said.
"She can keep it."
"It's probably worth more than my car."
"Then she has expensive taste."
Clare smiled for the first time that night.
It vanished quickly.
"The recording said remove the problem."
Dominic looked at Ellie.
"I heard it."
"I want out of this house tomorrow. Out of this job. Out of all of this."
"I understand."
She seemed surprised he did not argue.
"Do you?"
"Yes."
Dominic leaned back.
"And before you go, I owe you more than severance."
"I don't want money for what happened."
"Good. Because that's not what I meant."
He slid a folder across the desk.
Inside were documents transferring ownership of the small apartment Clare rented to her name through a housing trust Dominic controlled.
She stared at him.
"No."
"It's not payment. Your building was scheduled for redevelopment by one of my companies. You would have been displaced in three months. Arthur approved the timetable while I was recovering."
Clare's anger flared. "You people decide everything for everyone, don't you?"
Dominic accepted that too.
"Too often."
She pushed the folder back.
"Then don't decide for me. Give me options."
Dominic studied her.
Nobody spoke to him that way.
He found he respected it.
"Fair."
A detective appeared in the doorway.
"Mr. Vale, we have another issue."
Dominic sighed. "Of course we do."
"Arthur Voss says he wants to make a deal."
"With prosecutors?"
"With you."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
The detective continued.
"He says the crash wasn't his idea."
Clare looked at Dominic.
"Then whose was it?"
May you like
The detective shook his head.
"He'll only tell Dominic face-to-face."
