Page 93 of Anyone But You

“Yep, but it’ll all be over soon.”

I kissed her lips softly in the dark and settled her against my chest.

“You’re right, Tori. It will all be over soon. Also, is this a bad time to tell you that I submitted my resignation to the board, and we have dinner with my mother on Saturday?”

29

Crybaby

Victoria

I hesitated before stepping into the guest house like I always did, because each visit reminded me my mother’s time was winding down. The box of chamomile tea shook in my hands as I gathered my courage.

I had psyched myself up to enter when I received a phone call from an unknown number from a Washington D.C. area code.

“Hello?”

“Am I speaking with Ms. Victoria Caldwell?”

“Yes. This is she.”

“Ms. Caldwell, my name is Agent Carl Domer, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has received your report regarding alleged wire fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy against Hope and Faith Brown. Do you have a moment to speak?”

“Wow. Sure,” I said unsteadily.

“Is it a good time?”

“It is. I’m sorry. I hadn’t expected a response this soon. I only filed the reports a few days ago.”

“Correct. But due to the nature and severity of the crimes and the preliminary evidence submitted, we found it necessary to intervene as soon as possible.”

“I just want to know if they’ll do time.”

“A wire fraud conviction can result in a prison sentence of up to twenty years and fines of $250,000.00 per count. Most federal cases end in a plea bargain—prepare for them to be given a lighter sentence.”

“What preliminary evidence do you have besides my bank statements?”

“We have timestamps, IP addresses, device IDs, Geolocation, routing and account numbers, login history, personal account information changes, surveillance footage of withdrawals, and more.”

I was impressed.

“That’s a lot of evidence.”

“It’s enough indisputable evidence to have a warrant signed by a judge. I have a few follow-up questions if you don’t mind.”

“Sure.”

I sat on a cement bench in the garden and provided the agent with as much information as possible. He informed me of his next steps, including officially interviewing the future jailbirds.

“Do you have any questions for me, Ms. Caldwell?”

“I would like to retrieve my personal items—particularly my Social Security card, birth certificate, and a recipe book. How can I go about getting that?”

“Any stolen personal items will be logged, taken into evidence, and released to you at a later date.”

“Perfect. One more question: would I have to testify?”

“The probability of testifying is low because more than likely they will accept a plea deal. However, you can provide a victim impact statement for sentencing.”