Chapter 10 - The Midnight Knock
The rain had turned into a heavy, blinding downpour by the time David’s SUV pulled into the curving driveway of Commissioner Thomas Vance’s estate in the upscale hills overlooking Lake Minnetonka.
The house was dark, save for a single amber light glowing in the second-story study.
David killed the engine, but before anyone could unbuckle their seatbelts, the front door of the commissioner's house flew open. A tall, graying man in a plaid bathrobe stepped out onto the porch, shielding his eyes against the sheets of rain while holding a cordless phone to his ear.
He was staring directly at David’s vehicle.
"Stay here in the car with Violet," Clara instructed softly, opening her door before Harrison or David could protest.
"Clara, you shouldn't be out in this—" Harrison started, but she had already stepped out onto the rain-slicked pavement.
The cold water hit her instantly, plastering her hair against her forehead, but she didn't hesitate. She marched straight up the stone pathway, her belly heavy, her eyes fixed entirely on the man standing on the porch.
Commissioner Thomas Vance lowered his phone slowly, his expression a mix of profound shock and professional annoyance.
"Mrs. Linwood?" Vance called out over the roar of the rain. "What on earth are you doing at my private residence at midnight?"
Clara reached the top of the porch steps, chest heaving slightly from the exertion, holding a waterproof folder tightly against her chest.
"I'm sorry for the hour, Commissioner," Clara said, her voice cutting clearly through the storm. "But your department is about to issue an occupancy permit for the Linwood Plaza expansion downtown tomorrow morning."
Vance frowned, crossing his arms. "That is a matter for the municipal zoning board, not a family court litigant."
"It's a matter for your department when the foundation of that building is sitting on top of an unrecorded chemical spill illegally cleared by Marcus Linwood using my residential property as fraudulent collateral," Clara shot back, stepping right up to the threshold and pulling the sealed state inspection logs from her folder.
May you like
She slapped the documents onto the small wooden accent table beside the front door.
"If you sign off on that permit tomorrow morning, Commissioner, your name goes on the federal indictment right beside my brother-in-law's," Clara said, her eyes blazing with fierce, indomitable power. "Now... are you going to invite me inside to look at the real engineering reports, or do I call the federal task force right now?"
