Chapter 3 - Down the Stairs
I walked down the narrow carpeted stairs with my head held high, stepping over the shattered pieces of my mother’s favorite ceramic coffee mug that lay scattered across the foyer.
Two uniformed deputies stood inside the living room. In the center of the room, Mom was slumped against the sofa, clutching a tissue to her face while staring blankly at an open laptop screen displaying the PDF package I had emailed precisely at 5:00 a.m.
One of the deputies turned his gaze toward me as I reached the bottom step. “Are you Ava Ellison?”
“Yes,” I answered steadily.
“We received a comprehensive financial fraud disclosure package detailing systemic identity theft, wire fraud, and the unlawful liquidation of a protected educational trust,” the deputy said, flipping open a small notebook. “We have an active search warrant for the home office safe, and an immediate subpoena for Brandon Ellison regarding the fraudulent student loans and vehicle purchases.”
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Dad appeared at the top of the stairs, breathing heavily, his bathrobe flapping open. “There’s been a misunderstanding! My son is an undergraduate at Ellison University! He has a bright future!”
“His future is currently looking like a federal holding cell,” the deputy replied coldly, signaling to the second officer to move toward the hallway.
