Chapter 11 - The Interrogation of Candice-11
At 4:00 AM on Sunday morning, the interrogation wing of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Headquarters was buzzing with activity. Federal agents, state police investigators, and prosecutors filled the corridors, carrying thick stacks of evidence files and digital printouts.
In Interrogation Room B, Candice sat at a stainless-steel table, her hands cuffed in front of her. Her expensive Miami outfit was rumpled, her hair disheveled, and her face blotchy from hours of crying.
Across from her sat Federal Prosecutor Marcus Vance and Detective Sarah Jenkins.
Gabriel stood behind the two-way mirror in the observation room, accompanied by Frank Vance and Lucas. Lucas was wrapped in a warm fleece jacket, holding a mug of hot chocolate, watching his stepmother through the glass.
“She looks small,” Lucas murmured softly, his voice clear and steady. “She used to look so big when she stood over my bed.”
Gabriel placed his large hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “Cruel people only look big when you’re standing in their shadow, son. Step into the light, and they shrink.”
Inside the interrogation room, Prosecutor Vance opened a thick black binder—one of the ledgers recovered from the basement safe.
“Candice Vance-Lawson,” Prosecutor Vance began, his voice dry and matter-of-fact. “Your mother, Evelyn Vance, has just formally implicated you and your sister, Patricia, in the murder-for-profit schemes involving Arthur Vance, Harold Jenkins, and the attempted murder of Gabriel Lawson.”
Candice’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock. “What?! No! She’s lying! It was all her! Evelyn managed the offshore accounts! She forced us to help her!”
“We have your handwritten calendar from the nightstand, Candice,” Detective Jenkins chimed in, sliding a high-resolution photo across the table. “We have your signature on the forged bank power-of-attorney documents. And we have the wire transfers showing $120,000 moved from Gabriel’s commercial credit line directly into your resort account in Miami.”
Candice shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her face. “I... I didn't cut the brake lines! That was Gary! Gary cut the lines!”
“Gary has already signed a full confession,” Prosecutor Vance stated coldly. “He admitted that you and Evelyn paid him $50,000 from the Sunrise Horizon LLC account to sabotage Gabriel’s Volvo rig.”
Candice buried her face in her cuffed hands, her body shaking with violent sobs. “I didn't want to kill him... I just wanted the money... I wanted a better life...”
“You starved a sixteen-year-old boy, Candice,” Detective Jenkins said, her voice dripping with disgust. “You beat him, locked him in closets, and made him wash your clothes by hand in the dark while you spent his father’s money on luxury resorts.”
Candice looked up through her tears, staring at the two-way mirror as if she knew Gabriel and Lucas were standing right behind it.
“Gabriel!” Candice suddenly screamed at the glass, leaning across the table until her cuffs clanked against the metal surface. “Gabriel, please! Tell them to stop! I’m sorry! I’ll give everything back! Please don't let them send me to prison!”
In the observation room, Lucas watched her without a single trace of fear or anger. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, turned to his father, and offered a faint, genuine smile.
“Dad?” Lucas asked softly.
“Yes, Lucas?”
“Can we go home now?”
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Gabriel looked down at his son, his heart swelling with a deep, healing warmth that he hadn't felt since Clara’s passing.
“Yes, Lucas,” Gabriel said quietly. “Let’s go home.”
