Chapter 11 - The Federal Trap-11
The federal field office of the FBI in downtown Oakville was a fortress of concrete and security checkpoints. By 10:00 AM the following morning, Marcus Vance, Clara Hayes, and I sat inside a high-security conference room across from Special Agent in Charge Robert Sterling—a weathered federal investigator specializing in international white-collar crime and corporate espionage.
Agent Sterling reviewed the contents of Clara’s flash drive and my father’s audio logs for nearly forty minutes without saying a word. The only sound in the room was the clicking of his pen against the table.
Finally, Sterling closed the laptop, leaned back in his chair, and looked at me with deep professional respect.
"Miss Albright, this isn't just corporate embezzlement or local fraud anymore," Sterling said gravely. "The Zurich syndicate Gavin was dealing with—Vanguard Pharmaceuticals—is currently under active international investigation for illegal bioweapons research and illicit drug trafficking. By selling Aegis-7 formulas to them, Mr. Barrett committed high-level economic treason."
"Can we use this to deny him bail?" Marcus asked instantly.
"Bail?" Sterling let out a short, humorless laugh. "With these charges, Mr. Barrett isn't just staying in local county lockup. We're transferring him to a federal supermax holding facility before the end of the day, and he'll never see daylight again as a free man."
"What about his mother, Celina?" I asked.
"Arrest warrants for conspiracy and money laundering were executed at her Palm Beach residence thirty minutes ago," Sterling replied calmly. "Her assets are frozen down to the last penny."
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"Good," I said, standing up and buttoning my jacket. "Agent Sterling, how soon can we implement a sting operation to catch the Zurich buyers who are scheduled to pick up the final data packets?"
Sterling smiled, picking up his desk phone. "That, Miss Albright, is why I love working with professionals. We set the honey trap, let Gavin think he still has a lifeline through his offshore handlers, and wait for them to walk right into our arms."
