Chapter 11 - Unearthing the Slush Fund
While Collins languished in a federal holding cell, the fallout from the arrest rippled through every level of county government. Sheriff Vance sat in his office—now secured with new, un-compromised digital locks—watching a team of federal forensic accountants dismantle Marcus Thorne’s administrative suite across the street.
Special Agent Sarah Chen entered Vance’s office, carrying two steaming paper cups of black coffee. She set one on his desk and sat in the leather armchair across from him.
"You look like hell, Vance," Chen said with a faint, rare smile.
"I’ve looked better," Vance admitted, taking a sip of the hot coffee. "What did your people find in Thorne's private vault?"
Chen leaned back, her expression turning deadly serious. "It’s worse than we thought. Thorne wasn't just hiding domestic abuse cases for corrupt cops. He was running a massive protection racket for a regional drug syndicate operating out of the river docks. Collins wasn't just a dirty deputy—he was the primary enforcer who made sure local business owners paid their monthly protection fees."
Vance’s jaw set into a hard line. "And the money?"
"Millions," Chen replied. "Stored in offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. But we found a ledger—a physical black book Thorne kept in a floor safe beneath his mahogany desk. It lists every officer, judge, and magistrate who took a cut."
Vance leaned forward, his dark eyes narrowing. "Are there names from my department still on duty?"
Chen opened a folder in her lap and slid a single sheet of paper across the desk. "Three of your active patrol officers were receiving monthly payouts to look the other way when syndicate shipments moved through the north county line."
Vance scanned the three names on the paper. His blood ran cold as his eyes stopped on the second name listed: Deputy Miller—the very rookie he had assigned to stand guard outside Elena’s hospital room on the night of the attack.
"Miller," Vance whispered, the betrayal stinging like a fresh wound. "He was in on it from the beginning. That’s how the hitman knew which room Elena was in."
"Miller skipped town two hours ago," Chen warned. "When the federal marshals hit Thorne’s house, Miller stripped off his badge, cleared out his locker, and took off in an unmarked patrol car. We tracked his department GPS unit until he disabled it near the interstate."
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Vance stood up instantly, grabbing his service pistol from his desk drawer and checking the magazine with practiced efficiency. "He knows too much about the syndicate's operations. If Miller gets cornered, he’s going to panic. Where was his last known location?"
Chen pulled up a satellite map on her phone. "Heading west toward the old industrial shipping yard near the river. He’s got nowhere left to hide, Vance. But he’s armed, desperate, and dangerous."
