Chapter 4 - Shadows of the Past
Two days later, Elena’s private investigator struck gold. We discovered that David hadn't just been living a quiet life. He was a chronic gambler, deeply in debt to some very unsavory characters in Atlantic City.
"He owes over $150,000 to a private loan shark," Elena explained, handing me a file. "They’ve frozen his bank accounts. He’s facing foreclosure on his apartment. The $50,000 he demanded from you was just the down payment to keep his legs from being broken."
Reading the file, I felt a strange mix of pity and disgust. The man who had loomed over my childhood like an unstoppable monster was actually just a pathetic, desperate criminal running out of options.
"But that's not all," Elena continued. "Look at the gift bag he left at Noah’s party. Did you open it?"
I frowned. "No, Mark threw it in the garage. Why?"
"The investigator checked David's recent purchases. He bought a cheap toy, yes, but he also bought a high-end audio recording device the morning of the party. He was wearing it, Sarah. He wanted to bait you into saying something aggressive, something he could use in court to prove you were hostile and unstable."
My mind raced back to the party. I stayed calm. Thank God I stayed calm. I hadn't yelled. I hadn't threatened violence. I had given him five minutes to leave a private property.
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"The security camera footage," I realized, a smile slowly forming on my face. "We have the whole thing on video. We have him threatening to sue for money because my 'little company did well,' not because he was starving."
"Exactly," Elena smiled. "We have the leverage. Now, we go on the offensive."
