my grandmother’s rug.
Lily’s practice piano had been stored.
David reportedly stared for several seconds.
Then laughed.
Not from amusement.
Sometimes arrogance responds to unexpected reality with laughter.
He shouted upstairs.
“Sarah, seriously?”
Julianne remained near the entrance.
David set down his suitcase.
“This trip was exactly what our marriage needed,” he said loudly. “If this is some dramatic separation thing, we’re not doing it.”
Then Agent Hale emerged from the hallway.
Two state officers stood behind him.
David stopped.
Hale later said it was the first time David appeared genuinely frightened.
“Mr. Vance?”
David studied their badges.
“Yes?”
“David Michael Vance?”
“Yes.”
Hale opened the leather folder.
“I’m Special Agent Marcus Hale.”
David glanced toward Julianne.
“What is this?”
“We have a federal warrant for your arrest.”
Julianne dropped her shopping bag.
David stood motionless.
Hale continued explaining.
The formal charges were more detailed than the eventual newspaper headlines.
