All Chapters of Blood and Buttercream: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

The courthouse was packed the day Judge Reynolds issued her ruling. Media filled the back rows. Sketch artists captured every moment. This case had become national news. The mother who survived everything. The daughter held hostage. The dramatic aquarium rescue.Everyone wanted to know how it would end.I sat at the plaintiff's table with Diana. Emma was not required to be present, thank God. She was at home with Marcus and Dr. Chen. Safe. Away from cameras and crowds and the legal proceedings that would determine her future.Brock sat at the defense table in an orange jumpsuit. Shackled. Two guards flanking him. He looked thin. Broken. Nothing like the man I'd married. Nothing like the man who held our daughter at gunpoint two weeks ago.He didn't look at me. Kept his eyes forward. Waiting for the judge.Judge Reynolds entered. Everyone stood. She sat. We sat. The ritual of court proceedings continued even when the outcome felt predetermined."I've reviewed all evidence presented in

I caught up with Valerie in the parking lot. She was limping toward a beat-up Honda. Nothing like the luxury car she used to drive. Nothing like the life she used to have."Wait. You can't just drop that warning and leave. If Shaw has a partner, I need details. Names. Anything."Valerie stopped. Leaned heavily on her cane. Turned to face me with eyes full of exhaustion and pain."I don't have names. I don't have proof. I just have fragments of a conversation I overheard in the hospital. Before everything went wrong. Before Salvatore's men found me.""Tell me everything. Every detail you remember."Valerie looked around the parking lot. Nervous. Like she expected someone to be listening. "Can we sit in your car? I don't feel safe out here."We got into my car. Locked the doors. Valerie practically collapsed into the passenger seat. Up close, she looked even worse. The scars on her face were deep. Infected looking. Her hands shook constantly."What happened to you?" I asked despite myse

I didn't sleep that night. Kept thinking about the meeting with Agent Park. About what could go wrong. About Jessica Patterson watching from somewhere, waiting to strike.At dawn, I made a decision. I wouldn't go to Agent Park's office myself. Too risky. Too exposed. If Jessica had connections in law enforcement like Valerie suggested, showing up at the FBI building would be like announcing I had the evidence.Instead, I called Diana."I need your help. And I need you to not ask questions until after you've done what I'm asking."Diana was quiet for a moment. "That's ominous. But okay. What do you need?""I need you to deliver something to Agent Park. A USB drive. Evidence. Critical evidence. But I need you to do it anonymously. Don't tell her where you got it. Don't mention my name. Just say you received it from a concerned party and felt the FBI should have it.""Bethany, what's on this drive?""Everything. Financial records. Money laundering proof. Evidence that could destroy Shaw

Agent Park spent the next week unraveling Jessica Patterson's empire. Every day brought new discoveries. Each one more damning than the last.I sat in her office watching her whiteboard fill with connections. Lines connecting Jessica to Shaw. Shaw to bankrupt designers. Jessica to Jade Phoenix Investments. Jade Phoenix to dozens of fashion brands built on stolen work."This isn't just fraud," Agent Park said. She added another connection to the board. "This is organized crime. A criminal enterprise operating for forty years under the cover of legitimate business. RICO territory. Federal conspiracy. Money laundering. Tax evasion. The charges we can bring are extensive.""But you need Jessica to bring them," I said. "And she's gone.""We'll find her. She can't hide forever. No one can."But I wasn't so sure. Jessica had forty years to prepare escape plans. She wasn't like Shaw or Brock. She didn't act impulsively. Every move was calculated. Every contingency planned."Look at this," Age

Agent Park spent the next week unraveling Jessica Patterson's empire. Every day brought new discoveries. Each one more damning than the last.I sat in her office watching her whiteboard fill with connections. Lines connecting Jessica to Shaw. Shaw to bankrupt designers. Jessica to Jade Phoenix Investments. Jade Phoenix to dozens of fashion brands built on stolen work."This isn't just fraud," Agent Park said. She added another connection to the board. "This is organized crime. A criminal enterprise operating for forty years under the cover of legitimate business. RICO territory. Federal conspiracy. Money laundering. Tax evasion. The charges we can bring are extensive.""But you need Jessica to bring them," I said. "And she's gone.""We'll find her. She can't hide forever. No one can."But I wasn't so sure. Jessica had forty years to prepare escape plans. She wasn't like Shaw or Brock. She didn't act impulsively. Every move was calculated. Every contingency planned."Look at this," Age