Chapter 10: The Bank Intercept
The marble lobby of the downtown financial center was cool and cavernous, echoing with the soft footsteps of executives and private banking clients moving between glass-walled offices. I walked beside Marcus toward the private client services desk, our steps measured and deliberate. We had received an automated security ping from our asset protection software less than twenty minutes prior: an automated withdrawal attempt originating from a secondary joint holding account that Elena's legal team had somehow overlooked during the initial freeze filing.
"The account is flagged at the branch level," Marcus said, checking his tablet as we approached the mahogany reception counter. "If she managed to push this through before the federal stay registered across all regional nodes, she could have liquidated another hundred grand into an offshore holding."
"She won't," I said, stepping up to the manager's desk where a startled loan officer was staring at a glowing terminal screen.
The bank manager looked up, recognizing me instantly from the corporate board directories. "Mr. Vance. We received an authorization request moments ago matching your joint registry credentials. We were just verifying the release code with your legal representation when the system lock engaged."
"Cancel the transfer permanently," I instructed, my voice flat and commanding, leaving no room for argument. "Print the transaction log showing the originating IP address and user identification token. It’s a direct violation of today's family court protective order."
The manager nodded quickly, his fingers flying across the keyboard. Within seconds, the printer beside his desk whirred to life, spitting out a thick stack of transaction logs and authorization certificates. I picked them up, scanning the metadata at the bottom of the page. The user token matched Elena’s private personal laptop—the same device she had tried to wipe clean before leaving the mansion.
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"She's getting desperate," Marcus noted, taking a copy of the printout. "People with everything to lose make careless mistakes when the timeline accelerates."
"Let her run," I said, folding the documents and sliding them into my interior jacket pocket. "Every illegal attempt she makes is another nail in the coffin for Monday's final hearing. Let's take these straight to Judge Harrison's clerk before the afternoon session begins."
