Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 171

Jacko

POV

As the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, the intricate web of the girls' supply source began to unravel. Margaret, the daughter, a seemingly innocent figure using her little sister's art industry as a cover, was also involved in a clever cover for money laundering. This was no ordinary operation; it was a sophisticated web of crime that had taken us a considerable amount of time to decipher.

It seems it all goes back to the first marriage as college students and went on there, using fake marriages that grew to bribery, money laundering, and girl trafficking, gambling. The only thing they ever appeared not to be involved in that we can see is guns. They did not need to get onto that side of it, having more than enough to fill their coffers, and the guns could get more complicated to work with, easy money but higher risks, and they had given them billions of dollars as it was.

Our department received a well-deserved commendation when we successfully cleared out all those accounts. The money's whereabouts remain a mystery; I know it is in our police coffers somewhere, but I'm not privy to where or how it will be used. We still have property to seize. But once we have all the pieces in place and the culprits behind bars, we can start untangling this financial mess. I can assure you that Bob and Hank are in the clear; their property won't be seized. They've owned those homes for years, and even the one Cynthia gained will be rightfully given to Bob as it was a family inheritance. As I mentioned, there's a lot to sort out before we have any seizures.

Hank, seemingly calm but with a hint of unease in his eyes, was more focused on the monitor than on the game. Bob and I, veterans of stakeouts, tried to ease the tension by enjoying the game, but we knew that life was about to take a drastic turn for Hank. The anticipation in the air was palpable.

At last, the monitor flashed that the gates had been opened, and soon, we would see who had arrived when the front door swung open. Hank's security system was top-notch, and the monitor tracked visitors' movements. It even had sound, which is a luxury not found in most systems. His only vulnerability was the windows, a detail I was sure he would address soon.

Kitty walked to the front door, her hands full of bags, soon followed by Margaret. Both looked like they had just stepped out of the beauty salon. They were laughing at something and seemed to be in a good mood. Kitty dropped her bags on a table in the lounge and headed this way. I heard footsteps coming down the steps, and Kitty appeared in the doorway, her smile hiding a secret.

'Oh, wow, I did not expect the Sunday game day to happen today. I guess when you are addicted, you do not miss a day. Can I get you anything?' She was being very polite, and my skin was crawling, thinking how I believed her over Pam. Poor Pam, I still owe her an apology for my behavior toward her. Now I know better, I can see it more clearly. Kitty knows how to weave a good web of deceit, and my boss was right; I was hurt when I found out she was the FBI.

'We will go up to the kitchen, and our game is over now.' I said as I stood up, and the rest followed behind me.

'Suit yourselves.' I followed her up the stairs, and I could have sworn she put an extra sway to her hips to try and lure me, but I was not interested in her. She may not have noticed that I prefer men; not many know about me, and I do not advertise it. I like to be the alpha, and women replace that attractive in a man. But so do a lot of men. I have a man who lives with me; he is the cutest.

Now, she has me thinking of my man rather than the task we are here for.

We arrived in the kitchen to replace Margaret had started putting food away. I waited for a few moments for Hank to move into my line of sight. He gave me the briefest of nods, telling me he was ready and giving me the go-ahead. He was prepared before I nodded to my men.

One man stood beside Kitty and the other beside Margaret, and together, they started arresting them. Thanks to Hank, we had enough evidence to put them with the others in the holding cells at the disused jail, which was renovated just for this case, which has been ongoing for years.

'Hank, what is this?' Kitty yelled at him, her hands on hips, looking at him to defend her.

'What do you mean? Kitty, Hank asked innocently.

'Why am I being arrested?' Kitty was not listening to the man, more attacking Hank.

'You should know the answer to that better than I. He replied.

'Why are you not arresting Dad then?' Margaret chimed in.

'Oh, your Dad is already in jail,' I answered, so Hank did not. He knew who Margaret's father was; it was in the DNA report he read with Bob.

'Dad?' Margaret called out at him.

'I am not your father. Hanks replied sadly, looking her in the eye as he said it.

'Mum? What does Dad mean?' She genuinely looked shocked at that comment, which was interesting.

'He does not know what he is talking about; of course, he is your father.' Kitty growled back at her but did not look her in the eye, a dead giveaway she was lying.

'Dad?' Margaret called again, almost in tears now.

'I am not even married to your Mum, and she duped us both. He added, and Margaret looked at her Mother with sadness. She knew about the wedding groups, and it would not surprise me if she were married to one of them.

The men put the cuffs on the two women and walked them out the door, and they would process them and then send them to the holding cells, different cells, of course, that we have at the station. I will see them tomorrow after they have spent a night in the cell. Maybe it will soften them up a bit and reflect on their life of crime.

'Come to the attic and let me show you the room while you are here. You can do another search. I may have missed something.'

I followed Hank up to the attic, Bob following close behind, and two of my men stayed behind. The attic was well-decked out with all sorts of sewing machinery. Some of the materials caught my eye; they have yet to be released in this country, so Kitty has to get her dress material out of the country. I searched through every box and drawer, moving cupboards and searching anywhere that could hide something. Hank had been thorough, and for that, I was grateful.

'Nothing you missed, Hank. I said as I patted him on the back.

'Come look at her office then. I found nothing there, but you better know what you are looking for. Hank led us to a room off the main hallway. We went past his office first and then stopped at hers. It was a larger room than I had expected; he had spoiled her rotten, and I bet he was feeling bad about it all now. He gave her everything, and she gave little in return. No wonder he used the word duped earlier when he was talking to Margaret.

I am interested in replaceing out if Margaret is married. I have heard that she was happy to open her legs to many men, but was she married to one of them? I hope I am looking forward to looking deeper into this, our last piece of the puzzle. I believe, and fingers crossed, I am right.

The men went through the office and pulled out the receipts we would be taking. They would help us replace out where the sewing materials came from. It is good that some people keep receipts like this. Some go back many years. In the end, I asked the men to take all of it, and we could ditch what we didn't need.

With Hank's permission.

My men left with the receipts, and I stayed longer, having coffee with Bob and Hank. I did not need to stay for work, but as a friend, we helped put the food away that Kitty had brought in and also searched in the bags she left on the outer table. We got Hank's permission to look through her purse, which was left on the table, and take her phone to search through it. There was not much left here that we could search through. Hank promised that if he found anything, he would let me know.

'You can call me anytime, not just as a policeman but as a friend, and I expect to be invited to the sports days when you guys get sorted enough to start them again.' I was pushing to get Hank to accept that I was not here just as a cop but as his friend. He hugged me and nodded, his face sad and trying to look strong.

It was getting late. I left Bob and Hank, heading home for a late dinner. I had not seen Cindy come home, but Hank had said she often stayed overnight with her latest boyfriend.

To be nineteen again would be nice. She recently had her birthday.

I hope we are right in assuming Cindy was not involved in the syndicate. She is very young and innocent. The only time the syndicate was at any of her shows was when Margaret or Kitty were there, too, which leads me to believe she was not involved.