“Last month. During my quarterly audit.”
“Your what?”
I pulled out my phone and set it on the table.
“Those aren’t old bonds from Grandpa. Those are bearer bonds issued by the United States Treasury. Current series. Total face value, five hundred thousand dollars.”
The color drained from Vanessa’s face.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m a senior financial analyst with the Treasury Department’s Securities Fraud Investigation Division. I hold a top-secret security clearance.”
The dining room went silent.
“Those bonds in your purse are protected government securities that I maintain custody of as part of my work investigating international financial crimes.”
Derek’s hand froze on his wine glass.
“Government securities?”
“Specifically, instruments used to track and identify securities fraud patterns. Each bond is serialized and registered in the federal tracking database. The moment anyone attempts to cash them, transfer them, or even verify them with a financial institution, the system automatically flags the transaction and notifies the Treasury Inspector General’s office.”
“You’re joking,” Vanessa said.
Her voice had gone sharp.
“You’re making this up to scare me.”
“I reported the theft four hours ago to my supervisor, to the Inspector General, and to the Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force. They’ve been tracking the situation since you left my apartment.”
The doorbell rang.
Everyone at the table jumped except me.
I had been expecting this.
“That,” I said quietly, “is the response team.”
The doorbell rang again, followed by a loud knock and a commanding voice.
“Treasury Inspector General. We need to speak with Vanessa Morrison.”
Mom’s face went white.
“Sarah, what is happening?”
“Vanessa committed multiple federal offenses. Now she has to face the consequences.”
Dad stood up.
“I’ll get the door.”
“Dad, no.”
Vanessa grabbed his arm.
“Don’t let them in. Sarah’s lying. This is some kind of sick joke.”
“It’s not a joke.”
I looked directly at her.
“You entered a secured residence. You defeated a protected lock. You opened a protected safe. You took five hundred thousand dollars in United States Treasury instruments. You just told this entire table that you plan to cash those instruments through a financial adviser. That is theft of government property, tampering with federal security measures, and attempted securities fraud.”
The knocking grew more insistent.
“We have a warrant. Open the door now.”
Derek pushed back from the table, his face ashen.
“Vanessa, what did you do?”