Chapter 38 - The Breaking of Arthur Vance
Arthur stared at the men he had brought to terrorize his daughter. None of them moved. The professional mercenaries knew the posture of a person holding all the cards, and Ivy Vance stood like an executioner awaiting a plea.
With a strangled cry of rage and terror, Arthur dropped to his knees, his trembling fingers reaching for the iron key.
"It's mine," he whimpered, clutching the cold metal to his chest. "I built this family's stature! I deserve the legacy! Victoria was too weak, Evelyn was too vain, and you... you were just an embarrassment, an ugly duckling behind an adding machine! I won't let you take it from me!"
He crawled toward the central hatch, jamming the key into the heavy iron slot.
"Arthur, don't!" Evelyn’s voice cried out from the entrance of the chamber.
She stood there, flanked by Prosecutor Webb and four state tactical officers with assault rifles trained directly on Richter’s men.
"Federal agents! Drop your weapons! Hands where we can see them!" Webb’s voice boomed through the stone hall.
Richter didn't hesitate. Recognizing a total systemic failure of his mission, he raised his hands instantly and signaled his operatives to lower their weapons. "We are unarmed observers executing a private civil collection," Richter said smoothly. "We surrender to lawful authorities."
"Arthur! Step away from the hatch!" Webb ordered, stepping forward with his service weapon drawn.
Arthur looked back at the armed federal agents, then at his wife who looked at him with utter disgust, and finally up at Ivy, who stood above him with an expression of quiet, sorrowful pity.
"I won't go to prison," Arthur screamed.
He gripped the iron key and wrenched it clockwise.
A heavy, mechanical *THUNK* echoed deep within the bedrock.
For three seconds, absolute silence hung over the underground chamber. Then, the ground began to vibrate with a low, bone-jarring hum. From deep within the stone walls came the sound of rushing, pressurized water—a roar like an approaching freight train.
"Get out!" Webb shouted. "Evacuate the lower levels!"
The tactical team hauled Richter and his men backward toward the stairs. Evelyn screamed as Samuel, recovering from his blow, dragged her back toward the stone corridor.
"Ivy! Come on!" Clara screamed from the staircase landing.
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Ivy reached down, grabbing her father by the collar of his expensive wool coat. "Arthur! Let go of the wheel! It’s opening the sluice!"
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