But there was more. The FBI raid was still on the schedule, so the next morning — as Walker was taken into his first of three surgeries and agents were still gathering evidence from the tunnels below campus — Lewis returned with over 100 agents. They seized all documents, databases, and video feeds related to their investigation of numerous illegal activities.
Not wanting to serve time in federal prison on multiple felony charges, Robert Ellis became the Northern Virginia Attorney General’s Office star witness and took prosecutors through the complex money laundering, racketeering schemes, and organized crime elements of Washington Academy. Ellis retired from Washington Academy two weeks later, issuing a statement that assured the public his decision was a personal one, and not at all related to the embarrassing hoax that had been perpetrated on the school. His retirement package was sealed from public view by the Board of Trustees, in the interest of not poisoning the well in finding a suitable replacement, but included no severance pay nor retirement benefits.
An older couple moved into a 2,000 square feet rancher in Duluth, Minnesota the next day, and the paperwork for Mr. and Mrs. Kleckner’s relocation as part of the Witness Protection Program was completed in the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office that afternoon.
Chapter 56
Lorenzo Arcuri’s mansion on the Potomac was still breathtaking to Walker even though it was his second visit there. This time, however, Walker had requested the meeting with Arcuri to discuss his retirement. Amanda had been returned safely to her father, and after a planned three-month hiatus from school to recuperate from her trauma and attend counseling, she would return for the start of the second semester.
Walker was again led into the study and sat on the same sofa as before, but Arcuri entered from behind him instead and insisted he not get up. The two men exchanged the usual pleasantries, and Arcuri seemed genuinely concerned about Walker’s condition, knowing full well that he had nearly given his life for his daughter. Arcuri was extremely grateful.
He handed Walker a slip of paper with a series of numbers on it. “I have arranged for an account to be established for you, my friend, offshore and untraceable, and a payment for your services was wired there this morning. I’m know it’s hard for men like us to walk away from what we do for a living, what we do best. But trust me, if you choose to leave this line of work, there’s a substantial amount of money in that account, quite possibly all the money you will ever need. I can never thank you enough for what you did for my daughter and my family, so please accept this as a token of my eternal gratitude.”
“Thank you, Lorenzo. I sincerely appreciate your generosity.”
“Believe me, Ryan, it is the least I can do for you. You have brought my daughter back to me, against all odds and in perfect health. The emotional scars will take longer to heal, but she is doing quite well and is excited to return to school very soon. I could not have asked for anything more.”
“Thank you,” Walker said sincerely.
Arcuri leaned back in the sofa and simpered. “There’s just one more thing. I am forever indebted to you, and so for as long as you walk this earth, my friend, please know that you will always be protected by the Arcuri family. I have already spoken to the leaders of the other families, and they understand as well. From this point forward, you are untouchable. Whatever you’ve done in the past, whomever you owe, all is forgiven. You are a free man.”
Pausing for a long moment and staring at the huge smile on Arcuri’s face, Walker knew the crime lord could easily back up his grandiose offer of protection, and from the sound of it, he already had. Walker leaned forward, “I don’t know what to say, Lorenzo, I’m…”
Lorenzo interrupted. “No need, my friend. It’s not often I can do things that I truly feel good about, but this is one of them, so no refusals. It’s already done. You have my word.”
“Thank you again, Lorenzo.”
Satisfied the conversation had ended, Arcuri started to rise from the sofa, but Walker spoke again, “There’s just one more thing I have to do.”
Surprised by the statement, Arcuri — still standing — squinted at Walker.
Walker stayed seated, looked up at the crime boss, and spoke slowly. “When the FBI raided Washington Academy, they discovered droves of documents and digital files proving the existence of an extensive money-laundering operation involving an assortment of your shell companies and the tuition and fees flowing through the academy. On top of that, they found direct evidence of racketeering and fraud because the dean wasn’t as good as you guys at covering your tracks. Ellis took a plea deal with the attorney general’s office and walked agents through the myriad of transactions going back years.”
Arcuri stood frozen, running through the potential scenarios in his mind, but finally making the realization there was simply too much evidence against him, remembering his various business dealings with the academy. Lorenzo had never liked the idea of conducting business through the private school, but his father and Ellis had been old friends, and so the arrangements remained even after Lorenzo had taken over the family business. His father had complete faith that the government would never go after the school because it was simply too high profile with its elite class of wealthy families, but he was wrong. And now, Lorenzo’s least favorite business partner had become his Achilles heel.
“So what happens now?” Arcuri said softly, resigned to the fact that he was currently in the crosshairs of the United States Department of Justice. There was no easy escape from that fate, so he knew he had to accept it and determine a way out later. There was always a way out.
“Well, there are about 200 armed agents from the FBI, ATF, and DEA outside the walls of your compound right now. They are prepared to launch an assault if you decide to not go quietly. Or if you decide to kill me. We have a sniper in a helicopter over the river watching us right now.”
Walker pulled an earpiece from his ear, and Arcuri could hear the crackling of radio traffic through the small device. Arcuri lowered his head as Walker pulled a packet of folded papers from his jacket pocket and slid the arrest warrant across the table toward him. “However, if you go quietly, ask your men to drop their weapons and surrender, it will go a long way with the prosecutors. You have my word on it.” Walker paused, then added, “There’s no reason for any bloodshed today.”
Arcuri glanced down at the folded papers on the glass coffee table, glared at Walker to determine if he was bluffing, then looked out the window at the sprawling estate, his army of men with their weapons at the ready. He paused for several moments, the tension slowly strangling the room, until Arcuri finally loosened the noose by smiling at Walker.
“I must say, Mr. Walker, you continue to impress me. Your perseverance is admirable, and you just won’t stop until you’ve made it right — where everything is concerned. I hired you to find my little girl because deep down I knew you needed it, but whether or not you were looking for atonement, I think you may have found it.”
Walker nodded as Arcuri held out his hands and Walker pulled a pair of handcuffs from his jeans. As the former FBI agent latched the metal clasps around Arcuri’s wrists, the crime boss grinned again and said, “And please understand this does nothing to change our previous arrangement. You’re still free. Take advantage of it.”
Minutes later, Ryan Walker exited the front doors of the Arcuri family mansion as the main gates to the compound opened and dozens of federal agents — clad in SWAT gear or windbreakers — swarmed onto the grounds of the estate, followed by unmarked vehicles, armored cars, and police cruisers. Walker moved confidently in the opposite direction as the phalanx of agents descended on the home. Arcuri’s armed guards placed their rifles on the ground and raised their hands as law enforcement officers immediately surrounded them.
Walker exited through the open gates of the compound, and for the first time in as long as he could remember, he was proud of what he had done.
Chapter 57
The cherry trees that surrounde
d the Tidal Basin, just south of the National Mall in Washington, DC, would not blossom for another five months. Their leaves were presently a dark orange, loosened from their branches by a cool breeze swirling over the circular reservoir, a yellow hue cast over the glassy water by the rising sun from behind the trees.
Ryan Walker sat alone on a bench facing the basin, one of many on the wide sidewalks which encircled the D.C. landmark. He looked at the Jefferson Memorial across the expanse of water and breathed in the crisp November air. His hair was trimmed, his face was clean shaven, and he worn a new dress shirt just for the occasion.
As he glanced to his left, two females approached, their arms locked, moving slowly toward his position. The woman on the left was slightly taller, her auburn hair radiated in the morning light, and she walked slightly ahead of the second female. The other female was significantly younger — a teenager — but walked with a self-assured confidence, built up over the many years of living without a father, he assumed. Walker almost didn’t recognize them — they had changed so much — but as they neared, their familiar faces were unmistakable.
While his wife and daughter took their final steps toward him, Walker could not help but smile at the possibility of a new beginning, his second chance to make it right with the two people he loved most in the world. But now, he was much stronger than before and his journey to start again would begin today.
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading The Gilded Sanctum.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed my novel.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keith Veverka, a social studies supervisor for a school district in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, loves writing, history, and education, all of which came together for his first novel, The Gilded Sanctum.
Keith began his teaching career twenty-one years ago at a public school in Virginia, not far from the imagined location of the ficitional academy in his story. Having lived and worked in the area for several years, he was intimately familiar with the state's rich Civil War history, which provided the perfect backdrop for this mystery thriller.
He lives in Warrington, Pennsylvania with his wife and children.
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