Chapter 8 - The Depth of the Deception
Two days later, Sarah sat at her kitchen island, a steaming mug of coffee in hand, as Detective Thorne’s voice filled the room via speakerphone.
"It's worse than we thought, Sarah," Thorne explained, exhaustion evident in his tone. "Once we got the warrant for Sterling’s files, the whole house of cards came down. She wasn't just targeting troubled teens. She was actively seeking out kids from single-parent households or families with deployed military personnel."
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. "Because she thought we couldn't fight back."
May you like
"Exactly," Thorne confirmed. "She diagnosed them with severe psychiatric conditions to justify long-term, mandatory holds. Then, she billed the state exorbitant fees for specialized treatments that the kids never actually received. It was a massive, multi-million dollar fraud ring."
Sarah felt a surge of anger, but it was quickly replaced by a profound sense of purpose. Victoria Sterling hadn't just messed with the wrong family; she had exposed a flaw in the system that Sarah was now determined to fix.
