My Daugther woke me before sunrise and said, “Make some coffee and set the table”
After the call ended, Sophia came downstairs looking like she hadn’t slept much. «Any news?»
«Your husband is officially a federal fugitive,» I said, pouring her coffee. «The FBI issued a warrant this morning.»
«So it’s really over.»
«The criminal part is just beginning. Derek will be caught, prosecuted, and hopefully sent to prison. But the personal part—dealing with being married to a con artist—that’s going to take time.»
«Mom, can I ask you something?»
«Of course.»
«When did you know for certain that Derek was a fraud?»
I thought about that question while scrambling eggs for our breakfast. «Honestly? The moment he suggested I needed help managing my own life. Men like Derek always reveal themselves by assuming women are helpless.»
«But I fell for it completely.»
«You fell for the charm. That’s different.» I plated her eggs and sat down across from her. «Derek is very good at making people feel special. Important. Needed. It’s not stupidity to want those things.»
«Then why didn’t you fall for it?»
«Because I’ve spent the past five years learning to live with only my own opinion of myself. When someone shows up telling me I need their guidance, my first instinct is suspicion, not gratitude.»
Sophia was quiet for a moment, processing this. «I’ve never lived alone. I’ve always had roommates or boyfriends or someone else making decisions with me, which is exactly what Derek was counting on.»
That afternoon, my peaceful morning was interrupted by the sound of a car in my driveway. But it wasn’t Derek returning. It was a black sedan with government plates.
«Mrs. Whitmore,» a tall man in a suit approached my front door. «I’m Agent Martinez with the FBI Financial Crimes Task Force. We need to talk to you about Derek Castellano.»
Agent Martinez was accompanied by a woman who introduced herself as Agent Kim, and they both had the serious demeanor of people who dealt with high-stakes financial crimes.
«Derek contacted you last night, correct?» Agent Martinez asked, settling into my living room with a digital recorder.
«He called my daughter’s phone. We have the conversation recorded if you need it.»
Agent Kim leaned forward. «Actually, we’d like you to consider making another call to him.»
«What kind of call?»
«Derek is increasingly desperate. His offshore accounts have been frozen, his known associates are under surveillance, and he’s running out of resources. We think he might try to return here to retrieve something he left behind.»
«He left behind a cell phone and some clothes, nothing valuable.»
«Are you sure?» Agent Martinez pulled out a tablet and showed me a photo. «Does this look familiar?»
It was a picture of my guest bedroom, but focused on a corner I hadn’t paid much attention to. Behind the decorative plant near the window, something small and metallic was visible.
«What is that?»
«We believe it’s a portable hard drive containing financial records and client information for his entire operation. If we’re right, that device contains evidence of crimes in multiple states and possibly internationally.»
I stared at the photo. Derek had hidden evidence of his fraud ring in my own house.
«We need to recover that drive, but if we simply raid your property, Derek will know we found it. We’d prefer to let him come back for it himself.»
«You want to use my house as bait.»
«We want to give Derek an opportunity to incriminate himself further while attempting to destroy evidence.»
Sophia, who had been listening from the kitchen doorway, stepped forward. «Agents, my mother has already done enough to help with this investigation. Asking her to put herself in danger is unreasonable.»
«Mrs. Castellano,» Agent Kim said, «Derek is facing federal charges that could put him in prison for twenty years. He’s desperate enough to do anything to avoid prosecution. Whether we set a trap or not, he may come back here anyway.»
«But if we set a trap,» I said slowly, «you’ll be ready for him.»
«Exactly.»
I looked at the photo again, thinking about Eleanor Patterson’s frightened voice on the phone and Jennifer Walsh’s destroyed business. Derek had spent years systematically destroying women’s lives for profit.
«What would I need to do?»
Agent Martinez outlined their plan. I would call Derek and tell him that Sophia had left, that I was alone and frightened, and that I wanted to make a deal. I would suggest that if he returned quietly to collect his belongings, I would consider not cooperating further with the police investigation.
«He’ll be suspicious,» Agent Kim warned. «Derek is smart, and he knows you’ve already filed complaints against him.»
«But he’s also arrogant,» I replied. «And arrogant men often believe they can talk their way out of situations that would terrify normal people.»
«There’s one more thing,» Agent Martinez said. «We’ll need you to wear a wire during any conversation with Derek, and you’ll need to follow our instructions exactly. No improvisation, no attempts to confront him yourself.»
I thought about this for a moment. A week ago, I’d been enjoying peaceful mornings on my deck, reading books and painting watercolors. Now federal agents were asking me to help capture a fugitive in my own home.
«When do we make the call?» I asked.
That evening, with FBI agents positioned around my property and sophisticated recording equipment hidden throughout my house, I dialed Derek’s number.
«Patricia?» He sounded surprised and wary.
«Derek, I’m glad you answered. I need to talk to you.»
«Where’s Sophia?»
«She left this morning. She’s furious with both of us and doesn’t want anything to do with this situation.»
«What kind of situation?»
«The police keep calling me, asking me questions about you, about your business. Derek, I’m scared. I don’t understand what’s happening.»
I could hear the calculation in his silence as he processed this information.
«Patricia, I know this is confusing for you, but the police are exaggerating everything because they’re under pressure to make arrests.»
«But Eleanor Patterson, the woman whose house—»
«Eleanor Patterson is a confused elderly woman who doesn’t understand complex financial instruments. The police are using her confusion to build a case that doesn’t exist.»
Even knowing Derek was lying, I was impressed by his ability to sound completely sincere.
«Derek, I just want this to end. I don’t want to be involved in a court case or a prosecution. I just want my quiet life back.»
«I want that too, Patricia. And I think we can make that happen.»
«How?»
«I need to come back to the house to collect some things I left behind, personal items that belong to me. If I can retrieve those items and leave quietly, this whole misunderstanding can be resolved.»
«When?»
«Tonight. Late. After the police surveillance teams change shifts. Can you make sure all the doors are unlocked?»
As I hung up the phone, Agent Martinez nodded approvingly. «Perfect. He’ll be here within two hours.»
«And then?»
«And then Derek Castellano’s criminal career comes to an end.»
But I had the feeling that Derek’s visit tonight was going to reveal more than just his desperation to escape justice. Men like Derek always had backup plans, and I suspected we were about to discover what his really was.
Derek arrived at 2:47 a.m., and from my position at the upstairs window, I watched him approach my house like a predator returning to familiar hunting grounds. He didn’t look like a desperate fugitive. He looked confident, purposeful, like a man who still believed he controlled the situation.
The FBI had positioned me in my bedroom with Agent Kim, while Agent Martinez and two other agents waited in concealed positions downstairs. My job was simple: let Derek retrieve what he came for while the agents recorded everything. But watching Derek move through my garden with that predatory confidence, I realized the FBI didn’t fully understand who they were dealing with. Derek wasn’t just a con artist who’d made some mistakes. He was a career criminal who’d spent years perfecting his methods.
«He’s coming to the front door,» Agent Kim whispered into her radio.
I heard Derek’s key in the lock, the spare key Sophia had given him during their first day here. He’d kept it when he fled, which meant he’d always planned to return.
«Patricia?» Derek’s voice drifted up from my living room. «Patricia, are you awake?»
I walked downstairs in my robe and slippers, playing the role of a frightened woman grateful for his return. Derek stood in my kitchen, but something was different about him. The charming smile was gone, replaced by cold calculation.
«Derek, thank God you’re here,» I said, noting that Agent Kim was listening from the top of the stairs. «I’ve been so scared.»
«Have you?» Derek stepped closer, and I caught a glimpse of something that made my blood run cold. There was a gun tucked into his waistband.
«Derek, I just want this nightmare to end.»
«So do I, Patricia. So do I.» He moved toward the guest room, but stopped suddenly. «You know, I’ve been thinking about our conversation tonight. About how frightened you are. How much you want this to end.»
«Yes?»
«And I realized something. You’re not frightened at all, are you?»
The question hung in the air like a trap about to spring.
«Of course I’m frightened. The police, the investigation…»
«The police investigation that you started. The detailed complaint that you filed. The forensic accountant that you hired.» Derek’s voice was perfectly calm, but his eyes were dangerous. «Patricia, you’ve been playing a game since the day I arrived here.»
I could hear Agent Kim moving at the top of the stairs, but Derek was between me and any escape route.
«I don’t know what you mean.»
«I think you do.» Derek reached for his waistband. «I think you know exactly what you mean.»
That’s when everything went wrong with the FBI’s careful plan.
«Federal agents!» Agent Martinez’s voice boomed from the kitchen doorway. «Hands where I can see them!»
Derek spun around, pulling his weapon in one smooth motion. «I don’t think so.»
«Derek, drop the weapon!» Agent Kim appeared at the top of the stairs, her own gun drawn.
«Nobody moves!» Derek shouted, swinging his gun between the two agents. «Patricia, you’re going to walk with me to my car, and we’re going to drive away from here.»
«Derek, don’t be stupid,» I said, surprising myself with how calm my voice sounded. «There are agents surrounding this house.»
«Then they’ll get to watch you die if they try to stop me.»
Agent Martinez was slowly advancing from the kitchen, while Agent Kim remained frozen at the top of the stairs. Derek was cornered, which made him exponentially more dangerous.
«Derek,» I said carefully, «what exactly do you think you’re going to accomplish here?»
«I’m going to retrieve what I came for, and then you and I are going to disappear until I can arrange safe passage out of the country.»
«And what did you come for?»
Derek smiled, and for the first time since I’d met him, the expression was completely genuine. «You really think it was about that hard drive, wasn’t it? The hard drive is worthless. Everything important is stored in offshore servers that the FBI will never access.» Derek gestured with his gun toward my living room. «What I came for is worth much more than some financial records.»
«What?»
«You. Patricia, I came back for you.»
The words hit me like a physical blow. «What are you talking about?»
«Do you have any idea what your testimony is worth to federal prosecutors? You’re their star witness, the victim who was smart enough to see through my operation and brave enough to report it.» Derek’s smile widened. «If something tragic happened to you, their entire case would collapse.»
