All Chapters of The Incredible Charlie Maxwell: Chapter 141
- Chapter 150
182 chapters
CHAPTER 140
The emergency department clock marked hours in fluorescent-lit monotony. Charlie, Jacy, and Cindy occupied plastic chairs bolted to the wall, still wearing borrowed hospital scrubs after surrendering their wet clothes to security for evidence collection.Evidence. The word confirmed what Charlie already knew. This wasn't being treated as an accident.A doctor emerged at the one-hour mark, her expression professionally neutral. "Daniel Franklin’s family?""Friends," Charlie said, standing. "His parents are en route. What's his condition?""Stable. We've moved him to the ICU for observation. He regained consciousness briefly, which is encouraging. The next twenty-four hours are critical for determining if there's any neurological damage from oxygen deprivation.""Can we see him?" Jacy asked."Family only, once they arrive. You should probably go home, get cleaned up—""We're staying," Charlie said with an air of finality. The doctor studied him for a moment, recognition flickering. "Mr
CHAPTER 141
Daniel's parents maintained their vigil through the night. Charlie remained in the private waiting room, unable to leave despite the rational voice suggesting his presence served no medical purpose. Jacy and Cindy had finally departed near midnight, promising to return in the morning with fresh clothes and food that didn't come from vending machines.Joseph White arrived at two a.m., carrying a leather portfolio and an expression that promised unpleasant revelations."You should be resting," he said, settling into the chair beside Charlie."I can't rest knowing my best friend is in danger. Tell me what you found."Joseph opened the portfolio, extracting several photographs. "The pool's mechanical room. Someone accessed it within the last forty-eight hours. They bypassed three separate locks, disabled the security camera feed for exactly forty-seven minutes, and modified the intake system's flow regulators."The photographs showed complex equipment, industrial controls that Charlie rec
CHAPTER 142
Dawn arrived as gray light filtered through the hospital's polarized windows. Charlie had dozed intermittently in a chair in Daniel's room, though, unpeacefully.Jacy and Cindy returned at seven with coffee and breakfast sandwiches that Charlie couldn't bring himself to eat. They looked exhausted despite presumably sleeping in actual beds, the weight of yesterday's crisis still evident in their movements."Any change?" Jacy asked." No updates since midnight." Charlie accepted the coffee, using the warmth to ground himself. "We need to talk. Not here."They relocated to the VIP waiting room. Charlie explained everything that Joseph had discovered while He watched Jacy's expression shift from confusion to comprehension to something harder."You think my family was involved," she said. "I think someone with access to Claire Corporation's contractor management systems facilitated this. The Grants all work in security roles that interface with those systems." Charlie kept his voice even
CHAPTER 143
By noon, Charlie had made one phone call to the hospital director, to transfer Daniel to a private VIP room, explaining the situation in terms that suggested both generous future donations and potential liability concerns.The suite occupied the top floor's eastern corner looking more like a hotel room than hospital space, with separate areas for patients and visitors, floor-to-ceiling windows offering city views, and medical equipment concealed behind elegant cabinetry. It felt less like a place people came to heal and more like where wealthy people came to be sick comfortably.Daniel was wheeled in still drowsy from pain medication, his parents following close behind. "This is excessive," John said, surveying the suite. "Our insurance doesn't cover—""It's handled," Charlie interrupted. "Daniel nearly died in my home. The least I can do is ensure his recovery is comfortable.""Charlie, we can't accept—""You're not accepting anything. I'm doing this because he's my best friend and
CHAPTER 144
At 8pm, Joseph arrived with files containing Evidence. Jacy joined them at the waiting room, her expression hardened from the morning's revelations. Whatever internal conflict she'd experienced about investigating her family had been resolved. "Security footage from Claire Corporation," Joseph said, spreading photographs across the table. "These are from the contractor management office where your family works, Jacy. Timestamps from three days ago."The images showed Jim Grant at a computer terminal, another photo captured Claudia speaking with someone in maintenance uniform that was not Claire Corporation staff, judging by the badge color."Jim accessed contractor schedules for the Maxwell estate," Joseph continued. "He shouldn't have that clearance level, but someone upgraded his permissions two weeks ago. The authorization came from a supervisor account that was compromised through a phishing attack last month.""Interesting," Charlie observed. "They planned this carefully.""It
CHAPTER 145
Charlie left the hospital near evening, exhaustion finally overcoming adrenaline. The drive to his grandfather's private medical facility took forty minutes through traffic that felt designed to maximize frustration.George Maxwell had been recovering from his own health crisis in a specialized cardiac center in upstate New York, a facility that catered exclusively to patients whose wealth guaranteed experimental treatments and unprecedented privacy. Today, George was sitting up in bed, reading financial reports on a tablet despite his doctors' protests about stress management. He looked up as Charlie entered, his eyes sharp despite the pallor of extended illness."You look terrible," George said by way of greeting."Thank you. You look marginally less terrible than last week.""Flattery." George set aside the tablet. "I heard about the incident at the estate. Your friend, Daniel, How is he?"Charlie settled into the chair beside the bed. "Stable. Conscious. Recovering in a VIP suite
CHAPTER 146
Charlie returned to the estate after midnight, the grounds illuminated by security lights that hadn't been necessary before yesterday. Joseph White had upgraded the perimeter within hours.The pool complex remained sealed, yellow security tape crossing the entrance like a crime scene marker as that's what it now was. Charlie stood outside the glass enclosure, staring at water that looked deceptively peaceful. Forty-eight hours ago, he’d nearly lost his bestfriend. The memory remained vivid"You shouldn't be here alone."Charlie turned to find Joseph White approaching, "Couldn't sleep," Charlie said. "Kept thinking about what happened here.""Natural response to trauma. You nearly lost your best friend." Joseph stopped beside him,. "The contractor who sabotaged this knew exactly what he was doing. Flow regulators modified to create suction at specific depths.”"Have you found the contractor?." Charlie asked "We found him six hours ago. In a Motel outside Philadelphia, using cash and
CHAPTER 147
Dawn arrived with federal vehicles pulling up to two separate addresses across the city. Charlie watched the operation unfold through live feeds Joseph had arranged.The Grants' arrests happened within minutes of each other. Charles and Claudia were first hauled from their modest apartment still wearing pajamas. Charles' confusion was evident even through grainy security footage. Claudia's shock transformed rapidly into fury as agents read her rights.Jim and Jey were taken at their workplaces."Clean executions," Joseph observed, standing beside Charlie in the estate's security monitoring room. "No complications, no resistance. They're all in custody at separate federal holding facilities."Charlie's phone buzzed. Jacy, calling from her apartment where Joseph had briefed her an hour earlier."I just watched my entire family get arrested on the news," she said, her voice controlled but strained. "They're calling it a coordinated federal operation against attempted murder conspirators.
CHAPTER 148
The arraignment hearings occurred forty-eight hours later in federal court, drawing media attention that transformed the proceedings into public spectacle. Charlie attended with Jacy, both projecting composure while cameras captured their entrance.Daniel remained hospitalized but improving, his parents maintaining their vigil while Agent Chance and Agent Rodriguez continued their protective detail. Charlie had visited that morning, finding his friend awake and alert enough to complain about hospital food and ask pointed questions about the arrests."They're actually going to trial?" Daniel had asked, disbelief evident despite the obvious answer."Yes. All four Grants charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and related federal offenses.""Because they tried to drown me in your pool.""Yes."Daniel had processed that, his usual humor absent. "That's insane. Like, genuinely psychotic behavior.""Agreed. Which is why they're going to prison for a very long time."Now
CHAPTER 149
The emergency board meeting convened in Claire Corporation's main conference room with predictable tension. Seven board members sat around the table, their expressions ranging from concerned to calculatingly opportunistic.Charlie arrived precisely at nine, flanked by Emily Torres and Joseph White. The message was deliberate, so they could see corporate leadership backed by operational competence.Richard Caldwell, a board member who seemed to have replaced Perry Stone as Charlie's new opposition at Claire Corporations, opened predictably. "Mr. Maxwell, we're obviously relieved your friend survived. However, this incident raises serious questions about security protocols and risk management.""Questions I'm prepared to address," Charlie said evenly. "Joseph?"Joseph distributed folders containing comprehensive security analysis. "The estate breach was planned and required insider coordination. We've identified all involved parties, who are now in federal custody facing decades of impr