All Chapters of The Incredible Charlie Maxwell: Chapter 151
- Chapter 160
182 chapters
CHAPTER 150
Daniel was sitting up when Charlie arrived, looking significantly better than he had days earlier. The bluish tint had faded completely, replaced by color that suggested genuine recovery rather than medical intervention keeping him functional."You look almost human," Charlie observed, settling into the chair beside the bed."High praise. I feel like I got hit by a truck that was also on fire." Daniel gestured at the monitors still tracking his vitals. "But the doctors say I can go home tomorrow if tonight goes well. My parents are already planning my return like I'm a war hero.""You nearly drowned. That qualifies for special treatment.""Because someone sabotaged your pool to murder me as revenge against you. That's less heroic and more 'wrong place, wrong time.'" Daniel's humor couldn't quite mask the underlying tension. "I watched the news. The Grants are in custody. Cross is getting additional charges. Everyone's calling it a coordinated conspiracy.""That's accurate.""It's insa
CHAPTER 151
Daniel was sitting up when Charlie arrived, looking significantly better than he had days earlier. The bluish, ghostly tint that had haunted his lips and fingernails had faded completely, replaced by a healthy color that suggested genuine recovery rather than medical intervention simply keeping him functional. "You look almost human," Charlie observed, settling into the upholstered chair beside the bed."High praise, considering." Daniel managed a weak smirk, though it didn't reach his eyes, which held a new, watchful depth. "I feel like I got hit by a truck that was also on fire. A firetruck, I guess." He gestured vaguely at the monitors still tracking his vitals with soft, rhythmic beeps. "But the doctors say I can go home tomorrow if tonight goes well. My parents are already planning my return like I'm a war hero. My mom’s baking her ‘celebration meatloaf.’”"You nearly drowned. That qualifies for special treatment and questionable meatloaf.""Because someone sabotaged your pool t
CHAPTER 152
Daniel's expression gradually sobered, the brief light fading from his eyes as he gazed out the window at the too-bright day. "What happens next, Charlie? At the trial. Do I have to testify?""Almost certainly," Charlie said, opting for directness. "The prosecution will want your account of what happened”"Will the Grants be there? In the courtroom, watching me?""Yes." Charlie didn't soften it. "Defendants have the right to face their accusers. They'll be there with their lawyers."Daniel absorbed that, his throat working as he swallowed. The idea of sitting in a quiet room, under oath, with the people who calmly engineered his murder just feet away, was clearly a new and visceral horror. "Will you be there?""Every single day of the trial. I'm a witness too." Charlie leaned forward, closing the physical space between them. "You won't be alone in that room. Jacy is testifying. Cindy probably will, too. Multiple medical professionals. Torres is the prosecution's star witness. You'll h
CHAPTER 153
The weeks preceding trial passed with grinding inevitability. Charlie divided time between corporate responsibilities, legal preparation, and maintaining normalcy that felt increasingly artificial. Daniel was released from the hospital with strict recovery protocols, returning to his parents' Connecticut home where distance from New York provided psychological distance from trauma.Jacy buried herself in work, her family's betrayal transforming into fuel for professional achievement. She avoided discussing the upcoming trial except when legally necessary.Cindy returned from Thailand permanently, accepting a position with a Manhattan psychology practice while maintaining close contact with the friend group.Charlie met with prosecutors weekly, refining testimony and reviewing evidence that would be presented. Rachel Morrison was thorough to the point of obsessive, anticipating every possible defense strategy and preparing counterarguments that left no reasonable doubt."The case is ai
CHAPTER 154
Charlie took the stand on day four, sworn in before a courtroom packed with spectators and media. The Grants sat at the defense table looking diminished in their formal attire, their orange jumpsuits exchanged for clothes that attempted dignity they no longer possessed.Morrison began with foundational questions—his relationship with Daniel, the day's events, the decision to use the pool. Charlie answered clearly, maintaining composure despite the scrutiny."What happened when you and Mr. Franklin went underwater?" Morrison asked."We were wrestling, just playing around. Then Daniel didn't surface." Charlie kept his voice steady. "I waited maybe five seconds before realizing something was wrong. When I dove down, I found him trapped against the intake grate at the deep end.""Trapped how?""The suction was holding him there. He wasn't moving, wasn't trying to surface. I pulled at him but couldn't break the suction alone." Charlie paused, the memory still vivid. "Cindy helped. Together
CHAPTER 155
Four days after the verdict, Sunday brought Charlie’s long-standing ritual: a video call with the friends who’d become family.Daniel logged in from Connecticut, healing but still haunted. Jacy joined from her apartment, unusually offline from work. Cindy appeared last, tea in hand and calm."Well," Daniel said once everyone was visible, "we survived a murder trial. That's new for our Sunday calls.""Setting a low bar for conversation topics," Jacy observed, but she was smiling slightly.Charlie studied his friends through the screen, these people who'd become family through circumstance and choice. A year ago they'd been college students navigating ordinary problems. Now they were witnesses in federal cases."How are you actually doing?" Cindy asked, directing the question at no one specifically and everyone simultaneously.Silence followed. The question was simple but demanded honest answers that were harder to articulate."I'm angry," Jacy said finally. "At my family for being exac
CHAPTER 156
Three days before the Grants’ sentencing, Charlie received a call from Rachel Morrison. He was reviewing quarterly projections when his phone buzzed with her direct line."We have a problem," Morrison said. "Or possibly a breakthrough, depending on perspective."Charlie closed his laptop, giving her full attention. "What happened?""Federal investigators accessed Nathan Cross's prison communications going back six months. They found coded correspondence with multiple external contacts, not just related to your case, but to ongoing criminal operations he's apparently been directing from custody.""How is that possible? Prison communications are monitored.""He used attorney-client privilege to shield certain conversations, then employed coded language in regular mail that looked innocuous but referenced specific criminal activities." Morrison's tone carried professional frustration. "He's been running what amounts to a criminal consulting service from his cell. Providing strategic advi
CHAPTER 157
Joseph spread documents across the library table showing how each page represented communications Cross had maintained from prison, coded language decoded by federal analysts into explicit criminal coordination."Cross shared your daily routine with three separate contacts over the past six months," Joseph said, highlighting specific passages. "Morning arrivals at Claire Corporation headquarters, typical lunch locations, evening return patterns to the estate. Most of it's outdated now thanks to randomized scheduling, but he was tracking you."Charlie studied the documents, seeing his life reduced to surveillance data and vulnerability assessments. "Who were the contacts?""One's been identified—corporate investigator with history of industrial espionage, currently cooperating with federal authorities. The other two used anonymous accounts that we're still tracing." Joseph moved to another document. "Cross also provided analysis of your security weaknesses. He correctly identified that
CHAPTER 158
The sentencing began at nine in the same federal courtroom. Charlie sat beside Jacy in the front row, security quietly positioned around them.The Grants were brought in wearing prison uniforms, transformed by the weight of consequence—Charles hollowed, Claudia hardened with resentment, Jim and Jey reduced by a future they’d never imagined.Judge Richardson entered, solemn. She’d reviewed every report and statement.“This court has considered all submissions,” she said. “These were not momentary lapses, but calculated attempts to end a human life.”She looked at each defendant individually before continuing. "Mr. Torres's testimony and the recorded evidence demonstrate that this conspiracy was detailed, premeditated, and executed with full awareness of potential fatal consequences. The only reason we're here for attempted murder rather than murder is luck and the quick response of the intended victim's friends."Morrison had submitted Charlie's victim impact statement, describing the
CHAPTER 159
Cross’s arraignment drew far less attention than the Grants’ sentencing, despite prosecutors pushing a clear narrative: a powerful executive still running crime from behind bars, proof that prison hadn’t neutralized him.Charlie watched from the gallery with Joseph as Rachel Morrison read the new indictments. Cross appeared by video from his federal facility, orange jumpsuit replacing the tailored suits of his old life. He looked older, worn down by prison, but his eyes were unchanged—sharp, calculating, still dangerous.Judge Martinez’s voice cut through the room.“Mr. Cross, you are arraigned on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder, and operating a criminal enterprise from federal custody. How do you plead?”Cross’s new attorney rose. “Not guilty on all counts, Your Honor. These charges are prosecutorial overreach, based on misread attorney-client communications.”Morrison countered immediately, citing decoded messages, financial records, and cooperating witnesses pr