Chapter 698: Silas Actions

Silas Vane received the news about Michael Erickson’s sentence shortly after breakfast.

He was sitting in the small room the IRS had assigned him while investigators continued examining his records. The room had a table, two chairs, a narrow bed, and a television fixed high on the wall. He had been watching the news without paying much attention when the presenter announced that Michael had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Silas stopped eating.

The presenter continued discussing the hearing, referring to Michael’s admissions, the evidence presented against him, and the court’s decision that his limited cooperation did not excuse the seriousness of his crimes. A photograph of Michael appeared on the screen, followed by footage of him being escorted into the courthouse.

Silas put his fork down and watched until the report ended. He had expected Michael to receive a serious sentence, but life imprisonment was different from the outcome he had imagined. Michael had spent more than two decades managing parts of their operation. He knew where the money moved, which companies existed only on paper, and how certain transactions had been arranged. He had also spent years believing that his connections would protect him when things went wrong.

Apparently, they had not protected him enough.

An officer entered later to collect the breakfast tray. Silas waited until the man had picked it up before asking whether he could have his lawyers contacted.

"You can submit the request through the usual procedure," the officer replied, keeping his attention on the tray.

"I know the procedure. I am asking you to make sure the request reaches the right desk today."

The officer looked at him briefly. "Put it in writing, Mr Vane. It will be processed."

Silas wanted to argue, but he understood that the man would gain nothing by helping him and might even make his situation more difficult by appearing too helpful. He wrote the request himself, specifying that he needed to speak with his legal team as soon as possible. Before handing it over, he added a note asking them to prepare for an urgent discussion about his position in the investigation.

For the first time since his detention, he was no longer confident that he could wait for events to settle.

Michael’s sentence had changed the calculation. If the court had been willing to imprison a man with Michael’s connections for life, Silas could not assume his own influence would produce a different result. His name carried more weight in certain circles, and he had spent years building relationships with people who depended on him. Yet those relationships had always been based on usefulness. They had never been a promise that anyone would sacrifice themselves to save him.

He knew that better than most people.

The problem was that he had spent too long believing the rules would be different for him.

After all he js not the the first person this was happening to so he knew it was possible for cutting corners.

When his lawyers finally received his message and arranged a permitted consultation, Silas was ready to make his position clear. The discussion took place through the approved legal process, with the restrictions imposed on his custody still in force. He could speak to his lawyers about his defence, but he could not use the meeting to contact associates or arrange outside business.

One of his lawyers began by asking whether anything had changed since their last discussion. Silas had previously insisted that he would not provide further information about the people behind the wider network. He had maintained that position even when investigators presented records connecting him to transactions he had denied arranging.

"Michael has been sentenced," Silas said. "Life imprisonment. You have seen the report."

"We have," his lawyer replied. "His case does not determine yours. The charges, evidence, and proceedings are different."

"That is what everyone says until the same thing happens to them."

"Your case has not reached that stage. We need to keep our attention on the evidence against you and the legal options available."

Silas leaned forward, resting his hands on the table between them. "I want a public statement prepared. It should say that I am willing to provide further information if the circumstances require it."

His lawyers exchanged a brief look. One of them asked what he meant by "if the circumstances require it," because the wording could be understood in several ways. Silas said he wanted certain people to understand that he still possessed information capable of causing trouble for them. He was not ready to give investigators a full account of the network, and he was certainly not prepared to name every person who had benefited from it. However, he wanted his associates to know that his silence was not guaranteed.

"You want to use the possibility of cooperation as leverage," his lawyer said.

"I want people to remember that I have not forgotten what they owe me."

"That may be how you see it, but a public statement could be interpreted as an attempt to influence witnesses or pressure other people involved in the investigation. We need to consider the legal consequences before putting anything out."

"Then consider them quickly. I am not asking you to publish it without reviewing the wording. I am asking you to prepare something that makes my position clear."

His lawyer reminded him that no statement could guarantee assistance from the people he was trying to influence. Some might contact his legal team through proper channels, but others might distance themselves from him entirely. There was also a risk that investigators would treat the statement as an indication that Silas was attempting to control the flow of information rather than cooperate honestly.

Silas listened without changing his request. He had built his position by understanding what other people feared losing. The people around him had spent years benefiting from the network, and some of them had far more to lose if the full structure became public. If they believed he might start talking, they would have to decide whether protecting themselves was worth abandoning him.

He did not need every one of them to respond. He needed only enough pressure to reach the people who could still make arrangements on his behalf.

"Prepare it," he said. "Keep the language within the law, but make sure the meaning is understood."

The lawyers did not promise that the statement would help him. They agreed to review the wording and explain the risks before it was released. Silas accepted that much because he had no better option available to him. He could not call his associates directly, and the restrictions on his custody prevented him from rebuilding the network from inside the facility.

By the following afternoon, a statement had been issued through his legal representatives. It said Silas was considering whether to provide additional information to the relevant authorities, depending on how the proceedings developed. The wording did not identify anyone or promise a confession. It was careful enough to remain defensible, but it was public enough for the people Silas wanted to reach.

The news spread quickly through the same circles that had been trying to understand Michael’s conviction. Commentators questioned whether Silas was finally preparing to cooperate or merely attempting to protect himself. Some described the statement as a warning to powerful associates, while others pointed out that no actual cooperation had been confirmed.

Silas watched the coverage from his room. He paid attention to the wording, the questions from reporters, and the comments about the people who might be implicated if he began naming names. He had hoped the statement would make his associates uneasy. Their uncertainty was the only pressure he could still apply without directly contacting them.

Nothing changed immediately.

No message arrived from anyone offering help. His lawyers received no sudden proposal from an influential intermediary. The investigators did not withdraw their questions, and the restrictions on his custody remained in place.

Silas told himself that people needed time to react. Some would be waiting to see whether he followed through, while others would be trying to determine whether his statement was genuine. He knew how these things worked. People rarely made their intentions clear while they were still deciding how much danger they faced.

That evening, he was returned to the room after a routine discussion with an investigator. The interview had produced no agreement. Silas had answered questions about several companies but refused to explain the involvement of certain individuals whose names appeared in the records. The investigator had reminded him that the documents would continue to be examined whether he cooperated or not.

He had been irritated throughout the interview, partly because the questions were specific enough to make evasion difficult. Several transactions had already been traced through accounts he had assumed would remain difficult to connect. The investigators were not asking him to explain vague suspicions. They were asking about dates, authorisations, payments, and the people who had approved them.