PART 4
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Detective Collins grabbed his radio.
"Alert every highway patrol unit."
"Notify airport security."
"Contact the Coast Guard."
"I want every possible exit covered."
"If Nathan Vance is running, he's running for a reason."
Within seconds, the entire house became a command center.
Phones rang nonstop.
Officers hurried in and out.
Forensic teams continued searching every room.
I barely noticed any of it.
I was still staring at Clara's recovered phone.
Thirty-seven unanswered calls.
Thirty-seven chances to save her.
My hands shook so violently that I nearly dropped it.
Detective Collins placed a hand on my shoulder.
"This wasn't your fault."
"Someone made sure you couldn't come home."
Before I could respond, another officer rushed upstairs carrying a laptop.
"Detective, we've accessed the cloud backup from Clara's secret phone."
"There's something you need to see."
The screen filled with folders.
Photos.
Financial records.
Scanned contracts.
Voice recordings.
And dozens of videos.
One folder was labeled:
INSURANCE.
Another:
VANCE PROJECTS.
But one folder froze everyone in the room.
IF I DIE.
Collins clicked it open.
Inside were seven video files.
The first began playing.
Clara appeared on the screen wearing the same blue sweater she'd had on the morning I left for my business trip.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"If you're watching this..."
"I probably didn't survive."
She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Alex..."
"I never cheated on you."
"I never stopped loving you."
"But I discovered something that put all of us in danger."
She held several documents toward the camera.
"These are fake construction contracts."
"The company has been creating ghost projects for years."
"Millions of dollars have been disappearing into offshore accounts."
"I accidentally printed these files from Derek's laptop."
"I think he works for Nathan Vance."
Everyone stared silently.
Clara continued.
"They thought I deleted the copies."
"But I didn't."
"I hid everything."
"If anything happens to me..."
"Please protect Lily."
The video ended.
No one moved.
Detective Collins quietly closed the laptop.
"We've officially upgraded this investigation."
"This is now suspected homicide, conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction of justice."
Just then another forensic officer entered carrying a sealed evidence bag.
"Detective."
"We found this behind the washing machine in the basement."
Inside the bag was a bloodstained men's dress shirt.
The initials embroidered on the cuff read:
D.C.
Derek Carter.
Derek's face turned white.
"I've never seen that shirt before."
The detective looked at him.
"Interesting."
"Because according to your mother, you were wearing it three nights ago."
Teresa gasped.
"I... I didn't mean..."
She stopped herself too late.
Collins smiled grimly.
"Thank you."
"You've just placed your son at the scene."
Derek spun toward his mother.
"What are you doing?"
"You said we'd agreed on the story!"
The room exploded into silence.
Every officer heard it.
Every relative heard it.
Even Derek seemed to realize what he'd admitted.
He covered his mouth.
Too late.
Detective Collins nodded toward two officers.
"Take him into custody."
As they reached for him, Derek suddenly shoved one of them backward and bolted down the hallway.
"Stop!"
He sprinted toward the back staircase.
I chased him without thinking.
He burst through the kitchen door and ran into the backyard.
Rain had begun falling.
The grass was slippery.
Derek climbed over the back fence, but before he could escape, he lost his footing.
He crashed hard onto the concrete driveway outside.
The officers caught him within seconds.
As they handcuffed him, he looked directly at me.
"You think this ends with me?"
His voice was almost a whisper.
"You still don't understand."
"I was never the one in charge."
I grabbed the front of his jacket.
"Then who was?"
Derek laughed.
A cold, broken laugh.
"Nathan Vance doesn't work for the company..."
"He owns the people who own the company."
"You have no idea who you've just declared war against."
Before I could ask another question, a black SUV sped toward our house at full speed.
It didn't slow down.
It drove straight through the open front gate.
Officers shouted and drew their weapons.
The vehicle screeched to a stop only a few feet from the porch.
A tall man in a dark suit stepped out, holding an official-looking envelope.
He calmly raised both hands.
"I'm not armed."
"I'm Nathan Vance's personal attorney."
"I have a court order..."
He looked directly at Detective Collins.
"...demanding the immediate release of Derek Carter."
None of us yet realized that the document in his hand was fake.
And hidden inside the SUV was someone far more dangerous than the lawyer himself.
