Chapter 10 - The Passenger Who Walked Away
The toll maintenance archive had not been erased.
Daniel had overlooked it because the system operated on an independent municipal server.
Detective Ruiz obtained the footage shortly after noon.
Kevin watched from a small interrogation room.
Annie sat beside him.
The twins remained at the mansion under police protection.
The video showed Lauren’s SUV approaching the abandoned toll bridge at 8:53 p.m.
Rain hammered the windshield.
The passenger door opened before the vehicle fully stopped.
Daniel stepped out.
He looked back into the SUV.
Lauren appeared to be shouting.
Daniel leaned through the open door and grabbed something from her.
Then he slammed the door.
The SUV drove away.
Four minutes later, it crossed the median.
Kevin stared at the frozen image of Daniel beneath the red toll light.
“He was in the car.”
Ruiz nodded.
“But he was not inside during the collision.”
“He did something before he left.”
“We need evidence.”
Annie pointed toward the screen.
“Go back.”
Ruiz replayed the footage.
Daniel exited the passenger side.
He walked around the rear of the SUV before Lauren drove away.
For six seconds, his body disappeared near the left rear wheel.
Kevin leaned closer.
“What is he doing?”
Ruiz enhanced the frame.
Daniel appeared to place something beneath the bumper.
The object was too small to identify.
Kevin stood.
“The crash report said the steering system failed.”
“It did.”
“What if the failure was controlled remotely?”
Ruiz looked at him.
“Morrison Dynamics developed remote vehicle testing software.”
Kevin’s face hardened.
“Daniel supervised that division.”
Annie whispered.
“He turned her car into a weapon.”
Kevin’s phone rang.
The mansion’s security chief spoke urgently.
“Mr. Morrison, we have a situation.”
“What happened?”
“Mrs. Bell took the twins into the garden.”
“That was not authorized.”
“She received a message from your number.”
Kevin ran toward the door.
“Where are they now?”
“We found Mrs. Bell unconscious near the greenhouse.”
Kevin stopped.
“And my sons?”
“They are missing.”
His phone vibrated.
A video message appeared.
Jordan and Justin sat inside the back seat of a moving car.
Their wrists were not tied.
They were still terrified.
Daniel sat between them.
He looked directly into the camera.
“You were always good at building companies, Kevin.”
“You were never good at protecting people.”
Kevin’s vision narrowed.
Daniel lifted a small black device.
It resembled the remote testing unit used by Morrison Dynamics.
“Bring the backup drive to the old vehicle laboratory.”
“Come alone.”
“Any police interference and your sons will take the same drive their mother did.”
The video ended.
Kevin turned toward Ruiz.
“I am going.”
“You are not going alone.”
“He has my sons.”
“He also expects you to panic.”
Kevin looked at Annie.
She was already studying the final video frame.
“There was a reflection in the window,” she said.
“Not the old laboratory.”
Ruiz enlarged the image.
A white water tower appeared in the reflection.
Kevin recognized it.
“The abandoned prototype track.”
Annie nodded.
“He is sending you to the laboratory because he wants the police searching the wrong location.”
Kevin stared at her.
“How did you see that?”
“Because nobody notices the person who cleans the glass.”
Kevin handed Ruiz the backup drive.
“This is a duplicate.”
Ruiz looked at him.
“Where is the original?”
May you like
Kevin picked up Lauren’s music box.
“Inside the only thing Daniel has been trying to recover since he entered my house.”
