Chapter 12 - THE ADDRESS
Peter sent them to a parking garage near the Brooklyn waterfront. Ortiz mapped the entrances and set officers beyond the surrounding blocks. Victoria and Caroline drove in together with a decoy memory card.
“You should stay back,” Caroline said.
“I did that once.”
Caroline looked at her. “You didn’t know what Dad was doing.”
“I knew you were scared. I still told you to wait until morning.”
“That was his fault, Tory. Not yours.”
They parked on the third level. A gray SUV sat near the far ramp. Emma was in the back seat. When she spotted Caroline, she pressed both hands to the window.
Peter stepped out of the driver’s side.
“Card,” he said.
Victoria held up the sealed bag. “Emma gets out first.”
Peter opened the rear door. Emma hurried to Caroline, who dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her.
For one breath, Victoria thought it was done.
Then Peter pointed at Caroline. “You stay.”
Caroline pushed Emma behind her. “You got what you wanted.”
“I want to know where the originals are.”
Ortiz’s voice came from behind a concrete column. “Peter Vale, put your hands where I can see them.”
Peter snatched the bag from Victoria and backed toward the SUV. He saw the memory card through the plastic, smiled, and snapped it between his fingers.
“That was your case,” he said.
“No,” Victoria answered.
His smile faded as officers moved in from both ramps.
“The files are already with the police.”
Peter turned to run, but the SUV blocked his path. He shoved past its door and headed for the stairwell. An officer caught him before he reached it.
Emma buried her face against Caroline’s coat.
Victoria went to them. Caroline reached out and took her hand.
On Ortiz’s radio, another officer reported that Daniel was asking for an attorney. Then came a second report from the evidence team.
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They had found a hidden folder on the memory card. It wasn’t about the company accounts.
It was a recording of Victoria’s father explaining exactly how he had convinced Caroline to disappear.
