Chapter 13 - THE PERSON BEHIND THE SHADOW
For three days, Harper believed she could finally breathe.
Derek Collins was no longer walking freely.
The evidence was real.
The recordings were real.
The women he tried to silence were finally being heard.
For the first time in years, Harper woke up without checking every window.
Without listening for footsteps.
Without wondering if today was the day Derek would find her.
But the message on her phone changed everything.
DEREK WASN’T WORKING ALONE.
She had stared at those words for hours.
Who sent it?
Why?
And most importantly…
Was it true?
Gabriel found her sitting alone in the kitchen.
“You haven’t slept.”
Harper looked up.
“I keep thinking about the message.”
Gabriel sat across from her.
“We’ll find out who sent it.”
“What if there’s someone else?”
“Then we face them too.”
She looked at him.
“You make it sound easy.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“It’s not easy.”
A pause.
“But you’ve already survived the hardest part.”
“What was that?”
“Believing yourself.”
Those words stayed with her.
Because he was right.
The hardest battle was never Derek.
It was the voice inside her head that told her nobody would believe her.
Later that day, Rachel returned with information.
“I found something about the department records.”
Gabriel looked up.
“What?”
“There was one person who approved every complaint closure.”
Harper felt cold.
“Who?”
Rachel placed a document on the table.
The name was printed clearly.
Harper stared.
“No.”
Gabriel looked at her.
“You know him?”
Her face turned pale.
“Yes.”
“Who is he?”
She swallowed.
“He was Derek’s supervisor.”
Rachel nodded.
“Captain Michael Voss.”
Harper stepped back.
“That can’t be.”
“Why?”
“Because he helped me.”
Silence.
Gabriel looked confused.
“Helped you?”
Harper nodded slowly.
“When I first tried to leave Derek, I went to him.”
Her voice became quieter.
“He told me he understood.”
Rachel looked at her.
“And?”
“He told me to go home.”
Nobody spoke.
Because now the truth was becoming clearer.
The system wasn’t protecting Derek by accident.
Someone had been making sure he survived.
That night, Gabriel received a call.
The caller ID showed:
MICHAEL VOSS
He answered.
“Captain.”
The voice on the other side sounded calm.
“Mr. Ashford.”
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.
“How did you get my number?”
A small laugh.
“You’d be surprised what people can find.”
Gabriel stood.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to stop.”
A pause.
“Stop helping Harper Lane.”
Gabriel looked toward Harper.
“And if I don’t?”
The voice became colder.
“Then you’ll learn what happens when you involve yourself in things you don’t understand.”
The call ended.
Harper saw Gabriel’s expression.
“Who was it?”
May you like
He looked at her.
“The person behind Derek.”
