Chapter 11 - THE GARAGE
“Charlotte!”
Daniel chased her down the hallway.
She hit the elevator button.
Too slow.
She took the stairs.
Six floors.
Then seven.
Her lungs burned by the time she reached the underground garage.
A security guard pointed.
“There!”
A man in a black jacket was crossing between parked cars.
Same build.
Same cap.
Charlotte shouted.
“Stop!”
He ran.
Of course he ran.
Charlotte followed.
He jumped over a parking barrier.
She ducked under it.
Daniel was twenty yards behind.
The man reached a motorcycle.
Charlotte grabbed the back of his jacket.
He spun and shoved her.
She hit the concrete.
Her palms tore open.
He started the motorcycle.
Charlotte saw the envelope sticking from his coat.
MARGARET WREN.
She lunged.
Grabbed it.
The envelope ripped.
Papers scattered.
The man cursed and swung at her.
Charlotte ducked.
Daniel slammed into him from the side.
Both men crashed against a parked SUV.
The motorcycle fell.
An alarm screamed.
The man pulled something from his pocket.
A knife.
Daniel froze.
“Back up.”
Charlotte didn’t.
The man pointed the blade at her.
“You should’ve left.”
She recognized his voice.
“You were in the hallway.”
“Move.”
“Who paid you?”
He smiled.
“You already know.”
Police sirens echoed in the garage.
The man looked toward the exit.
Charlotte kicked the motorcycle.
It fell into his path.
He stumbled.
Daniel grabbed his wrist.
The knife clattered away.
Two officers rushed in.
Seconds later, the man was on the ground in handcuffs.
Charlotte crouched beside the torn envelope.
Her mother’s missing papers were there.
Almost all of them.
Account numbers.
Wire transfers.
Shell companies.
St. Claire Consulting.
Daniel knelt beside her.
“This is enough.”
Charlotte checked each page.
Then frowned.
“No.”
“What?”
“My mother numbered them.”
She spread the papers.
Pages one through eight.
Ten through twelve.
Daniel understood.
“Page nine.”
“Gone.”
One officer searched the suspect.
Wallet.
Phone.
Keys.
No page.
Detective Ruiz entered the garage.
She looked at the arrested man.
“Lewis Grant.”
Daniel’s face went blank.
“You know him?”
“He worked security here seven years ago.”
Charlotte looked at Lewis.
“For Margaret?”
Lewis laughed.
“For whoever paid.”
Ruiz took his phone.
The screen lit up.
Recent call.
M. WREN.
Charlotte looked at Margaret’s name.
Finally.
Something real.
Ruiz answered the ringing phone without speaking.
Margaret’s voice came through.
“Do you have page nine?”
Nobody moved.
Ruiz put the call on speaker.
Margaret continued.
“Lewis?”
Charlotte slowly smiled.
Then spoke.
“No.”
Silence.
“Margaret?”
Charlotte held up the remaining pages.
“But I have everything else.”
The call ended.
Daniel exhaled.
“She’s done.”
Charlotte looked at page eight.
Then page ten.
“No.”
She noticed something.
A sentence stopped halfway at the bottom of page eight.
Page ten began with two words:
…your grandfather.
Charlotte’s blood ran cold.
May you like
Whatever was on page nine wasn’t just about money.
It was about Sebastian.
