Chapter 3 - THE ACCIDENT OUTSIDE AUSTIN
Alejandro sat on the bathroom floor with the accident report in his hands.
For two years, he had believed Marissa’s death resulted from bad weather and a failed brake line.
The accident occurred on a wet road outside Austin.
Her car left the highway and struck a concrete barrier.
Investigators found no other vehicle involved.
Lane Automotive had inspected her brakes forty-eight hours earlier.
Alejandro had never connected the company to Valerie.
She claimed her father had died when she was young.
She said she had no surviving family in Texas.
Detective Brooks searched state records.
Lane Automotive belonged to Raymond Lane.
Raymond was Valerie’s uncle.
He had closed the business three months after Marissa’s death.
Alejandro looked at the hidden compartment again.
“Valerie knew my sister.”
“We do not know that yet,” Brooks said.
“She had Marissa’s report hidden in my wall.”
“That proves she knew about the case.”
“It does not prove she caused the crash.”
Alejandro stood.
“What is inside the other envelopes?”
The envelope with Sophie’s name contained boarding-school brochures.
The school was located in northern Arizona.
It specialized in children described as emotionally disturbed or difficult to manage.
A prefilled application stated that Sophie suffered from violent behavior, hallucinations, and attachment problems.
None of it was true.
Valerie had written that Sophie posed a danger to the household.
The proposed admission date was six days away.
The envelope carrying Alejandro’s name contained medical forms.
Dr. Claudia Harris had written that Alejandro suffered from stress, insomnia, and impaired judgment.
The forms recommended temporary financial authority be transferred to his spouse.
Alejandro felt cold.
Valerie had not only been making Sophie sick.
She had been preparing to send the child away and take control of his company.
Detective Brooks removed a small silver key from the compartment.
A number had been engraved on it.
A storage facility outside Dallas matched the number format.
Police obtained an emergency warrant.
The unit was rented under Valerie’s maiden name.
Inside were photographs of Alejandro, Sophie, Marissa, and the Rivers family home.
Some photographs were six years old.
They had been taken long before Alejandro met Valerie.
One image showed Marissa leaving Dr. Claudia Harris’s clinic.
Another showed Valerie watching from a parked car.
At the back of the unit stood a red metal toolbox.
Inside was a wrench, brake fluid, and a folded invoice from Lane Automotive.
The invoice listed Marissa’s car.
May you like
A handwritten note appeared at the bottom.
Make sure she takes the Austin route.
