Chapter 16 - The Gunshot
Claire drove her elbow into Raymond’s ribs.
He staggered.
The gun fired.
Sarah screamed.
Victoria dropped to the floor.
For one horrifying second, Sarah thought Claire had been hit.
Then she saw her daughter crawling away.
Police flooded the warehouse.
Raymond raised the pistol again.
“DROP IT.”
He hesitated.
Then Detective Brooks tackled him from the side.
The gun slid across the concrete.
Two officers pinned Raymond down.
Sarah ran to Claire.
She wrapped both arms around her.
Claire sobbed against her shoulder.
“I’m sorry.”
Sarah held her tighter.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
Across the warehouse, Victoria lay against a crate.
Blood spread across the sleeve of her coat.
The bullet had struck her upper arm.
She was conscious.
Paramedics rushed toward her.
Victoria grabbed Sarah’s wrist as they lifted her onto the stretcher.
“Thomas’s second video.”
Sarah leaned closer.
“What?”
“I didn’t delete it.”
“Who did?”
Victoria looked toward Raymond.
“He did.”
“Where is it?”
Victoria’s breathing became shallow.
“Thomas made another copy.”
“Where?”
Victoria whispered two words.
“Your chair.”
Sarah frowned.
“What does that mean?”
But paramedics pulled Victoria away.
Raymond was led past them in handcuffs.
His eyes met Sarah’s.
“You think this ends it?”
Sarah said nothing.
Raymond smiled.
“Ask your husband why Nathan went to that marina.”
Brooks shoved him forward.
Sarah watched him disappear into the police vehicle.
Claire looked at her.
“What did he mean?”
Sarah didn’t know.
By two in the morning, they were home.
Noah ran outside and wrapped himself around Claire.
For several minutes, none of them spoke.
Then Sarah walked into the dining room.
Your chair.
Her chair stood at the head of the table.
The same chair Julian had taken.
Sarah turned it over.
Nothing.
Noah examined the underside.
“Grandma.”
A small strip of wood near the back leg looked newer than the rest.
Sarah fetched a screwdriver.
Behind the panel was a narrow compartment.
Inside sat a flash drive.
And a folded note.
Sarah recognized Thomas’s handwriting.
She opened it.
Sarah, if you found this, then someone finally tried to take your place.
Her eyes filled.
She inserted the drive into her laptop.
One video file appeared.
PART2.
Sarah clicked play.
Thomas appeared on-screen.
“I know who betrayed the trust.”
Sarah held her breath.
May you like
Then Thomas spoke the name.
It wasn’t Raymond.
