Chapter 8 - Lauren Runs
By the time officers returned to the Caldwell mansion, Lauren was gone.
Her bedroom closets were open.
Two suitcases were missing.
Her passport was gone.
So was her laptop.
Charles Bennett claimed he had no idea where she was.
Detective Ruiz did not believe him.
A statewide alert went out.
Airport authorities were notified.
Financial accounts connected to Greenbridge were frozen.
Daniel called Lauren six times.
She never answered.
Emma did not call once.
She knew Lauren would contact someone when she needed money.
The question was who.
That answer arrived sooner than expected.
At 11:48 that night, Rosa received a call from an unknown number.
Lauren.
“You ruined everything.”
Rosa almost hung up.
Then she remembered Ruiz’s instructions.
Keep her talking.
“I told the truth.”
Lauren laughed bitterly.
“You think the police care about you?”
Rosa stayed silent.
Lauren continued.
“My mother will fire you.”
“Mrs. Caldwell already gave me paid leave.”
That surprised Lauren.
There was a pause.
Then her voice became cold.
“You were supposed to tell them Emma attacked me.”
Rosa’s hand tightened around the phone.
“I watched you push a pregnant woman down the stairs.”
“She was going to destroy my life.”
The recording device Ruiz had given Rosa captured every word.
Rosa forced herself to continue.
“Because of the foundation money?”
Lauren went silent.
Rosa knew she had gone too far.
The call ended.
Ruiz traced it to a gas station outside Baltimore.
Police arrived sixteen minutes later.
Lauren was already gone.
Security footage showed her entering a black SUV.
The driver’s face was visible.
Charles Bennett.
Ruiz immediately issued a warrant for Bennett’s arrest for obstruction and evidence tampering.
When officers reached Bennett’s residence, they found his office empty.
His computer drives had been removed.
But Bennett had made one mistake.
His home surveillance system automatically uploaded footage to an outside server.
Investigators watched him load boxes into the SUV.
One box was labeled CALDWELL FOUNDATION.
Another was marked H.C. MEDICAL.
Emma stared at the screenshot.
“H.C.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Henry Caldwell.”
Ruiz nodded.
“They took your father’s medical records.”
The implication was obvious.
Whatever happened the night Henry suffered the stroke might be connected to the stolen documents.
Then an airport notification came in.
A private jet registered to a Bennett-controlled company had filed a flight plan.
Destination.
The Cayman Islands.
Departure time.
6:15 a.m.
Ruiz looked at the clock.
5:41.
Daniel grabbed his jacket.
Emma stood too.
“You’re staying here.”
Daniel looked at her.
Emma stared back.
“This started because everyone decided what I was allowed to know.”
She picked up her coat.
“I’m coming.”
At 6:03 a.m., police vehicles entered the private aviation terminal.
The jet engines were already running.
Bennett stood near the stairs.
Lauren was beside him.
When she saw the police, she turned toward the aircraft.
Then she saw Emma stepping from Ruiz’s car.
For one second, the two women looked at each other across the runway.
Lauren’s expression changed.
She did not look frightened.
May you like
She looked furious.
Then she reached into her purse.
