Chapter 7 - THE DRIVER’S SISTER
Police located Hannah’s mother in Denver.
She had not spoken to her daughter in months.
When Detective Ruiz mentioned Peter, the woman began crying.
Peter called home the night Claire died.
He said he had discovered something inside the vehicle.
He believed someone intended to kill Mrs. Caldwell.
He left Claire at the fundraiser and drove the car to a garage for inspection.
Nathan found him there.
What happened next remained unknown.
Claire eventually borrowed another vehicle.
That car was also sabotaged.
Peter disappeared.
Hannah spent years believing the Caldwell family killed her brother.
Nathan contacted her after I hired her.
He claimed I ordered Peter’s death because the driver learned about my financial crimes.
Nathan showed her forged evidence.
He manipulated her grief.
Hannah entered my home believing she was gathering proof against me.
Then she became Vanessa’s accomplice.
Understanding her anger did not excuse starving my daughters.
It explained why Nathan trusted her with Sophie.
Detective Ruiz traced Hannah’s old phone through an emergency cloud backup.
The final signal came from a small hunting cabin west of the ski lodge.
The cabin belonged to Peter.
It had remained in the family under his mother’s maiden name.
We had found the real hiding place.
A tactical team approached through the forest.
I went with them.
The commander ordered me to remain inside the armored vehicle.
I refused.
“Sophie may run toward me.”
“She may also become a shield.”
The warning stopped me.
I remained behind the tree line while negotiators called Nathan.
No response came.
Smoke rose from the chimney.
A small light moved behind the curtains.
Then a child appeared at the window.
Sophie pressed both hands against the glass.
She saw me.
“Daddy.”
I could not hear the word through the storm.
I read it on her lips.
Nathan pulled her away.
Gunfire erupted from the rear of the cabin.
Nathan’s security man attempted to escape on a snowmobile.
Police disabled the machine.
Hannah opened the front door holding Sophie.
A gun shook in her other hand.
“Stay back.”
I stepped from behind the armored vehicle.
The commander grabbed my coat.
I removed his hand.
“Hannah.”
She looked at me.
“You killed Peter.”
“No.”
“Nathan showed me the records.”
“He forged them.”
“You expect me to believe you?”
I held up an old voicemail recovered from her mother’s answering machine.
Peter’s voice played through the portable speaker.
If anything happens to me, Nathan Caldwell found out about the brakes.
Hannah’s gun lowered slightly.
Nathan appeared behind her.
He struck her across the head.
Sophie fell into the snow.
I ran.
Nathan fired.
The bullet struck a tree beside me.
Police returned fire.
Nathan disappeared behind the cabin.
I reached Sophie.
Her skin was ice-cold.
She wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I knew you wanted me.”
“Yes.”
I carried her toward the medics.
Behind us, Hannah crawled onto the porch.
“Nathan has a tunnel.”
May you like
The cabin connected to an abandoned mine.
Nathan was escaping beneath the mountain.
