Chapter 17 - THE LAST PIECE OF ELENA’S NIGHT
Daniel stared at Rose.
For a moment, even Owen seemed irrelevant.
“You were in my garage?”
Rose nodded.
“Elena had found me.”
“She wanted to bring me home.”
“She said she was done being afraid of Owen.”
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“What did you do to her car?”
“Nothing.”
Owen laughed.
Rose spun toward him.
“You know that.”
Daniel shouted.
“Then why were you there?”
Rose looked at Natalie.
“I hid something.”
“What?”
“Evidence.”
“Where?”
“In Elena’s car.”
Daniel remembered the electronic device beneath the dashboard.
Rose shook her head.
“Not that.”
“I hid a recorder.”
Grant immediately looked toward the recovered memory card.
Rose continued.
“Elena wanted proof.”
“She was meeting Ethan and Vanessa the next morning.”
“The conversation you heard came from the recorder I installed.”
Daniel understood.
“But someone else entered the garage after you.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Rose looked toward Owen.
Owen smiled.
“I told you.”
“I only cleaned the mess.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“Who cut the line?”
Owen said nothing.
Then Ethan’s voice came through the darkness.
“I know.”
Everyone turned.
Ethan emerged near the service road with Adrian’s tactical team behind him.
Daniel stared at his brother.
Ethan walked slowly forward.
“Dad told me before he died.”
Daniel’s heart pounded.
“Told you what?”
“That Elena’s car had been sabotaged by someone she trusted.”
Daniel’s anger exploded.
“You knew for six years?”
“I knew what Dad suspected.”
“Who?”
Ethan looked at Rose.
Then Natalie.
Finally Vanessa stepped from one of the tactical vehicles.
Daniel stared at her.
“You were supposed to stay at the mansion.”
Vanessa’s eyes filled with tears.
“I couldn’t.”
Ethan pointed at her.
“Vanessa cut the brake line.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
Lily whimpered beside Owen.
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“Tell him.”
“I didn’t.”
“You were seen leaving the garage at 1:14 in the morning.”
Vanessa stared.
“By who?”
“Dad.”
Daniel’s head snapped toward Ethan.
Ethan continued.
“Dad was staying at the mansion that week.”
“He saw you.”
“He confronted you after Elena died.”
Daniel whispered.
“And then Dad died two years later.”
Ethan nodded.
“He told me two days before his stroke.”
Vanessa was crying now.
“I went into the garage.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Why?”
“Elena called me.”
“She knew I had been spying for Ethan.”
“She told me to meet her.”
“At one in the morning?”
“Yes.”
“She offered me a way out.”
Vanessa looked toward Rose.
“She said if I testified, she would help protect me from Owen.”
Daniel’s voice was flat.
“Did you touch the brakes?”
“No.”
“What did you touch?”
Vanessa swallowed.
“The recorder.”
Everyone stared.
“I moved it.”
“Why?”
“Because I was afraid it had captured my earlier conversations with Ethan.”
Owen laughed.
“There it is.”
“Always saving yourself.”
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
“When I left, the car was fine.”
Ethan shook his head.
“My father saw you.”
“He saw me leave.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
Daniel looked toward Owen.
“You know who did it.”
Owen smiled.
“Of course.”
Daniel lifted the evidence case.
“Then we trade.”
Owen’s eyes narrowed.
“Evidence for Lily and the name.”
“Daniel, don’t.”
Grant whispered behind him.
Daniel ignored him.
Owen considered it.
Then nodded.
“Bring the case.”
Daniel walked forward.
Twenty feet.
Fifteen.
Ten.
Lily stared at him.
Daniel held out the case.
Owen reached for it.
At that exact moment, Lily dropped her stuffed rabbit.
She screamed.
“Daddy, NOW!”
She kicked Owen’s knee and threw herself sideways.
Daniel lunged.
May you like
Grant and Adrian moved at the same time.
A shot cracked across the runway.
