Chapter 16 - The Insider
The passenger was Mark Heller.
Daniel's operations manager.
A man who had worked for him twelve years.
A man Ethan knew as Uncle Mark even though they weren't related.
Police identified him from the cabin camera footage.
Claire stared at the still image.
“Mark knew Daniel's travel schedule.”
Naomi added, “He also had access to fleet maintenance records.”
Ramirez nodded. “Including the truck Daniel used in Alaska.”
The pattern finally made sense.
Trent handled the money.
Mark handled access.
Amanda had opened the door by signing forged documents and helping hide withdrawals.
But the attempt on Daniel's life had grown beyond her.
Amanda sat in an interview room wrapped in a blanket.
She looked at Ethan through the glass.
He did not go in.
Lily did.
Supervised.
Amanda knelt when she saw her daughter.
“I'm sorry.”
Lily crossed her arms.
“You scared me.”
“I know.”
“You can't just take me.”
“I know.”
“You say that a lot now.”
Amanda laughed once through tears.
“So does your father, apparently.”
Lily almost smiled.
Then her face became serious.
“Are you going to jail?”
“I don't know.”
“Do you love Ethan?”
Amanda looked through the glass at him.
For once, she did not rush to give the pretty answer.
“I treated him like he was standing between me and something I wanted.”
“That wasn't my question.”
Amanda swallowed.
“No,” she said softly. “Not the way I should have.”
Lily's eyes filled.
Amanda continued, “But that was my failure. Not his.”
Ethan looked away.
The next morning, Daniel arrived home in a wheelchair.
His right leg was braced from hip to ankle.
A cut ran along his temple.
Lily ran to him.
Daniel opened his arms.
Ethan stayed ten feet away.
Daniel hugged Lily, then looked at his son.
“Hey, buddy.”
“Hey.”
Daniel did not ask for a hug.
That mattered.
He simply said, “I'm glad you're here.”
Ethan nodded.
Before they could say more, Ramirez entered the terminal.
“We found Mark's house empty.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“And Trent?”
“Still moving.”
Ramirez held up a printed email.
“But they sent this to your board of directors thirty minutes ago.”
Daniel read it.
His face changed.
“What?” Claire asked.
Daniel handed her the page.
It accused Daniel of embezzling company funds and abusing his children.
Attached were doctored recordings.
One featured Ethan screaming, “I hate Dad.”
He had never said it.
Another made it sound like Daniel ordered him to spy on Amanda for money.
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By noon, the clips were online.
And millions of strangers were deciding who the Brooks family was.
