Chapter 16 - The Fire
Dad survived.
Brooke survived too.
By morning, they were both in the same hospital where my nightmare had started.
Brooke was placed under armed guard.
Dad was two floors above me with a fractured rib, severe dehydration, and a gunshot graze along his side.
Detective Reed came to my room carrying an old case file.
“The Baltimore fire killed Aaron Mills and Teresa Grant,” he said. “Both worked in internal audit.”
I remembered them. Aaron had a loud laugh. Teresa brought homemade cookies to every company Christmas party.
“What did they find?”
“Your father says they discovered the first shell company linked to Evan.”
Three years ago.
Evan had not started stealing after dating Brooke.
He had been stealing long before her.
Brooke was not innocent, but she had been useful.
A shareholder’s daughter. Access. Signatures. Credibility.
Dad had suspected the fire but lacked proof.
Then, six months ago, he found an archived backup file confirming Aaron and Teresa had emailed him the night before they died.
Evan realized Dad knew.
The staged boat accident followed.
“Where is Evan now?” I asked.
Reed’s jaw tightened.
“His stolen vehicle was found near the interstate. He switched cars.”
I looked toward the window.
“He’ll come back.”
“Why?”
“Because he hasn’t finished destroying the evidence.”
Dad’s microSD card was now in police custody.
But the company servers held more.
And the board was scheduled to meet that afternoon to suspend Brooke’s authority and freeze every account Evan had touched.
At 1:06 p.m., the hospital lost internet service.
At 1:09, Bennett Medical’s headquarters reported a network attack.
At 1:13, smoke began pouring from the server room on the ninth floor.
Evan was not running.
He was cleaning.
Detective Reed stood.
Then his phone buzzed.
He read one message and swore.
“What?” I asked.
May you like
He looked at me.
“Your mother is missing.”
