Chapter 28 - The Safe in the Courthouse Vault
Before Daniel could react, the low wail of sirens echoed in the distance, growing louder with every passing second. Red and blue lights flashed across the living room walls, casting eerie shadows through the blinds.
Three squad cars pulled aggressively onto the front lawn, followed by an unmarked black sedan. Detective Ramirez burst through the open back door, service weapon drawn, his flashlight sweeping the kitchen until it landed on the unconscious deputy on the floor and Daniel standing over him, bleeding and holding the iron skillet.
"Daniel! Drop the weapon!" Ramirez shouted, his face pale with shock.
"He was sent by Vance, Ramirez," Daniel said, his voice flat, exhausted. "Look at his phone. Look at what’s in his pocket."
Ramirez knelt beside Mitchell, checking the deputy’s pulse before retrieving the phone. As Ramirez read the text messages, his expression shifted from disbelief to cold, horrified realization.
"Mother of God," Ramirez breathed. "Vance owns half the precinct. They told me you were holding hostages inside the house."
"Rachel left everything in the garage," Daniel said, pointing toward the lockbox sitting on the counter. "The names of every politician, every judge, every payout Vance made for the last thirty years. It’s all there, Ramirez. Harold was just his dog. Vance killed Rachel, and he tried to kill my kids tonight."
Ramirez stared at the contents of the lockbox, his hands visibly shaking as he opened the ledger and saw the signatures of his own superiors. "This goes beyond the county, Daniel. If I take this to the local station, it’ll be shredded before morning."
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"Then where do we take it?" Daniel demanded.
"The federal courthouse in Chicago," Ramirez said. "We leave tonight."
