Chapter 9 - Adrian Did Not Plan Everything
Evidence did not support the neat story I wanted.
Adrian had committed financial fraud.
He had lied about being at the warehouse.
He had chained the rear door.
But forensic reconstruction suggested the fire began from an electrical fault in a damaged charging station.
Adrian had not set it.
The explosion was accidental.
That did not make his actions harmless.
He admitted confronting Sophie and Marissa.
He locked the rear door to stop them leaving while he tried to take copied records.
Then smoke appeared.
He panicked.
He fled through the front office corridor.
He claimed he thought Sophie and Marissa could escape through the loading bay.
Marissa did not.
Sophie barely did.
Afterward, Adrian realized Sophie’s jewelry remained in the building.
When an unidentified female body was recovered, he used the confusion to steer identification toward Sophie.
Why?
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Because a dead Sophie could not expose his fraud.
A living missing Sophie might.
