Chapter 32 - The Edge of the Ravine
Two hours later, the storm had moved inland, leaving behind a cold, oppressive blanket of coastal mist. Lily had been examined by the paramedics and cleared of major injuries, though the bruises on her arms and cheeks were documented for the impending capital trial. She was now fast asleep on the stretcher, clutching Grace’s hand even in her dreams.
Detective Miller walked up to the rear of the ambulance, holding an evidence bag containing Julian Ross’s encrypted satellite phone. His expression was grim, devoid of the victory that should have followed such an arrest.
"Vance," Miller said quietly, gesturing for Daniel to step away from the sleeping child. "We need to talk. Off the record."
Daniel stepped down onto the asphalt, wrapping his jacket tighter against the freezing draft. "What is it, Miller? If this is about the civil suits, my lawyers will—"
"It's not about the civil suits," Miller interrupted, his voice hushed. "We pulled the call logs from Ross’s burner before he could wipe the drive. Victoria wasn't lying."
Daniel’s heart dropped into his stomach. "What did you find?"
"Twenty minutes before the prison transport was rammed on Route 9, Ross received a wire transfer of five hundred thousand dollars from a blind account in the Cayman Islands," Miller stated, tapping the screen of his tablet. "And three minutes after that wire cleared, an encrypted text message was sent to his burner from an unlisted IP address located inside the Vance Corporate Tower in Manhattan."
Daniel stopped breathing. "What did the text say?"
Miller looked at Daniel with deep pity in his eyes. He turned the tablet so Daniel could read the glowing green text on the police terminal:
*Target Lily extracted. Terminate Victoria after the handoff. Daniel will be emotionally incapacitated by the trauma, leaving the estate trustee seat open for immediate family takeover. Proceed as planned.*
"The IP address," Daniel whispered, his voice trembling with a horror far worse than anything Victoria had inflicted. "Whose office was it?"
May you like
Miller swallowed hard. "It didn't come from your mother, Daniel. It came from Claire. Victoria’s sister... who you hired last week to manage Lily’s legal guardianship fund."
***
