Chapter 10: Protect the Witnesses
Chapter 10: Protect the Witnesses
Detective Morales didn't hesitate.
He grabbed his phone before anyone else could speak.
"I need immediate protective detail."
His voice echoed across the operations room.
"Priority One."
"Three witnesses."
"Sophie Carter."
"Emily Sanders."
"Lily Harper."
"Move now."
Within seconds...
Officers rushed in every direction.
Patrol cars lit up the parking lot outside headquarters.
Radios crackled nonstop.
The investigation had changed.
This was no longer just an assault case.
Someone had created a list.
And children were on it.
At Mercy General Hospital...
Two additional officers arrived outside Sophie's room.
Another detective checked every visitor badge.
Hospital administrators locked down the pediatric floor.
Only immediate family approved by police could enter.
Even nurses were required to scan new identification badges.
Officer Reed stood outside the door.
His hand rested near his radio.
No one was taking chances anymore.
Inside the room...
Sophie looked at the growing number of police officers.
She hugged Lucky tightly.
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Am I famous now?"
I smiled despite everything.
"No."
"You're important."
She thought for a moment.
"There's a difference?"
"There is."
"Famous people are noticed."
"Important people are protected."
She smiled.
"I like important better."
"So do I."
Across town...
Emily Sanders packed a small overnight bag.
Two detectives waited beside her apartment door.
"We're taking you somewhere safe."
Emily nodded.
"I understand."
She looked around her tiny apartment.
College textbooks.
Family photographs.
Half-finished coffee on the kitchen counter.
Everything suddenly felt temporary.
As she zipped her suitcase...
Someone knocked on the door.
Everyone froze.
One detective approached carefully.
"Police."
No answer.
He slowly looked through the peephole.
The hallway was empty.
Only a small brown envelope rested against the door.
The detective opened it using protective gloves.
Inside...
A single photograph.
Emily leaving the hotel parking garage earlier that night.
Someone had circled her face with a thick red marker.
Nothing else.
No message.
No signature.
Just the photograph.
Emily's hands began to shake.
"They know where I live."
The detective looked at his partner.
"We're leaving."
"Right now."
Meanwhile...
The Harper family had already been relocated.
Lily sat inside a quiet conference room at a police facility.
She colored another picture.
This time...
It showed three police officers holding hands with two little girls.
Detective Collins smiled.
"Who's that?"
Lily pointed proudly.
"That's me."
"And that's Sophie."
"What about these people?"
"The superheroes."
Collins laughed softly.
"The police?"
Lily nodded.
"They keep bad guys away."
Back at police headquarters...
Digital analysts continued examining Preston's encrypted files.
Most of the emails came from the mysterious account:
One attachment finally decrypted.
It contained GPS coordinates.
Dozens of them.
The analyst frowned.
"What are these?"
Morales walked over.
Locations appeared all across Chicago.
The Whitmore Hotel.
Mercy General Hospital.
Sophie's elementary school.
The neighborhood park.
The ice cream shop.
My apartment building.
My blood ran cold.
Those weren't random places.
They were everywhere Sophie and I regularly went.
Detective Morales looked at me.
"He mapped your routine."
I couldn't speak.
For months...
Maybe longer...
Someone had been watching us.
Across the city...
Preston parked beneath an abandoned warehouse.
Rain poured onto the cracked pavement.
A black sedan waited inside.
Its headlights remained off.
Preston climbed out of his car.
The sedan's rear door slowly opened.
Someone sat inside.
Their face hidden by darkness.
"You failed."
The voice was calm.
Preston clenched his jaw.
"The plan went sideways."
"No."
The figure answered.
"You lost control."
Preston took a step forward.
"The witnesses were supposed to stay quiet."
"They didn't."
The figure remained perfectly still.
"I warned you."
"Children remember everything."
Preston's breathing grew heavier.
"I can fix it."
The figure finally leaned forward.
A gloved hand appeared beneath the dim light.
"You already had your chance."
An envelope slid across the seat.
Preston picked it up.
Inside...
A passport.
A plane ticket.
And a stack of cash.
"What is this?"
"Your exit."
Preston looked confused.
"You want me to run?"
"I want you alive."
"Because dead men can't keep secrets."
Before Preston could ask another question...
The sedan door quietly closed.
The engine started.
Seconds later...
The car disappeared into the rain.
Leaving Preston completely alone.
At the Carter family estate...
Richard Carter quietly packed an old leather briefcase.
He opened the family safe.
Inside were decades of documents.
Birth certificates.
Property deeds.
Old letters.
Then...
A sealed manila envelope.
Across the front...
His own handwriting.
Open If I Ever Lose My Courage.
He stared at it for a long moment.
Finally...
He broke the seal.
Inside was a collection of papers.
Medical reports.
School records.
Bank statements.
And one cassette tape.
The label read:
Family Meeting – April 12, 2004
Richard slowly closed his eyes.
"I should have done this years ago."
He picked up his phone.
Dialed Detective Morales.
When the detective answered...
Richard spoke only one sentence.
"I've spent thirty years protecting the wrong child."
At police headquarters...
Morales rushed to meet him.
Richard placed the briefcase on the interview table.
"I can't change the past."
He looked exhausted.
"But maybe..."
"I can stop what's coming next."
Morales opened the briefcase.
His eyes widened.
Every document had been carefully organized.
Every date highlighted.
Every incident documented.
The detective looked up.
"What is all this?"
Richard took a deep breath.
"The history."
"The real history."
He pointed to the oldest folder.
"Start there."
Morales opened it.
The first document was dated...
October 1993.
Preston was four years old.
Evelyn was two.
Attached to the report was a family photograph.
Behind the smiling faces...
A pediatrician's handwritten note was clipped to the file.
The final sentence sent a chill through the room.
"Parents advised to seek immediate psychological evaluation for aggressive behavior toward younger sibling."
Richard lowered his head.
"We ignored it."
"And that..."
May you like
He whispered.
"Was the biggest mistake of our lives."
