Chapter 6: The Man on the Run
Chapter 6: The Man on the Run
Detective Daniel Brooks was already in his car before the warrant was signed.
"Dispatch," he said into the radio. "Issue a BOLO for Victor Hale. Former head of security for the Carter estate. He's believed to be fleeing the country."
A voice crackled back.
"We've located a flight reservation under his name. Departure is in less than two hours."
Brooks glanced at the dashboard clock.
"Notify airport security. Delay that flight if necessary."
He turned on the siren.
The unmarked SUV sped into the rain-soaked night.
Across town...
Victor Hale zipped his suitcase shut.
His hands were shaking.
For twenty-three years, he had worked for the Carter family.
He had protected their homes.
Their businesses.
Their secrets.
Now those secrets were about to destroy him.
His phone buzzed.
The caller ID displayed one name.
Margaret Carter.
Victor hesitated before answering.
"You need to leave now," Margaret said without greeting him.
"I'm already packed."
"Did anyone see you at the cottage?"
"I don't think so."
"You don't think so?" she snapped.
"I was careful."
Margaret lowered her voice.
"Listen to me carefully."
"If the police find you..."
"You don't know anything."
"You never touched Ava's car."
Victor closed his eyes.
"I know."
"And if they pressure you..."
"They won't."
"They will."
Silence filled the line.
Finally Victor whispered,
"You promised no one would get hurt."
Margaret didn't answer.
Instead...
She ended the call.
Victor stared at his phone.
For the first time, he realized he had never been Margaret's partner.
He had always been disposable.
Meanwhile...
Mercy General Hospital.
Ava was awake when Ethan returned.
He looked exhausted.
His clothes were still damp from the rain.
She immediately noticed the leather journal in his hand.
"You found something."
He nodded.
"My father hid evidence."
Ava frowned.
"What kind of evidence?"
He pulled up a chair.
"I found my mother's journal."
Her face paled.
"What did it say?"
"It mentioned Victor Hale."
"The day before your accident."
Ava looked toward the window.
"I remember Victor."
Ethan leaned forward.
"What do you remember?"
"He always avoided looking at me after the crash."
"I thought he felt sorry for me."
She closed her eyes.
"Maybe it was guilt."
Dr. Harper entered the room carrying another test result.
"I have more good news."
Ava smiled faintly.
"I could use some."
"The sedatives are leaving your system."
"What does that mean?"
"Your memory should continue improving."
"Slowly."
"But steadily."
Ava looked hopeful for the first time in months.
"There may be memories you've forgotten."
"They could return unexpectedly."
As the doctor left, Ethan gently squeezed Ava's hand.
"Whatever you remember..."
"You won't face it alone."
At Carter International Airport...
Victor hurried through the crowded terminal.
Every announcement made him more nervous.
He kept looking over his shoulder.
Passengers brushed past him.
Families stood in line.
Business travelers checked their watches.
Everything appeared normal.
Until he noticed two uniformed police officers entering through the main doors.
His heartbeat accelerated.
"They're here."
Without thinking...
Victor abandoned the security line and turned toward an emergency exit.
The alarm immediately sounded.
Red lights flashed.
People screamed in surprise.
"Stop!" an officer shouted.
Victor ran.
Outside the terminal...
Rain pounded the pavement.
Victor sprinted across the parking garage.
Behind him...
Detective Brooks emerged from his SUV.
"There!"
Victor jumped into a waiting sedan.
The engine roared to life.
Tires screeched.
The chase began.
For nearly fifteen minutes...
Victor weaved through traffic, ignoring red lights and roadblocks.
Police vehicles closed in from every direction.
Finally...
He turned onto an unfinished construction road.
A dead end.
Victor slammed on the brakes.
His car skidded to a stop only feet from a concrete barrier.
Police surrounded him.
Weapons drawn.
Brooks stepped forward.
"It's over, Victor."
Victor gripped the steering wheel.
His breathing became ragged.
"I never wanted this."
"Then help us."
Victor slowly stepped out of the car.
Hands raised.
As officers placed him in handcuffs...
He quietly asked,
"Is Ava alive?"
Brooks nodded.
"Yes."
Victor closed his eyes in relief.
"Thank God."
Hours later...
Inside the interrogation room...
Victor sat silently.
A cup of untouched coffee rested in front of him.
Brooks entered alone.
"No lawyer?"
Victor shook his head.
"I don't deserve one."
The detective sat down.
"I'll ask you once."
"Did you sabotage Ava's car?"
Victor looked at the table.
Then...
Very slowly...
He nodded.
"Yes."
Brooks remained expressionless.
"Tell me everything."
Victor's voice cracked.
"Margaret ordered me to cut the brake line."
The room fell silent.
"She said it would only scare Ava."
"She promised the brakes would fail after the car stopped."
"I believed her."
Brooks leaned forward.
"You expect me to believe that?"
Victor buried his face in his hands.
"I was an idiot."
"When I heard about the crash..."
"I knew she'd lied."
Tears rolled down his face.
"I've lived with that every day since."
Brooks switched on the recorder.
"Did Margaret pay you?"
Victor nodded.
"Half a million dollars."
"Transferred through one of her private companies."
"Do you have proof?"
Victor looked up.
"Yes."
"Where?"
"In a storage locker."
"I kept everything."
Brooks frowned.
"Everything?"
"The bank records."
"The messages."
"The burner phone she used."
"And..."
Victor swallowed hard.
"The audio recording."
Brooks stared at him.
"What audio recording?"
Victor's voice barely rose above a whisper.
"The night she told me..."
"'If Ava dies, Ethan will eventually move on.'"
The detective's expression hardened.
"Can you prove she said that?"
Victor nodded.
"I recorded every meeting."
"Because..."
"I stopped trusting her."
Brooks stood immediately.
"Where's the locker?"
Victor slowly gave him the address.
As detectives rushed to secure the evidence, neither of them noticed the surveillance camera outside the interrogation room.
Miles away...
A hacker watched the live police security feed from a laptop.
He picked up his phone.
"There’s a problem," he said quietly.
"The old man is talking."
A woman's cold voice answered.
"I know."
There was a brief pause.
Then she spoke four chilling words.
"Make sure he doesn't."
The call ended.
Victor had finally confessed.
May you like
But before he could testify in court...
Someone had already decided he would never get the chance.
