Chapter 4 - The Man in the Garage

At two in the morning, the police found Marcus's car exactly where he said it would be.

A black armored sedan, polished, locked, silent.

The bomb squad found nothing.

The mechanical team did.

Detective Brooks returned to Khloe's room before dawn with photographs.

"The brake sensor was not malfunctioning."

Marcus studied the images.

"What happened?"

"Someone installed a bypass device that would intermittently suppress hydraulic pressure."

Khloe stared.

"Could it cause a crash?"

"Yes."

"When?"

Brooks looked at Marcus.

"Under hard braking, especially at speed."

He went pale.

Naomi stood by the window.

"Vane told you it was a sensor fault."

"Yes."

"Then he knew."

Marcus looked at Brooks.

"Can you prove he installed it?"

"Not yet."

Khloe's voice was quiet.

"But he arranged the service."

"Yes."

Marcus turned to Naomi.

"Who serviced it?"

"A private shop Vane selected."

"Owner?"

"Missing."

Marcus laughed bitterly.

"Of course."

Khloe looked at Brooks.

"What about Isabella?"

"Still in custody."

"Victor?"

"Lawyers everywhere."

"Can he leave the city?"

"At the moment, yes. We don't have enough to charge him."

Marcus stood.

"Then get enough."

Brooks's expression hardened.

"I don't work for you."

"I know."

"Good."

She closed the file.

"Because right now, your wife is one of our strongest witnesses, Isabella is on video committing the assault, and your security chief is a suspect in a possible murder conspiracy."

Khloe noticed the wording.

"Possible?"

"Evidence matters."

Marcus looked toward the door.

"What do you need?"

"Original trust documents."

He nodded.

"I'll have my attorney bring them."

Khloe spoke.

"No."

Marcus looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because if Keller reached your study, we don't know what's real there."

"Then where would the originals be?"

Marcus thought.

"My grandfather's attorney."

"Still alive?"

"Retired. Samuel Pryce."

Naomi turned.

"Where?"

"Connecticut."

Brooks wrote the name.

"Call him from a secure line."

Marcus reached for his phone.

Naomi stopped him.

"Not that phone."

He frowned.

"Why?"

"Vane helped configure it."

Marcus stared at the device in his hand.

Then placed it on the table as if it had become contaminated.

Daniel entered with coffee.

"I've been looking for you."

Khloe raised an eyebrow.

"You found us exactly where you left us."

"I was talking to Marcus."

He gave Khloe a cup of tea instead.

"No caffeine."

"I love you less every minute."

"Good. Your blood pressure is stable."

Brooks left to arrange contact with Samuel Pryce.

Daniel checked the monitor.

"The contractions are nearly gone."

"Can I go home?"

"No."

"That answer sounded too happy."

"It was."

Marcus spoke.

"She's not going home until Vane is found."

Khloe turned toward him.

"You don't decide that."

"I know."

"Do you?"

He met her eyes.

"I'm asking you not to."

She watched him for a long moment.

"That sounded better."

Daniel hid a smile.

Marcus ignored him.

"I'm going to say something else badly."

"That's your specialty tonight."

"I'm sorry."

Khloe's expression softened by one degree.

"For which part?"

"For every time you told me Isabella was crossing a line and I treated it like jealousy."

"It wasn't jealousy."

"I know."

"For every time I asked why Vane knew so much about my schedule and you told me he was doing his job."

"I know."

"For hiding that Isabella slept with you."

"I know."

"Stop saying you know."

"Then tell me what to say."

"Say you understand why I don't trust your judgment right now."

Marcus inhaled.

"I understand why you don't trust my judgment right now."

"Good."

"And I will earn it back."

"Don't promise things during a crisis."

"I'm not promising."

"What are you doing?"

"Accepting a job."

Khloe looked at him.

That answer mattered.

Before she could respond, Naomi's phone buzzed.

She read the message.

"Police found Vane."

Everyone froze.

"Where?" Marcus asked.

"Your building."

Khloe stared.

"What?"

"Security saw him enter through the service garage twenty minutes ago."

Marcus reached for his jacket.

Naomi stepped between him and the door.

"No."

"Move."

"No."

"Naomi."

"You hired me to protect you."

"He's in my building."

"Exactly."

Brooks returned at a run.

"Mr. Thorne, stay here."

Marcus glared.

"Don't start."

"I'm not starting anything. SWAT is clearing the garage."

Khloe looked at Brooks.

"Why would he go back?"

"Maybe to retrieve something."

Naomi answered.

"Or destroy something."

Marcus's face changed.

"The study."

Brooks looked at him.

"What?"

"If Keller photographed the trust files, Vane may be going to remove evidence."

"Or plant it," Khloe said.

Brooks nodded.

"Either way, you stay."

Thirty minutes passed.

No one spoke much.

Then Brooks received a call.

"We have him."

Marcus stood.

"Alive?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Parking level three."

Khloe let out a breath.

Brooks listened longer.

Then her brow furrowed.

"What did he have?"

She looked at Marcus.

"A key."

"To what?"

"A safe-deposit box."

Marcus frowned.

"I don't have one."

"Not yours."

Brooks ended the call.

"The key is labeled with a branch of Atlantic Federal Bank."

Naomi asked, "Name?"

"No name on the key."

Khloe looked at Marcus.

"Why go into your garage with it?"

Brooks answered.

"He wasn't carrying only the key."

She held up a photograph sent by officers at the scene.

Vane had been carrying a small fireproof document pouch.

Marcus recognized it instantly.

"That's mine."

"What is it?"

"The original copy of my father's investigation into Victor Rossi."

Daniel turned.

"The accounting dispute."

Marcus nodded.

"My father kept evidence."

"Why wasn't Victor prosecuted?"

"Because the key witness disappeared."

Khloe stared.

"Disappeared?"

"An accountant named Leon Meyers."

Brooks made a note.

"When?"

"Twenty-four years ago."

"Alive?"

"No one knows."

Naomi looked at the safe-deposit key photo.

"Maybe we do now."

Brooks turned to her.

"What?"

"If Meyers vanished with evidence, he may have stored it somewhere."

Marcus's eyes narrowed.

"And Vane knew where."

Brooks called her partner.

"Get a warrant for the box."

A voice came from the hall.

"You won't need one."

Everyone turned.

An elderly man stood beside a uniformed officer.

He was thin, white-haired, and leaning heavily on a cane.

Marcus stared.

"Samuel Pryce?"

The man nodded.

"Your detective called me."

Brooks stepped forward.

"Mr. Pryce, you should not have traveled here."

"I am eighty-two. Advice about what I should not do has become repetitive."

He looked at Marcus.

"You wanted the original Thorne trust."

"Yes."

Pryce's expression was grave.

"I brought it."

Marcus stared at the leather portfolio under his arm.

Khloe felt her pulse increase.

"Is it different from our copy?"

Pryce looked at her.

"Mrs. Thorne, may I see what you have?"

Marcus handed him the copy from Khloe's bed.

Pryce put on his glasses.

He read one page.

Then another.

His mouth tightened.

"This is not the document I drafted."

Marcus went still.

"What changed?"

Pryce pointed.

"The alternate trustee clause."

Khloe's hand moved to her stomach.

"Victor Rossi?"

"Victor was named originally."

Marcus exhaled.

"Then it's the same."

"No."

Pryce looked at him.

"Victor Rossi was removed by amendment twenty-three years ago."

Everyone stared.

"Who replaced him?" Marcus asked.

Pryce opened the original portfolio.

"Your father."

"My father is dead."

"Which means the next successor applies."

"Who?"

Pryce turned the page.

"Daniel Vale."

Khloe stared at her uncle.

Daniel looked genuinely stunned.

"Me?"

Pryce nodded.

"Arthur Thorne amended the trust after the fraud allegations."

Marcus looked at the false copy.

"Then Victor has no legal path to control the child's shares."

"Not under the genuine instrument."

Khloe understood first.

"But if everyone believed this fake was real..."

Pryce nodded.

"Then Victor could build his plan around a power he does not actually have."

Brooks took the forged copy.

"Or he intended to replace the original before anyone could challenge him."

Naomi's phone buzzed again.

She looked at the message.

"The bank box is registered."

"To whom?" Brooks asked.

Naomi swallowed.

"Leon Meyers."

Marcus stared at her.

"The missing accountant."

"Yes."

"Then he's alive?"

Naomi shook her head.

"No. He died three months ago."

Khloe felt the pieces moving.

"Who inherited the box?"

Naomi looked toward the hall.

"His daughter."

"Name?"

"Elaine Parker."

Silence filled the room.

Khloe stared at the closed door.

"The gala coordinator?"

Naomi nodded.

"The woman who was standing outside the suite when Isabella attacked you."

Marcus's expression hardened.

For the first time, the person who had seemed like Khloe's most accidental ally had become part of the old fraud at the center of everything.

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And no one knew whether Elaine Parker had saved Khloe by staying near the door.

Or whether she had been waiting for something else to happen.