Chapter 9 - Breaking News on the Screen
The bold red banner across the bottom of the television screen screamed a headline that made the blood run cold in everyone’s veins: POLICE INVESTIGATE ABANDONED WAREHOUSE INCIDENT; ONE PERSON CRITICALLY INJURED. The anchor’s grave face filled the monitor as footage of the waterfront docks flickered in the background, showing police cruisers with flashing red and blue lights surrounding warehouse 4b. Arthur froze mid-reach, his hand hovering inches above the flash drive on the dining counter. Clara let out a sharp, ragged gasp, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at the screen in absolute horror. Maya leaped off the sofa, her heart slamming against her ribs like a trapped animal as she rushed toward the television, her eyes desperately scanning the grainy B-roll footage for any sign of Ethan.
“Turn it up!”
Maya commanded, her voice cracking with sudden panic.
Chloe grabbed the remote from the coffee table and frantically pressed the volume button, amplifying the anchor’s somber voice across the quiet apartment.
“Authorities have confirmed that early this morning, emergency services responded to an anonymous tip regarding an altercation at the old shipping docks on the bay,”
the news anchor reported smoothly.
“One unidentified male victim was recovered from the scene with severe injuries and transported to City General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Police are treating the incident as a suspected kidnapping and financial fraud syndicate operation tied to several missing person reports filed over the past week.”
Maya closed her eyes tightly, a wave of intense nausea washing over her. She knew instantly that the victim was Ethan. He had sacrificed himself in the dark aisle of that warehouse to give her a chance to escape with the evidence, and now he was fighting for his life in a hospital room while her family stood paralyzed by indecision.
“It was Ethan,”
Maya whispered, her voice trembling violently as she turned back to face her parents.
“He drew them away from me so I could get out with the drive. He took the fall, Mom. Your precious Page caused this.”
Clara slumped against the neutral-toned sofa, weeping openly now, the illusion of her family’s perfection completely destroyed. She looked older, smaller, crushed beneath the weight of her own misplaced loyalty. Arthur slowly walked away from the counter, his shoulders slumping as he stared at the floor. The green sweater that had once symbolized comfort now looked like a straitjacket of guilt.
“We can’t wait another minute,”
Arthur said, his voice hard with a sudden, desperate resolve.
“Maya, plug that flash drive into the laptop. We are sending those files to Detective Vance right now, whether Page likes it or not.”
Maya nodded firmly, walking over to her bag on the entryway rug and pulling out her sleek silver laptop. She set it on the dining counter, plugged the small flash drive into the USB port, and watched as the system automatically recognized the encrypted directory. The folder opened instantly, displaying a complex tree of financial documents, encrypted logs, and audio recordings labeled with dates and times. Maya’s fingers danced across the keyboard, composing an urgent email directly to the detective’s departmental address, attaching the entire database as proof of the massive fraud scheme.
“Files attached,”
Maya muttered, holding her breath.
“Hitting send right… now.”
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The progress bar crept forward, turning green as the transmission completed successfully. A quiet sense of relief washed over the room for a fleeting second, quickly replaced by a heavy, suffocating dread. But before anyone could take a breath, the harsh, jarring ring of the apartment landline phone shattered the silence, making every single one of them jump out of their skin.
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