Chapter 9
The harsh crackle of the federal radio dispatcher’s voice shattered the tense atmosphere of the hallway. Before the echo of the report had even faded, the lead federal agent spun on her heel, motioning sharply to the local police officer standing by the door.
“Secure the premises and detain the minor for questioning,” the agent commanded briskly, already reaching for the secure radio mic pinned to her tactical windbreaker. “Unit One and Two, converge on the creek bed access road immediately. Do not let him ditch that hard drive.”
David didn't wait for permission. Driven by a volatile mix of blind fury and desperate protectiveness, he bolted past the agents, shoving through the front door and sprinting across the manicured lawn toward his own pickup truck parked in the driveway.
“David, stop!” Maya shouted, rushing to the front threshold, her pink shoes sliding slightly on the dew-soaked concrete of the porch. Her wheeled suitcase remained abandoned by the dining room entrance, forgotten in the sudden chaos.
Arthur moved with surprising speed for a man his age, stepping out onto the porch alongside Maya, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug deep into his palms. Clara remained inside, comforting a weeping Julian as he huddled against the base of the dining room sideboard.
Outside, the screech of tires tore through the quiet suburban morning as David’s pickup truck tore out of the driveway, gravel flying in all directions as he aimed the vehicle straight down the narrow tree-lined access road leading toward the creek.
Maya pulled out her smartphone, her fingers flying across the screen with practiced speed, tracking the real-time GPS telemetry of her company’s corporate vehicle fleet—which David had inadvertently borrowed earlier that week.
“He’s heading straight into the lower ravine,” Maya called out to the federal agents, who were already piling into their black SUV parked at the curb. “The access road dead-ends at the old lumber mill. There’s no turnaround down there for a full-sized pickup!”
The lead agent paused with her hand on the SUV door, turning her sharp gaze toward Maya. “Get in the back seat, Ms. Vance. You can direct us through the service tracks better than our local mapping software.”
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Without hesitation, Maya yanked the rear door open and slid inside the heavy SUV, slamming it shut behind her. The vehicle roared to life, tires spinning on the asphalt before launching forward in pursuit of David’s truck, trailing a dense cloud of dust and blue exhaust smoke down the winding country lane.
The morning air rushed past the open windows as the SUV careened around a sharp blind curve, the heavy tires chewing into the gravel track. Through the windshield, Maya spotted the tail lights of David’s pickup fishtailing violently as it slammed on the brakes at the edge of the abandoned lumber mill clearing.
