Lieutenant Carter read the message twice.
“Can we identify the device?”
The technician shook his head.
“Not from this image alone. We can preserve the recording, but we need a forensic examination.”
“Can the person inside access the security system?”
“Possibly. The system detected repeated remote login attempts earlier. Someone may have compromised a local device, but I can't confirm that yet.”
Carter looked toward Anthony.
“Where is the ledger?”
Anthony remained silent.
Marcus turned toward his brother.
“You said you had a copy.”
“I do.”
“Where?”
Anthony looked toward the house.
“Inside.”
Marcus stared at him.
“You hid it here?”
“Not in the main rooms.”
“Then where?”
Anthony hesitated.
“Under the floor in the old workshop.”
Marcus knew the workshop.
It was a small room at the rear of the garage where their father had once repaired radios and electrical appliances. Marcus had converted it into a storage area after purchasing the house.
There was a narrow compartment beneath the workbench, hidden behind a removable panel.
Only Marcus and Anthony knew it existed.
“You used Dad's hiding place?” Marcus asked.
Anthony nodded.
“I didn't have anywhere else I could trust.”
Marcus closed his eyes briefly.
Their father had died when they were young. The workshop had been the center of their childhood, a place where broken things could be repaired and difficult problems could be solved.
Now it had become the hiding place for evidence that might expose a criminal network.
Elena stepped forward.
“We are not entering the house simply because someone inside has issued a threat. We need to preserve the evidence and establish a safe response.”
Anthony nodded.
“I understand.”
“Then tell us everything you know about David Cole.”
Anthony looked toward the camera.
“David was my business partner for four years. We audited construction contracts, reviewed procurement records, and investigated discrepancies between invoices and actual deliveries.”
“Was he involved in the fraud?”
“I believe he was. I don't have complete proof.”
“What makes you believe that?”
“Because he was the only person who knew which files I had copied before my vehicle was found.”
Marcus looked at his brother.
“You told me your car went into the river.”
“It did.”
“And the body?”
Anthony's face tightened.
“I never saw the body.”
Marcus felt the old grief return, mixed with a new and terrible understanding.
“You let me bury a stranger.”
“I didn't know that was what happened until months later.”
“You could have come back then.”
“I couldn't.”
“You always have a reason.”
Anthony flinched.
Marcus turned away before his brother could respond.
Nearby, paramedics were treating Elliot. He was conscious, but his condition remained serious. They asked him questions about the injury, and he answered in short, strained sentences.
Victoria stood several feet away, wrapped in a blanket.
She approached Marcus cautiously.
“I know you hate me.”
Marcus looked at her.
“I don't know you well enough to hate you.”
“I lied about you.”
“Yes.”
“I thought I was helping catch a criminal.”
“Did you believe that when you screamed that I tried to kill you?”
Victoria lowered her eyes.
“No.”
Marcus waited.
She wiped her face.
“Elliot told me that if I refused, he would make sure my younger brother went to prison. My brother made a mistake at work months ago. Elliot had documents that made it look like he had stolen equipment. He said he could send those records to the police whenever he wanted.”
“So you agreed to frame me.”
“I thought the accusation would only lead to an interview. I was told Daniel would take you into custody, search the house, and recover the documents they had planted. Then they would release you.”
Marcus stared at her.
“You believed that?”
“I wanted to believe it.”
“And when Daniel pointed his gun at me?”
Victoria began crying.
“I realized what I had done.”
“You realized it when you saw the gun. Not when you agreed to lie.”
She nodded, accepting the accusation.
“You're right.”
For the first time, Marcus saw something other than panic in her expression.
She looked ashamed.
It did not undo the harm she had caused, but it was the first honest emotion he had seen from her.
“I'll tell them everything,” she said.
“You should.”
“I'll give them the messages, the recordings, everything.”
Marcus looked toward the house.
“Make sure you tell them the parts that make you look bad, too.”
Victoria nodded.
“I will.”
A voice interrupted them.
“Marcus.”
It was Elliot.
He had managed to sit up slightly.
“I need to tell you something about your brother.”
Marcus approached.
“What?”
Elliot swallowed.
“Anthony wasn't the only person who disappeared.”
“What does that mean?”
“Three auditors who worked on the infrastructure contracts vanished within six months. One was found dead. The other two were never located.”
Anthony looked at Elliot sharply.
“You never told me that.”
“Because I didn't know until after you disappeared.”
“Who were they?”
Elliot named three people.
Anthony recognized every name.
One had been his former supervisor. Another had helped him copy the financial records. The third had been the investigator who promised to meet him on the night his vehicle was found.
Marcus felt sick.
“This isn't just fraud.”
“No,” Anthony said quietly. “It's a system designed to protect itself.”
Carter approached again.
“We've contacted the appropriate investigative authorities. They're preparing to take over the financial case, and additional personnel are securing the property.”
Anthony looked at him.
“Who exactly did you contact?”
“An independent state investigative unit.”
“Did you use the standard dispatch channel?”
Carter frowned.
“Yes.”
Anthony shook his head.
“That may be a problem.”
“Why?”
“Because the people behind this operation have access to internal communications.”
Carter stared at him.
“You think the message was intercepted?”
“I think we should assume the possibility until it's ruled out.”
The lieutenant considered that carefully.
Then he instructed the communications team to verify the responding personnel independently and document every contact.
Elena looked at the security monitor.
The figure inside the house had disappeared from the hallway.
The technician checked the motion history.
“No movement for three minutes.”
“Can you see the back exit?” Elena asked.
“The camera is offline.”
Carter's radio crackled.
An officer at the rear perimeter reported that a dark vehicle had appeared on the street behind the property. It was parked with its lights off.
The vehicle had not been there five minutes earlier.
Carter looked toward the driveway entrance.
“Do not approach it alone. Maintain observation and request another unit.”
Then the phone in Marcus's hand vibrated.
An incoming call appeared on the screen.
Unknown number.
Marcus stared at it.
“Should I answer?”
Elena considered the situation.
“If you choose to answer, keep it on speaker and don't make any promises. We'll document what happens.”
Marcus accepted the call.
A man's voice filled the driveway.
“Marcus Reed.”
“Who is this?”
“You have something that belongs to me.”
“The ledger?”
A brief laugh.
“You're learning.”
Marcus tightened his grip on the phone.
“If you want it, come outside and explain why you framed me.”
“I don't need to explain anything to you.”
“Then why call?”
“Because your brother has spent eleven months making a very expensive mistake.”
Marcus looked at Anthony.
The man's voice continued.
“Give me the ledger, and you can both leave tonight. Refuse, and by sunrise, everyone will believe you murdered Elliot Shaw, attacked Victoria Hayes, and killed your own brother.”
Marcus felt the blood drain from his face.
“You can't prove any of that.”
“I don't need to prove it immediately. I only need to make enough people believe it long enough to destroy you.”
The caller paused.
Then his tone changed.
“Ask Lieutenant Carter how many times he has visited my office.”
Marcus slowly turned toward the lieutenant.
Carter's expression remained still.
But Elena noticed that his hand had moved toward his belt.
The caller continued.
“Ten minutes, Marcus. The ledger.”
The line went dead.
Marcus lowered the phone.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Lieutenant Carter held out his hand.
“Give me the device.”
Marcus stared at him.
“Why?”
“To preserve the evidence.”
Elena watched the lieutenant carefully.
Something about the request troubled her.
Carter had not asked who the caller was.
He had not asked what the caller said about him.
And he had not reacted when the man threatened to frame Marcus for murder.
Instead, he had gone directly for the phone.
Elena stepped between them.
“Lieutenant, the evidence technician should document and secure the device.”
Carter looked at her.
“I can do that.”
“I know. But given the allegations made during this incident, independent handling is the safest option.”
For several seconds, Carter said nothing.
Then he lowered his hand.
“Fine.”
He stepped back.
Elena turned toward Marcus.
“Keep the phone secure. Don't delete anything, and don't answer additional calls without documenting them.”
Marcus nodded.
Carter walked toward his cruiser.
Elena watched him go.
Then she quietly approached Marcus and whispered four words.
“Don't trust him yet.”