Chapter 12 - The Roadside Choice
Red Laurel Holdings belonged to Eric.
At least on paper.
He denied knowing anything about it, and for the first time that week, I believed someone immediately.
Eric was furious, not frightened.
"He used my name too?"
Ortiz nodded. "Different identity documents, same pattern."
Richard looked between his sons. "Victor wasn't just setting up Daniel. He was building exits under both of you."
Denise corrected him.
"Not exits. Shields. If the fraud surfaced, he could point to either son depending on which trail investigators found first."
Evelyn whispered, "That's not what he told me."
Richard exploded.
"Stop saying that! Stop telling us what Victor told you like you were some innocent passenger. You helped drive the car."
The words hit harder than a slap.
Evelyn nodded slowly.
"You're right."
It was the first clean admission she'd made.
Later, she asked Ortiz for a deal.
"I can take you to where Victor keeps the real ledgers. Not the storage unit. Another place."
Ortiz didn't trust her. Neither did I.
But they followed the lead.
The location was an abandoned lake house once owned by Victor's parents.
On the drive there, I rode with Maya behind two unmarked police cars. Evelyn was in the lead vehicle with Ortiz.
Halfway down a rural road, a pickup truck came out of nowhere.
It slammed the side of Ortiz's car.
Metal screamed.
The police car spun into the ditch.
Maya hit the brakes.
The pickup reversed.
"He's going to hit them again," I said.
Maya grabbed her phone while I ran.
I know. Stupid.
But I saw Evelyn trapped against the passenger door and Ortiz trying to climb across the center console.
The pickup accelerated.
I reached the car, yanked the rear door open, and screamed, "Out!"
Ortiz dragged Evelyn through the back just as the truck struck the front end a second time.
Glass burst across the road.
We fell into the ditch.
The pickup sped away.
Evelyn was bleeding from her forehead.
She grabbed my hand.
"Why did you help me?"
I pulled my hand free.
"Because I'm not you."
That hurt her more than I expected.
Ortiz radioed the plate number.
Minutes later, a deputy found the pickup abandoned three miles away.
Inside was Victor's phone.
And one unsent text message.
TO: DANIEL
YOUR MOTHER NEVER TOLD YOU WHO I REALLY AM.
Below it was a photo of Victor holding a newborn baby.
On the back of the photo, in Evelyn's handwriting, were four words:
Our son. Daniel. 1992.
May you like
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