Chapter 7 - The Woman in the SUV.
Claire wanted to hang up on Ortiz.
Instead, she listened.
Ortiz explained that Adrian had forced her into the SUV at gunpoint after intercepting her outside the parking garage.
He believed she had come alone.
She had kept her weapon hidden beneath the seat and jumped out when the SUV slowed near a police checkpoint.
Mason did not immediately believe her.
Neither did Claire.
"Why didn't you call for backup?" Claire asked.
"Because my captain ordered me to stop investigating your husband this afternoon."
Ortiz's voice was tight.
"Someone above me is protecting the Vales."
Claire looked at Mason.
His expression said he had expected exactly that.
Ortiz gave them an address for an independent federal prosecutor named Elena Brooks.
"She has been investigating Mercer Response for eighteen months."
Claire almost laughed bitterly.
"And nobody thought to mention that before I got thrown off a balcony?"
"I didn't know your case connected until Mason's name appeared."
Mason flinched.
Ortiz continued.
"Get the card to Brooks, not the local department."
Then the line went dead.
Claire and Mason left the warehouse separately.
Mason carried a blank card.
Claire carried the real one inside a plastic capsule taped beneath her brace.
By sunrise, every major local station was running a statement from Vale Holdings.
Adrian claimed Claire had stolen confidential corporate material and suffered a breakdown when confronted.
He announced that he still loved his wife and was praying for her recovery.
Evelyn appeared beside him during the press conference.
She wore pale blue and looked devastated.
"Our family has endured enough pain," she said.
Claire watched from a motel television and felt rage burn hotter than her injuries.
Then the reporter asked about Thomas Bennett.
Evelyn's face did not move.
"Claire's father was a respected professional whose tragic death has nothing to do with this private family crisis."
That sentence convinced Claire to stop hiding.
She called federal prosecutor Elena Brooks.
The woman agreed to meet at a federal office two counties away.
Claire, Mason, and Ortiz traveled separately.
Only Claire knew the exact route she would take.
Halfway there, a gray sedan began following her rental car.
It stayed three vehicles back through two exits.
Claire changed lanes.
The sedan changed lanes.
She exited unexpectedly.
The sedan followed.
Claire's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
Her phone rang.
Adrian's name appeared on the screen.
She almost ignored it.
Then she answered.
"Where are you going, Claire?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Away from you."
"You should pull over."
Claire looked in the mirror.
The gray sedan accelerated.
"Why?"
"Because the man behind you has instructions not to let you reach Brooks."
Claire's blood turned cold.
"How do you know about Brooks?"
Adrian laughed softly.
"Because, sweetheart, the federal prosecutor you're running to has dinner at my mother's house twice a month."
The sedan surged closer.
Claire pressed the accelerator.
Adrian lowered his voice.
"You still don't understand."
"Understand what?"
"My mother didn't build a company."
The sedan moved into the lane beside Claire.
The driver's window lowered.
May you like
Adrian finished his sentence.
"She built a system.
