Chapter 3 - Ashes in My GarageBy the time we reached my garage, the fire department had already contained the flames.

The building was still smoking.

Half the roof was gone.

My tools were ruined.

The walls were black.

The old office where I had spent seventeen years building an ordinary life was now a skeleton of twisted metal.

Lily stood outside the ambulance with a blanket around her shoulders.

She stared at the ruins.

“No.”

I walked toward her.

“Stay here.”

“But Dad…”

“Stay.”

Marcus followed me.

The fire chief approached.

“Electrical fire?”

I asked.

He frowned.

“Too early to say.”

Marcus glanced at him.

“Any signs of forced entry?”

“We're checking.”

I looked at the side door.

The lock had been cut.

Not burned.

Cut.

My eyes narrowed.

“This wasn't an accident.”

The chief gave me a cautious look.

“Investigation isn't complete.”

Marcus placed a hand on my shoulder.

“We'll wait for the report.”

I looked into the blackened garage.

Everything was gone.

Or so they thought.

When you spend your life tracing hidden money, you learn something simple.

Important things are rarely stored where people expect them.

I entered the garage.

Smoke clung to my clothes.

The main office had collapsed.

The back room was damaged but still standing.

I walked to a row of metal cabinets.

Third cabinet.

Bottom drawer.

Behind old repair invoices was a small steel box.

It was still there.

I carried it outside.

Marcus opened it.

Inside was an old laptop.

A flash drive.

Three notebooks.

And an envelope.

Lily's handwriting was on the front.

Dad.

I opened it.

There were four printed pages.

Bank account numbers.

Dates.

Names.

Amounts.

Then one sentence written in blue ink.

If anything happens to me, these people are responsible.

I read the list.

One name made me stop.

Marissa Vance.

Another.

Daniel Vance.

Then several judges.

Two police officials.

A city councilman.

A state contractor.

And one name I knew very well.

James Halbrook.

My former employer.

Marcus took the papers.

His face hardened.

“Now I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“The Vances aren't simply buying protection.”

He looked at the list.

“They built protection into the system.”

I felt my stomach tighten.

“Can we prove it?”

“Yes.”

A voice came from behind us.

“Not if you’re dead.”

We turned.

Three men stood near the burned garage.

Two wore dark jackets.

The third wore a police uniform.

He smiled.

“Thomas Carter?”

“Yes.”

“Detective Aaron Pike.”

Marcus didn't move.

“What do you want?”

“Questions.”

“About what?”

“Your daughter.”

I stared at him.

“She's in the hospital.”

“We know.”

“Then ask me there.”

He stepped closer.

“This concerns the Vance family.”

Marcus's eyes narrowed.

“Who sent you?”

Pike smiled.

“That's an interesting question.”

Then he looked at the papers in Marcus's hand.

For a fraction of a second, his eyes flicked toward them.

He knew.

That was enough.

Marcus stepped in front of me.

“The interview is over.”

Pike's smile disappeared.

“You don't decide that.”

“No.”

Marcus reached into his coat.

“You do.”

He pulled out an identification card.

Pike read it.

His face changed.

“Federal?”

Marcus closed the card.

“Call your supervisor.”

Pike backed away.

“We'll be in touch.”

When they left, Lily came over.

“Dad?”

I showed her the pages.

“Is this what you found?”

She nodded.

“I copied everything.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because Daniel said you'd get hurt.”

I looked at her.

“He was right about one thing.”

She frowned.

“What?”

“They were going to come after me.”

Marcus looked toward the road.

“They already did.”

I turned.

The police car was still visible in the distance.

Marcus said quietly,

“Thomas, we're past the point of proving Daniel attacked Lily.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lily's assault was probably not the main operation.”

“Then what was?”

Marcus pointed toward the envelope.

“This.”

I looked at the names.

“What do they want?”

“The same thing every criminal organization wants.”

He paused.

“Control.”

That night, we moved Lily to a secure location.

Marcus took the documents.

I kept the laptop.

At 3:47 a.m., I finally opened it.

The password was simple.

LILY2001.

The screen loaded.

One folder.

Nothing else.

The folder was called:

VANCE FAMILY

Inside were hundreds of files.

I clicked the first video.

The footage showed a dark room.

Daniel sat at a table.

Across from him was Victor Vance.

Victor should have been dead.

But he wasn't.

At least not in the video.

He leaned toward Daniel and said:

“Your grandfather built this family.”

Daniel answered:

“And Dad?”

Victor smiled.

“Your father only inherited it.”

Then another man entered the room.

I recognized him immediately.

James Halbrook.

My old boss.

Victor looked at him.

“Does Thomas Carter know?”

Halbrook laughed.

“No.”

Victor's smile faded.

“He cannot know.”

The video ended.

I stared at the screen.

Marcus was standing behind me.

“Thomas?”

I couldn't speak.

The dead man's voice had just changed everything.

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