Chapter 5 - The Dead Man's Confession
Caleb's words hit me like a physical blow to the chest.
Mark had known he was in danger before the fire ever happened.
"Where is the drive now?" I asked, gripping Caleb's small shoulders.
"My mom took the truck, but I hid the drive under the floorboards in my bedroom before the birthday party," he whispered.
Vanessa had burned my daughter over an empty toy.
She had panicked, assuming the drive was still inside, and attacked Lily to protect her own twisted secrets.
Suddenly, the heavy footsteps of the security guard echoed from the hallway.
"I'll be back for you, Caleb, I promise," I swore softly.
I scrambled back down the basement stairs just as the living room door swung open.
I squeezed back out the broken window and ran through the forest as fast as my legs could carry me.
I reached my car, threw the car into drive, and sped back toward the city.
I had to get into Vanessa's house one more time before she realized the drive was missing.
When I finally arrived back at her suburban mansion, the sun was setting.
I used the spare key again, rushing straight up to Caleb's bedroom.
I dropped to my knees and pulled up the loose floorboard hidden under his heavy oak desk.
There it was, sitting in the dust like a dormant bomb waiting to explode.
A small, black USB flash drive.
I grabbed it, ran to my car, and locked all the doors.
I plugged the drive into my laptop, my fingers trembling as the files loaded on the screen.
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There was only one folder, labeled with my father's name.
I double-clicked it, and the horrible, devastating truth of my family finally flooded my screen.
