Chapter 13 - the man who ran)
Police ordered everyone away from the farmhouse.
Jack and Laura were escorted toward the road.
Tyler stayed behind the perimeter with Ruiz.
"You are not going inside," she said.
"I know."
This time he meant it.
Armed officers entered the cellar.
The property fell silent.
Tyler watched the windows.
Nothing.
Then shouting.
"Clear!"
Another voice.
"Tunnel!"
Ruiz moved toward the radio.
A hidden passage beneath the farmhouse led to an old storm shelter behind the barn.
By the time officers reached the exit, Rick was gone.
But he had left something.
A phone.
One recent call.
Laura Bennett.
Her phone rang almost immediately.
Everyone stared.
Unknown number.
Ruiz nodded.
Laura answered.
"Rick."
"Hello, Laura."
His voice sounded tired.
"You need to stop."
"No."
"It's over."
"Nothing is over."
"The police have Daniel's evidence."
Silence.
Then Rick said, "Tyler found it."
It was not a question.
Laura looked at her son.
"Yes."
Rick laughed softly.
"Daniel always did like games."
"You killed him."
Another silence.
Tyler watched his mother's face.
Rick finally answered.
"I didn't mean for his car to go over."
Laura closed her eyes.
There it was.
Not a full confession.
Enough.
"You chased him."
"He had something that belonged to me."
"It was evidence."
"It was my life."
"You chose your life over his."
"He should've stopped."
Laura's voice became cold.
"No, Rick. You should have."
The line remained quiet.
Then Rick said, "Bring me the drive."
"No."
"I'll leave."
"No."
"You'll never see me again."
"Good."
"Laura."
"No."
His voice hardened.
"You think police can protect everyone forever?"
Tyler stepped forward.
Ruiz motioned him back.
Laura said, "You cannot scare Jack anymore."
"Jack should've kept his mouth shut."
"He was a child."
"He ruined everything."
Laura's face changed.
"No. You did."
Rick ended the call.
Police traced the signal to a highway rest area nine miles away.
Units responded.
Nothing.
He had abandoned another phone.
For two days, Rick remained missing.
The neighborhood became crowded with news vans.
Maya's rescue dominated local broadcasts.
Gary entered protective custody and began cooperating.
Wesley Price, the accountant Maya had seen being moved into the garage, was located alive in a hospital under a false name.
His testimony supported Gary's account.
Daniel's drive was analyzed.
It contained financial records, photographs, audio files, scanned documents, and a draft report detailing years of fraud.
More importantly, it contained an audio recording from the day before Daniel died.
Rick's voice.
You don't understand what you're doing.
Daniel's answer.
I understand exactly what I'm doing.
You think they'll protect you?
I don't need protection from you.
Then Rick.
You should.
The recording ended.
For Laura, hearing Daniel's voice was almost unbearable.
Tyler listened once.
Jack did not.
He said he wanted to remember his father from videos where he was laughing.
On Monday evening, Tyler sat on the front porch of Aunt Claire's house.
Jack joined him.
His knee was healing.
"So what happens now?" Jack asked.
"Police find Rick."
"And if they don't?"
"They will."
"How do you know?"
Tyler looked at him.
"I don't."
Jack nodded.
They sat quietly.
Then Jack said, "Maya doesn't blame me."
"I told you."
"I know."
"Do you believe her?"
Jack thought.
"Sometimes."
"That's a start."
Jack looked toward the street.
"I should've told you sooner."
Tyler shook his head.
"Stop."
"But..."
"You were scared."
"I still knew."
"Jack."
Tyler waited until his brother looked at him.
"Rick did this. Not you."
Jack's eyes filled.
Tyler continued.
"You survived him. That's different from helping him."
Jack nodded slowly.
A car turned onto the street.
Both boys watched.
A delivery van.
It passed.
Jack exhaled.
They were both still listening for Rick.
That night Tyler woke at 2:03.
Someone was downstairs.
He reached for his phone.
Then he heard Laura scream.
Tyler ran.
The back door stood open.
A kitchen chair had fallen.
Laura was gone.
On the counter lay Daniel's old silver watch.
Rick had taken it from the black box before police recovered the evidence.
Beside it was a handwritten note.
ONE LAST FAMILY DRIVE.
Tyler's phone rang.
Rick.
He answered.
"Where is she?"
"Mill Creek."
"If you hurt her..."
"You sound like your father."
Tyler stopped.
Rick continued.
"He said the same thing."
"Where?"
"Where he died."
The call ended.
Tyler called Detective Ruiz.
Then woke Jack.
Police ordered them to stay at Claire's.
Tyler looked at the old silver watch.
At Daniel's initials.
At the object Rick had kept for eight years like a trophy.
He understood something.
Rick did not want to escape anymore.
May you like
He wanted to control the ending.
And he had chosen the exact road where Daniel Bennett's life had ended.
