Chapter 6 - The Man in the Garage
The sound behind the garage door brought every conversation to a stop.
Officer Alvarez ordered Rachel and Lila to move away.
When the door opened, Owen stood under the garage lights holding the envelope and storage drive.
He tried to claim he had come to help Daniel.
The cufflink ended that story.
So did the torn sleeve matching a piece of fabric caught on the broken chair.
Owen placed the envelope on the floor.
“I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”
Rachel stared at him.
“You left your brother unconscious.”
“He fell.”
“You ran.”
“I panicked.”
“And Chloe?”
His eyes moved toward the ambulance.
“She wasn’t supposed to be here.”
The words silenced everyone.
Officer Alvarez turned Owen around and placed him under arrest.
As the police escorted him toward the driveway, Owen looked at Rachel.
“Daniel will destroy all of us.”
Rachel stepped closer.
“No. He is exposing you.”
At the hospital, doctors confirmed that Daniel had suffered a concussion but would recover. Chloe’s breathing returned to normal once she felt safe and received treatment.
Rachel sat between their rooms, moving from her husband to her daughter.
Daniel woke fully that evening.
“The drive,” he said.
“The police recovered it.”
Daniel looked alarmed.
“No. That was a duplicate.”
Rachel frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Owen knew I had evidence. I expected him to come after it.”
“You expected this?”
“I expected him to try to steal the files. I didn’t expect him to enter our home.”
“Where is the original drive?”
Daniel looked toward the hallway leading to Chloe’s room.
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“I put it somewhere Owen would never search.”
Rachel suddenly remembered the pink backpack lying near the refrigerator.
