Chapter 8 - The Audio Confession
Caleb felt all the blood drain from his face as the detective delivered the horrific news.
Julian had somehow found the state-run medical facility and kidnapped Mia from her bed.
Marcus quickly shut off the holographic projector and packed it back into his briefcase.
"Julian is completely unhinged," Caleb panicked, pulling against his handcuffs.
"He knows I can't transfer the money because the estate is frozen!"
The detective unlocked Caleb's handcuffs and tossed them onto the table.
"We traced the 911 call to an abandoned manufacturing warehouse by the Chicago River," the detective explained rapidly.
"We need you to come with us and keep him talking while our tactical teams get into position."
Caleb rubbed his sore wrists and ran out of the precinct alongside Marcus and the detectives.
They sped through the rain-soaked streets of Chicago in an unmarked armored vehicle.
When they arrived at the decaying warehouse, police snipers were already setting up on neighboring rooftops.
Caleb was handed a bulletproof vest and an earpiece connected directly to the crisis negotiator.
He walked slowly through the rusted front doors of the massive, echoing building.
Inside, the warehouse was dark, smelling heavily of damp concrete and old oil.
"Julian!" Caleb shouted, his voice echoing off the high metal ceiling.
A bright spotlight clicked on at the far end of the warehouse.
Julian was standing on an elevated steel catwalk, holding a terrified, pale Mia by the arm.
Mia looked incredibly weak, dressed only in a thin hospital gown, shivering in the cold air.
"Where is the lawyer?" Julian yelled down.
"He has the authority to sign over the preliminary assets to my offshore account!"
Caleb stepped further into the light, keeping his hands raised to show he was unarmed.
"You know Vanessa played us both, Julian," Caleb reasoned, stalling for time as the tactical team moved in through the rear loading dock.
"She told the police you were the mastermind behind the poisoning."
Julian laughed bitterly and pulled the stolen vial of Arthur's blood from his pocket.
"I have the proof to destroy her," Julian sneered.
"But I want the money first, or the little girl takes the fall."
Suddenly, a loud gunshot echoed through the warehouse, violently shattering the silence.
Julian screamed in pain, dropping the vial as a bullet tore through his shoulder.
He collapsed onto the metal grating of the catwalk, releasing his grip on Mia.
Caleb expected to see a police sniper, but as he looked toward the shadows on the ground floor, someone stepped out.
It was Vanessa, holding a smoking pistol equipped with a heavy silencer.
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She looked up at Julian and smiled wickedly.
"I always clean up my own messes," Vanessa said, turning the gun directly toward Caleb.
