Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the System
I stared at the screen in absolute disbelief.
The woman my brother had married three years ago was supposed to be buried in a cemetery in Chicago.
She had faked her own death to escape a federal racketeering indictment.
Now she was living a comfortable suburban life while targeting my wealthy father.
I immediately called my supervisor at the federal bureau to request an emergency arrest warrant.
The phone rang endlessly before transferring directly to an automated voicemail.
That was highly unusual for a senior director during an active crisis.
A nurse walked out into the waiting room and called my name.
She told me that my father had three fractured ribs and a severe concussion.
She also mentioned that his toxicology report showed massive amounts of a paralyzing neurotoxin in his system.
Vanessa and Mark had not just beaten him with a bat.
They had drugged him to make sure he could not fight back or call for help.
I walked into my father's recovery room just as he was waking up.
He looked at me with tired, frightened eyes.
He whispered that Vanessa was looking for a specific key hidden in his house.
He told me the key opened a safety deposit box containing documents that could destroy her.
I realized I had to get to his house before Vanessa and Mark tore it apart.
I told the federal guards at the hospital door to shoot anyone who tried to enter his room.
I drove across town to my father's quiet suburban neighborhood.
I parked three blocks away and approached the house through the wooded backyard.
The back door had already been kicked open and left hanging on its hinges.
I drew my service weapon and stepped silently into the dark kitchen.
I could hear heavy footsteps moving around in my father's upstairs bedroom.
I crept up the carpeted stairs, keeping my back pressed firmly against the wall.
I peeked around the corner and saw someone tearing the mattress apart.
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It was not Vanessa or Mark.
It was my federal supervisor.
