Chapter 6 - The Mechanic's Confession
The raspy voice on the phone sent a shiver of pure terror down my spine.
I asked him why I should trust the man who murdered my husband and daughter.
He coughed heavily into the phone before answering.
"Because Julian did not pay me, and the cartel is trying to kill me to tie up loose ends."
He gave me an address for an abandoned auto shop on the outskirts of the city.
He promised to give me the physical audio recordings of Julian ordering the hit.
I knew it was likely a trap, but it was the only piece of physical evidence that could save me.
I used the cash from Ethan's vault to buy a cheap used car from a late-night dealership.
I drove to the industrial district, keeping my headlights off as I approached the rusted garage doors.
The auto shop was pitch black and smelled heavily of old motor oil and decay.
I walked inside slowly, keeping the heavy tungsten pen gripped tightly in my fist.
"Are you here?" I whispered into the darkness.
A single overhead bulb flickered on, illuminating the center of the garage.
The mechanic was sitting in a rolling chair, clutching a bleeding gunshot wound in his stomach.
He held out a small digital recorder with shaking, grease-stained hands.
"Take it to the federal prosecutor, not the local cops," he gasped.
I cautiously stepped forward and took the device from his hands.
I asked him why he would agree to murder an innocent family.
He looked at me with fading, regretful eyes.
"Julian told me you were an abusive monster who was slowly poisoning your child for insurance money."
My own brother had invented a horrifying lie to justify the assassination of his own family.
Before I could ask another question, the glass windows of the garage completely shattered.
Three cartel gunmen stepped through the broken glass, raising automatic weapons directly at us.
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Julian walked in right behind them, holding a suppressed pistol and smiling coldly.
"You really are incredibly hard to kill, Maya," my brother sneered.
