Chapter 7 - The Fugitive

The heavy red canister shattered the reinforced glass into thousands of jagged pieces.

I leaped through the broken window just as Detective Miller fired a warning shot over my head.

I hit the wet pavement outside, rolled to absorb the harsh impact, and sprinted into the dark city streets.

Sirens immediately began wailing from every direction as the entire police force mobilized to hunt me down.

I was now a wanted fugitive, framed for cyber terrorism, attempted murder, and child endangerment.

I ducked into an abandoned warehouse, pressing my back against the cold brick wall while police cruisers sped past.

I needed hard, undeniable proof to take down Arthur Vance and clear my destroyed name.

I remembered something Ashley had casually mentioned years ago about our mother's hidden paranoia.

Linda always kept physical copies of her most important documents locked in a floor safe beneath her bed.

I waited until the streets were entirely quiet before sneaking through the shadows toward my mother's house.

The house was dark and completely surrounded by yellow police tape.

I slipped through the unlocked basement window and crept silently up the wooden stairs.

I reached my mother's bedroom and pushed her heavy oak bedframe to the side.

I tore away the floral carpet, revealing the small metal dial of the hidden floor safe.

I used my father's old birthdate as the combination, and the heavy metal door clicked open instantly.

Inside the safe were stacks of hundred-dollar bills and a thick, leather-bound ledger.

I flipped through the pages and gasped out loud at the shocking financial records.

My mother had been secretly siphoning thousands of dollars from a massive trust fund in Emily's name for five years.

Emily had absolutely no idea this massive fortune even existed.

Arthur had been paying my mother long before the baby was even born.

Suddenly, I heard the distinct sound of the front door slowly creaking open downstairs.

Heavy footsteps began walking methodically up the wooden staircase toward the bedroom.

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I grabbed the leather ledger and hid quietly inside the small bedroom closet.

The door swung open, and my mother walked in holding a gasoline can and a lighter.