Chapter 3 - The Hidden Truth
I stared at the glowing screen of the burner phone.
Elias had always been a master of surveillance, but I had no idea how he knew about this shed.
I dragged my exhausted, battered body across the dusty floorboards.
My surgical drains caught on a loose nail, sending a sharp spike of white-hot pain through my ribs.
I bit down on my sleeve to keep from screaming.
I finally reached the heavy red lawnmower parked in the corner of the room.
With the last ounce of my strength, I pushed it aside.
Beneath it was a hollowed-out section of wood that had been carefully cut away.
I pried the loose floorboard up with my bloody fingernails.
Inside the dark cavity was a thick, waterproof plastic folder.
I pulled it out and unzipped the top, hoping to find a weapon or a medical kit.
Instead, I found a stack of legal documents bearing Garrick's signature.
My hands shook violently as I read the first page.
It was a life insurance policy taken out exactly three days before my cancer diagnosis.
The payout upon my death was listed at five million dollars.
But it was the second document that made my blood run entirely cold.
It was a forged power of attorney, granting Miriam complete control over my estate.
They had perfectly orchestrated my death long before I ever stepped foot into the operating room.
I flipped to the final page and saw a bank statement attached to Sarah's real name.
She wasn't just Garrick's mistress waiting in the wings for me to die.
She was the insurance broker who had illegally approved the massive policy.
They were all in on it together, splitting the profits of my impending murder.
The air inside the shed was growing dangerously thin and impossibly hot.
My fever was rising rapidly, and the edges of my vision were starting to turn gray.
I knew that if I didn't get out of this shed within the hour, my body would give out completely.
I looked around the dark space for anything I could use to break the padlock.
There was a heavy metal crowbar resting on a high shelf out of my reach.
I tried to stand, but my legs completely buckled under my own weight.
I slumped against the wall, defeated and struggling just to breathe.
Suddenly, the deafening sound of a helicopter rotor echoed from the sky above.
The wooden walls of the shed began to rattle violently.
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A booming voice came over a megaphone, drowning out the engine noise.
"Garrick Vance, step away from the shed and put your hands in the air."
