Chapter 3 - The Corrupt Detective
The blinding spotlight forced Warden Mitchell to shield his eyes with his soaked arm.
He recognized the voice of the man commanding the armed squad immediately.
It was Detective Marcus Vance, the lead investigator who had originally built the murder case against Elena.
Vance stepped out from the shadows wearing a smug grin and a tailored waterproof jacket.
He pointed his service weapon directly at Mitchell's chest.
The corrupt detective demanded to know why the warden was digging up a closed case.
Mitchell glared at him and stated that the empty casket proved Elena was framed.
Vance laughed coldly and admitted that he already knew the grave was completely empty.
He confessed that David had paid him two million dollars to secure a fake autopsy report.
David wanted to disappear with his massive offshore wealth and needed a convenient scapegoat.
His wife Elena was the perfect target to take the fall for his fabricated death.
Mitchell slowly reached for the backup pistol hidden in his ankle holster.
He knew Vance could not afford to let him leave the cemetery alive.
The detective ordered his tactical team to prepare their weapons for an execution.
Just as Vance raised his gun, a blinding flash of lightning illuminated the sky.
A deafening gunshot rang out, but it did not come from the corrupt police officers.
Vance screamed in agony as a bullet shattered his right knee.
He collapsed into the muddy grass, dropping his weapon in the process.
The tactical team spun around, firing wildly into the darkness of the surrounding tombstones.
Mitchell used the chaotic distraction to dive behind a large marble mausoleum.
A woman dressed in dark tactical clothing emerged from the trees holding a smoking sniper rifle.
It was Sarah Jenkins, a disgraced former FBI agent who had always believed Elena was innocent.
She laid down a heavy barrage of suppressing fire, forcing the corrupt cops to take cover.
Sarah sprinted toward the mausoleum and dragged Mitchell toward her parked SUV.
Bullets shattered the gravestones around them as they scrambled into the vehicle.
Sarah slammed on the gas pedal, tearing through the cemetery gates and vanishing into the night.
Mitchell caught his breath and thanked the mysterious woman for saving his life.
Sarah grimly replied that they were far from safe.
She revealed that David had not just paid off the local police department.
He had deep ties to a violent international smuggling syndicate.
Sarah handed Mitchell a heavily encrypted tablet displaying a live tracking map.
The blinking red dot on the screen was located at the state foster care facility.
David was not just waiting outside the prison to gloat about his wife's execution.
He had returned to the city to kidnap his daughter Chloe.
Mitchell realized with horror that David needed Chloe's biometric fingerprint to unlock his offshore trust fund.
If David managed to get his hands on the little girl, he would kill her as soon as the money transferred.
The tracking dot on the tablet suddenly began moving away from the foster home at a high speed.
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Sarah cursed loudly and slammed her foot down harder on the accelerator.
They were already ten minutes behind the men who had just taken the child.
